Introduction One way to communicate to other staff a patient’s level of agitation for occupational therapy such as in psychiatric settings like locked units is with an objective scale. A scale like the Behavioral Activity Rating Scale (BARS) can be used to measure agitation and also to help reduce defensive behaviors from staff, which can … Read more
Millions of Americans rely on wheelchairs for mobility and function after a physical disability. Studies have shown that serious wheelchair-related accidents can result in fractures, concussions, dislocations, amputations, and spinal cord injuries. It is estimated that an average of over 36,559 wheelchair-related accidents occur that require medical attention. While any single part of the body … Read more
Motivation for this article I recently saw some social media posts from OTs on managing wandering or those who are a ‘flight risk’ with dementia. They offer some great ideas such as environmental barriers to prevent wandering outside the home – that sounds good at least in theory. Modern approaches may even incorporate smart home … Read more
My attention was brought to a research article published in 2021 in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care titled, “Benefits and risks of non-slip socks in hospitals: a rapid review”. As a fieldwork student and even per some hospital policies, a big deal is made to push for patients to don hospital-issued ‘non-slip’ … Read more
Side to Hold a Cane Which hand should you use to hold a cane (e.g., single point cane, Hurry cane, etc.) with? You should hold the cane with your strong side. For example, if you are stronger on your left side for your leg and weaker with your right leg, you should hold the can … Read more
An unbiased occupational therapist’s perspective. The Snoo: Get it or Not? I like to do deep dives into my topics and always try to include some research from the literature. “From 2012 to 2014, CPSC received reports of 284 deaths among children younger than age five associated with, but not necessarily caused by, nursery products. … Read more