Alas…the toughest part namely, fieldwork on Monday (which I unfortunately, could not attend because I have become ill through all the University stress we face as students) and Wednesday has passed therefore it’s safe to say…yet another week of prac has come and gone.
For week 3, I will be providing further insight into Tuberculosis of the hip (despite the fact that my client has been discharged already, all three in fact!!! So, my supervisor and I had to screen the wards AGAIN for 2 more clients) along with references and links that have been useful in developing my OT subprogram for said client using Applied Frames of Reference(AFRs). Our course guided topic for the week is: Using AFRs and approaches to guide my intervention planning which I will be reflecting on in conjunction with my subjective experience of this past week during therapeutic sessions with clients. Sheesh, there’s so much to tell!
Above, I’m hoping, is a short resource that would assist in understanding and planning your intervention in future with a client who presents with the same diagnosis. I have listed just a few approaches and one applied frame of reference since thus far I’ve had clients who required post orthopaedic rehabilitation but there are a wide range that you could choose from (just surf the net).
I vaguely remember a Confucius Law which states that: “Success depends upon previous preparation and without such previous preparation, there is sure to be failure” [This is just something from an Amazing Race episode that has stuck with me] BUT based on the last few sessions that I have planned for… all that could have gone wrong had went wrong, from uncooperative clients to finding out that my clients had been discharged, it was a complete disaster – I literally felt like crying, but I didn’t however, the stress of putting so much effort into planning ahead and not being able to implement it was what made me ill seeing as demos are next week (and the “success’ of that can be determined by how much you planned) then I was OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING and became worried that I’d fail midterms until I heard the song which I inserted in my previous post. Sung by Tom Walker the lyrics are, “We only get one life so make this life beautiful, One chance so make it worthwhile, Just be alive-the story could be glorious, Beginning to finish-long as I could say I did it”. And that was what gave me willpower, to push through being ill and having to work from 8 to 12, it helped me keep my composure when I discovered I’d have to screen again (which my supervisor says I am quite proactive in, for determining suitability of clients for OT intervention, so in my next blog I give a few pointers into what my thought processes are when screening) an that was when I found my new client, Mr M we shall call him… with fractures at the cervical and lumbar vertebrae however requested to begin rehab (always with a corset for spinal cord injuries!) and highly motivated for mobilisation.
So, I did as the song said. I didn’t wish I could go home and sleep through the day, after all we’re OTs – the ones who add meaning to life – and I had this chance to prove to my supervisor that I have been going through my theory so I adapted, like I have been when I receive a totally new client and I have to make the session activity-based…so sorry Confucius but I’m an anomaly to your law of previous prep since these are actually my better sessions, and I made do with what resources I had.
In my head, I logically and calmly went through the approaches I knew and decided to try out some preparatory techniques on the client such as trunk flexion and scapular mobilisation from the recent Neurodevelopmental(NDT) lectures we’ve had, to assist with bed mobility and eventually static sitting (keeping in mind that preventative steps-use of the corset and a graded approach needs to be used since the client had been laying for a long time).
A therapeutic opportunity then arose as Mr M desired to brush his teeth (a self-care ADL) so we had to improve to perform the task at his bedside and he was so delighted as he stated that it was as if it were a dream come true.
I undoubtedly, was overjoyed as well – I doodled too and smiled to myself (picture below) – it gave me that motivation I needed again. To see how something as simple as brushing teeth, what most take for granted, could be such an uplifting event when one’s disability infringes on function. He was then so happy to smile with his clean teeth, and we even got him to stand today, but stay tuned for my next blog as I reflect more on his progress through OT intervention.
