Uncertainty in Observation

I observed in a skilled nursing facility for two months. I had a drastically different idea of OT then as compared to now. Every client that came into the therapy gym did the arm bike for fifteen minutes, then would have a weighted bar and the OT would have them do rows, curls, and other exercises just with that arm bar. We would then use the graded pinch exerciser occasionally. For the most part, that was everyone's routine in their OT session. I assumed this was normal. I now see that maybe those sessions should have been more personalized for each client and their situation. The only "personalized" session I observed was doing puzzles with a client because that was her biggest hobby. I am sure the OT did not intentionally avoid doing separate activities for each client, but I do feel that other activities could have been utilized. Maybe there were not enough resources available to do such personalized sessions. I can now also see why some clients dreaded OT-- because they had to do the exact same thing everyone else was doing every single session. In my future as an OT, I will keep this in the back of my mind. I have learned that finding occupations that clients hold valuable will motivate them for therapy, and I will strive to work on those individual occupational with each client I encounter.

The Need for Universal Design

So often many of us, including myself, take our basic everyday communication and understanding for granted. I am asked a question and in response I typically nod or shake my head. However, this video called "Why We Need Universal Design" caused me to stop and think, what if I was responding to someone who is blind? I would have to take a second to ensure that I give that person the same quality response as I would for any other person. I think it is truly incredible that a person like Michael Nesmith, who is deaf, can take that disadvantage and turn it into an advantage. He uses his lack of hearing to increase the world's understanding through visual aids on Amazon's homepage. The various elements on Amazon's homepage aimed at helping customers understand has never crossed my mind as a challenge because I am lucky enough to have my sight and my hearing, so I usually read the headline and continue with my shopping. Now that I have watched Michael's Ted Talk, I have gone back to Amazon's homepage to review these different elements and I have found that these headlines accompany descriptive pictures, prices and price cuts, as well as the various categories that these items can be found in. This reminds me again that I, as a future OT practitioner, must take into account all aspects of clients to ensure that they all receive the same quality care and understanding that I can provide.