Through my experience working in a skilled nursing and long term care facility, I have found that patients can greatly benefit from therapy exercises and strategies to improve their breathing coordination as well as expiratory duration and strength. This in turn will positively affect their breath support, swallowing and communication skills. Patients who have are ... Read More about When Communication, Cognition And Swallowing Are Affected By Decreased Breath Support
We cover the importance of meaningful and functional occupational therapy interventions to use with your patients affected by dementia.
When blood flow to certain regions of the brain is cut off from a stroke, that particular communication center no longer relays messages to corresponding parts of the body. So, as with all stroke issues, the problem begins in the brain but becomes aggravated by the weakening of the body part itself. The key to rehabili
I am always looking for ideas to shake up my OT treatments and try to get creative with activity tolerance activities, because it is just NOT functional or
Through my experience working in a skilled nursing and long term care facility, I have found that patients can greatly benefit from therapy exercises and strategies to improve their breathing coordination as well as expiratory duration and strength. This in turn will positively affect their breath support, swallowing and communication skills. Patients who have are ... Read More about When Communication, Cognition And Swallowing Are Affected By Decreased Breath Support
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It most commonly impairs one’s ability to gauge and execute movements (pivoting, turning, reaching, and stepping, to name a few). The Parkinson’s Foundation estimates that over 10 million people worldwide are living with PD every year. Physical and Occupational Therapy are standard interventions for PD, with programs like LSVT BIG leading the way. To supplement such programs, 5 balance exercises favorites are listed below from the Haas Balance Book: 100+ Exercises for PTs and OTs): Standing + Reaching Across Midline [Exercise 15] reinforces trunk rotations and improves balance during reaching to the side or behind midline. Targets are positioned laterally or posteriorly (behind patient) to challenge range of motion and balance. Functional carryover includes improved safety and ability to prepare meals, take showers, don clothes, etc. Reaching Overhead [Exercise 13] emphasizes standing and raising arms above one’s head, similar to motions of changing a lightbulb. This exercises challenges balance (center of gravity moves posteriorly) while also helping improve trunk extension and arm flexion motions. To integrate cognitive challenges with overhead reaching, add Balance Games [Exercises 88-93 & 95-97]. Randomized Turning [Exercise 78] requires patient to pivot, turn and face the colored target called out by therapist. Colored cards are used to randomize color order. The benefit of this exercise is on improving safety and stability when changing directions in standing and walking. Stepping On/Off Obstacle [Exercise 57] helps improve steadiness when lifting and setting foot on an obstacle, such as a curb or step. The patient is asked to set their foot on the obstacle and then return it back to the starting position while attempting to minimize balance deviations. The sequence is then repeated with the opposite foot. Selecting higher obstacles (second or third steps) is helpful for increasing step height and reinforcing movements into hip and knee flexion. Randomized Stepping (with Balance Dots) [Exercise 73] or Clock Yourself App [Exercise 75]. Random cues help simulate reactionary movements. Steadiness, quickness, and strength with stepping movements are important for balance recovery and fall prevention. For more information on stepping strategies see previous blog titled “Tips to Improve Stepping Strategies.” Other Balance Exercise Groups: 1. 5 Balance Exercise Favorites Following Hip Replacement
In the Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation Service at Southern College of Optometry, there is no one way to perform vision therapy; this list and the previous are reflective of that point.
In OT, you will likely work with patients affected by decreased memory from cognitive impairment. Read on for these top aids and strategies
If you use cones in therapy for reaching and/or balance exercises, check out the following 3 low and no cost ways listed below to help you get more out of them: 1. Add colored targets for reaching/placing tasks. Cones already come in different colors, so it is a natural extension to add colored targets (red, yellow, green, blue, etc.). The use of colors makes it easy to add matching elements. For example, ask patients to place cones on matching targets, e.g., place blue cones on the blue targets, green cones on the green targets, etc. If you are crafty, targets can be easily made from laminating construction paper or painting pie plates. If you’d rather not make targets, or want more durable targets, rubber ones are a low cost alternative. The balance challenge comes not from the cones, but from placing the targets in locations that challenge the patient (high, low, across midline, etc.). The further the targets are placed away from a patient, the bigger the balance challenge, e.g., it is easier to reach in front of the body than it is to the ground or overhead 2. Add balance games by using combinations of colored cones and targets. Balance games engage patients through cognitive challenges (memory, visual discrimination, pattern recognition, etc.) and motivational enhancements (patients want to complete games properly). Three common balance games are noted below (additional games listed in Haas Balance Book: 100+ Exercises for PTs and OTs or viewed online at www.ADLbalance.com): Match Maker: Using a diagram as a guide, the patient selects and places items on corresponding targets, e.g., items shown on diagram are placed on targets. It is possible all available items will not be used. At end of game, the items that are not used will remain in front of patient. Line Up: Using a diagram as a guide, the patient retrieves cones. In the same color order, or “lineup,” as shown on diagram, patient places cones on flat surface (counter, table, etc.). Cashier: Therapist explains the assigned values for colors to the patient: Red = 1₵, Yellow = 5₵, Blue = 10₵, Green = 25₵. The therapist then picks an arbitrary value between 1₵ and 123₵ (range of available values based on number of items) and instructs the patient to place the equivalent value in cones on the flat surface in front of patient (counter, table, etc.). For example, therapist picks 7₵ and patient sets 1 yellow & 2 red cones on flat surface. 3. Add equipment that incorporates use of cones. Instead of using bolsters, boxes, or stools (to set cones on), get more from equipment that is designed to challenge balance through reaching/placing tasks. Below are 2 pieces of equipment that emphasize use of cones, targets, and reaching/placing tasks: ADL Reach Trainer: A portable frame with four fixed-position targets. Place it on a table to simulate high reaches (cupboard, cabinets, closets, etc.) or set it on the floor for low reaches (shower, dishwasher, shoes, etc.). With four colored targets, the ADL Reach Trainer is compatible with balance games. ADL Balance Trainer: A large and sturdy frame with four adjustable-position targets. Adjustable targets allow for easy set ups (reaching high, low, across midline, or toward areas of neglect) and to grade/adjust levels of difficulty (turn knob and slide target higher, lower, nearer, or farther away). With sturdy construction and versatility for therapist to closely spot/facilitate patient, the ADL Balance Trainer is ideal for early reaching challenges in patients just learning to stand and balance again without help. Stop the menial madness of making and moving random stacks of cones in therapy. Rather, get more from your cones, targets, colors, games, and equipment and provide patients a better training experience by following the 3 tips above the next time you work on reaching to improve balance.
As I am finishing up my Capstone of designing an occupational therapy pro bono clinic for a private educational institute, I am putting together a ‘protocol binder’ for the clinic that …
Hand therapist Josh Albarado, OTR/L shares his go-to hand therapy interventions with protocols, treatment ideas and resources in this guide
Low Vision Apps
Occupation based treatment ideas feel like they should come easy, but sometimes we find barriers to getting creative and finding the occupations that are
Retropulsion in Parkinson’s disease is the force that contributes to loss of balance in a backwards or posterior direction. Retropulsion occurs due to a worsening of postural stability and an associated loss of postural reflexes. You may be familiar with the “pull test” that your neurologist performs to check your stability. Your doctor will stand…
Feeling stuck with functional activity tolerance interventions? We cover activities from low to high level to increase activity tolerance.
Through my experience working in a skilled nursing and long term care facility, I have found that patients can greatly benefit from therapy exercises and strategies to improve their breathing coordination as well as expiratory duration and strength. This in turn will positively affect their breath support, swallowing and communication skills. Patients who have are ... Read More about When Communication, Cognition And Swallowing Are Affected By Decreased Breath Support
In room occupational therapy treatment interventions are a necessity when a patient is isolated or you are working with limited supplies.
Looking for functional, occupation-based standing tolerance activities for your OT practice? Here are 10 of our top favorites.
Arthritis can be so debilitating to our clients because it is often not always the direct (or only!) reason we are seeing them. Occupational therapy
Coming up with OT fieldwork in-service ideas can be tough. For a list of 13 ideas for adult rehab fieldwork, we've got you covered here.
Check out this list of 5 simple occupational therapy assessments to use with adults or older adults in settings such as SNF and home health.
Many stroke survivors experience shoulder problems after stroke. Practicing shoulder exercises for stroke patients can help relieve pain and improve movement and strength of the shoulder joint. These improvements can help survivors return to completing their daily activities comfortably and independently. Both physical and occupational therapists are able to treat shoulder impairments and can guide […]
Update 2021: This item is now included in the comprehensive Activity Studio+ __________________________________________________________________________________ Functional Treatment for Motor Speech Disorders is a 70-page download for speech-language pathologists treating apraxia and dysarthria. Focus on meaningful treatment of motor speech activities by using evidence-based treatments with personally-relevant words and communication practice.
If you're searching for functional occupational therapy group treatment ideas for your adult rehab patients, check out our favorites here!
Need an ADL treatment idea for dressing? Try this theraband dressing technique! Work on the components of dressing when you can't actually do it.
If you're a new therapist considering working a skilled nursing facility, there are several factors to consider before taking the job.
Happy OT Month 2016! Four years after initially learning about OT, three years after going through the wildly difficult OT school application process, two years after starting OT school, and just F…
As part of rehabilitation after injury, illness or disease, occupational therapy activities for adults often include strengthening and fine motor tasks.
Working PRN at the SNF on weekends, it can get a little lonely. I much prefer the weekdays of Christmas break and Summer break that I get to work with the entire team! Since I have known them all so long…and they know my ways…I like to leave little silly notes for them like the ... Read More about Play Ball Like an SLP
