Tutorial Eight

For Tutorial eight we were asked to first define assistive technology. Assistive Technology is described “[a]n item, piece of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (Cook and Hussey, 2000, p.5). Also cited in Cook and Hussy, 2000 is what these technologies include. This involves assistive, rehab or educational technologies, hardware and software technologies, general and specific technologies, appliances and tools. Saying this in my own words I would say assistive technology is any equipment that assists individuals to carry out desired occupations.

We were then asked to describe one to piece of equipment introduced in the assistive technology tutorial by Star Mobility. The product I have chosen is a talking photo album. This comes in A5, A4 and A3 sized frames. A5 costs $98.00, A4 $105.00 and A3 $122.00. The description on the STAR mobility website says “Combine literacy and ICT with this Talking Photo Album. Record your stories, timetables or messages with our Talking Photo Album. Simply insert drawings or photographs into the plastic wallets and record up to a 10 second message on every page. Great for Dementia patients” (STAR Disability and Mobility Centre, 2011, para 1). Next we were asked Trev How the equipment increased occupational engagement for the user? Providing examples from the tutorial and lecturer. STAR Disability and Mobility explained that these talking photo frames were useful for a variety of reasons. Firstly they could be used to help individuals with that cannot remember (for example that have dementia or a TBI) a description of the image in the sleeve. This could be a holiday or vacation, family and friends photos or anything else. Secondly they could be used for nonverbal individuals as a way of communicating to others, giving them a voice. Thirdly they could be given to individuals with reading aphasia as a way to remember recipes or other daily tasks such as the steps in dressing oneself. Many other examples of how this assist are explained below This piece of assistive technology helps give individuals independent and communication skills increasing their occupational engagement in tasks. Provide examples of the equipment’s use from online sources (minimum or 2 examples).  This can be done by hyper linking to blogs, internet sites, You Tube videos, podcasts etc.  How does this relate to occupation concepts introduced in tutorial one e.g. occupational justice, occupational disruption, occupational transition, or occupational deprivation?  This site titled Talking Photo Albums for Independent Living by Talking Products Ltd is an advertisement on a talking photo frame similar to the one at Star Disability and Mobility is used. It shows many ways it can be used to enhance occupational engagement. These include audible guidance for daily tasks, audible reminders, a way of medication management, a place to put phone numbers or emergency procedures, visual and audible instructions for operating domestic appliances, and a voice for someone that cannot speak. Here's its hyperlink http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=X2Rfa-6RmbE&NR=1. Another You tube site I came across was a News cast of a Talking Photo Album Project at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Adelaide. It was used to aid Dementia and CALD patients. Many positive results came from using this assistive device. This included reminding them of who friends and family were, reassurance through someone’s voice recording when someone is not with them. Also it could be used to communicate with people from a different cultural back group; it can also help maintain a person’s dignity.  The project said 1 in 3 people will suffer with dementia and the end of their lives, which is a high percentage, this device is a way of enabling them independence through occupation.Here is the hyperlink it was achieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=X2Rfa-6RmbE&NR=1. This relates to the occupation concept used in tutorial one of occupational deprivation because it enables individuals to overcome some of their disabilities and become more independent with their occupations enabling them to overcome occupational deprivation. Some examples of this are shown above these include audible guidance for daily tasks, audible reminders, a way of medication management, a place to put phone numbers or emergency procedures, visual and audible instructions for operating domestic appliances, and a voice for someone that cannot speak.

References:

STAR Disability and Mobility Centre (2011). Talking photo albums. Retrieved from http://www.starmobility.co.nz/recordable-voice-devices-1/aids/talking-photo-album-a5.html?options=cart

  

Youtube (2012). Talking photo albums for Independent living by talking products ltd.retreived from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=X2Rfa-6RmbE&NR=1 date retrieved 23/04/2012

           Youtube (2012).Talking photo frame project retreieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=X2Rfa-6RmbE&NR=1

retrieved 23/04/2012

Tutorial Seven

For this tutorial we were asked to link to 5 blogs related to Occupational Therapy

The first blog I found was on Paediatric OT tips, it was written by Dr. Anne Zachry is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 18 years experience providing OT to children, along with caregiver instruction and support-as viewed on her profile http://www.blogger.com/profile/12412811562160693665 . This is her site http://drzachryspedsottips.blogspot.co.nz/

Secondly I found was a rehabilitation therapy called “wii OT” this is written by Mershon Hinkel (MSPH, OTPH). A hyperlink for this site is http://wiihabtherapy.blogspot.co.nz/

The third blog I have linked to was written by a stroke survivor it was written to share how a stroke affected our lives, and how through our stroke recovery experience, stroke survivors, stroke victims, caregivers and others might find peace, hope and encouragement, this is the hyperlink

http://www.strokesurvivorblog.com/.

The forth blog I have linked to is called “practice reasoning and reflection-Jess’ blog” It is written by a newly graduate Occupational Therapy student here’s the hyperlink http://www.nzaot.com/resources/specialist.resources.php

Lastly I have linked to another second year Occupational therapy student called Roxanne Waru her blog has interesting topics and I have commented on it.

This is the comment I left on her blog "those videos are really interesting, good work in finding them". This is her page http://otrox11.blogspot.co.nz/

 

Tutorial Six

For tutorial six we were asked to choose a topic of interest related to Occupational therapy, we were asked to find three online communities related to this and relate them back to occupational concepts done in week one. My chosen topic is dyspraxia. The first online community I found was ‘wellsphere-health knowledge made personal this site is http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/Dyspraxia%20&%20Apraxia’. Secondly I found the online community of the Dyspraxia Foundation, http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/index.php this has links to how Occupational therapists help individuals deal with this diagnosis. Thirdly I found a site called net mums where members ask questions and others answer them. A member who’s child had just been diagnosed with Dyspraxia asked the other mums about it on this link here: http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/advice-support-40/special-needs-disabilities-support-502/389707-dyspraxia-occupational-therapy.html

We were next asked to provide a brief description of each community I will be answering these questions altogether. These questions were what do you think is the intended purpose of the site?  Information can be linked here from the specific sites. How interactive is this site? How can people contribute? What do they contribute? Make comment on why people choose to contribute to each community. What is it they are seeking? And is information shared one way or reciprocal? Wellsphere say they are is America’s fastest growing health information and technology company.  Their mission is to empower patients and caregivers with the information and applications needed, to permit better health outcomes through the use of their products and services. Professionals contribute by posting articles. This is an interactive site and people can comment like, or recommend the page. They can also view the profile and email the writer of the site and discussion page for discussions. However on the Dyspraxia part of the site no one has commented. People choose to contribute to this community to share and retrieve knowledge; this is what they are seeking. Information is shared one way and people comment on it. The Dyspraxia Foundation aims to support children, families and adults with dyspraxia. It is designed to help or inform parents and children with the condition, support them with their condition and educate others about it. This site is semi interactive, you can become a member and login, you can shop through the site, contact them and you can make a donation but there is no place to make comments etc. People chose to contribute to this site to connect with others like them, to educate others on dyspraxia and to learn more about the condition see Occupational Therapist page http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/professionals/pr_occupational.php. This information is shared one way. Net mums is a UK site designed for mothers on the internet to ask each other questions, connect in the community and share experiences of being parents. After logging in any member can ask questions and other member’s answer these with their own experiences. People can contribute to this site through becoming a member and commenting on other’s questions. They use this site to share advice and their experiences as well as making friends and meeting face to face with other members of the site in real life. They share experiences and make new friends through this. Information is reciprocal and in the link above the writers comment on each other’s answers again and again.

After this we were asked to concider material presented in the online package. I believe the concept of occupational disruption is shown through dyspraxia (Developmental Co-ordination Disorder) because the individual will know how to do an action or say a word but will take longer to or not be not be able to co-ordinate themselves to do so. Because of dyspraxia occupational disturbance is found in everyday activities such as the process of catching a ball, handwriting or tying a shoelace. Because of dyspraxia children will experience trouble completing developmental milestones such as crawling, building up vocabulary and getting dressed. This means they are left behind their peers in occupational transitions made in their life. This can cause frustration and for both the individual and their parents/caregivers.

Next we were asked to consider material presented during the course and comment on the potential ethical issues that may arise in this community e.g. lack of identity and accountability. In the first online community I found ‘wellsphere-health knowledge made personal’ ethical issues would arise on the authenticity of the professionals writing on the site. However they have procedures set up so only professionals can post answers on this site to counteract this. In the second site written by the Dyspraxia Foundation only the authors of the site can post anything on it therefore the identity and accountability of the author is certain giving reliability to the site.  In the third site ‘net mums’ where members ask questions and others answer them anyone can set up and an account to answer questions. This makes these answers untrustworthy and the identity of the author is anonymous. Therefore there is no accountability for the authors.

Lastly we were asked to consider material presented in the online package and comment on the benefits and limitations these communities provide relate to traditional geographical communities.  In these communities anyone can join and contribute no matter where in the world they come from, they can learn new information and share knowledge with each other. In other words there are no geographical limits. However there is nothing like seeing someone face to face and there are limits to developing a rapport with someone in these online communities. In these online communities people cannot share food, come together for a meal or simply stop by for a cup of tea like they do in geographical communities also there is more ethical concerns as someone can pretend to be someone completely different to who they are.

Tutorial Five

The OT topic of interest I have chosen is Sensory Integration Therapy to overcome Sensory Processing Disorder. It is a neurological condition that causes some children to be overly seeking or overly sensitive to touch, sounds, tastes, smells, movement, and/or visual stimuli. It affects 1 in 20 children. (more on this is found in the description to the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02JlnqUhXeU) Sensory Integration Therapy helps children with Sensory Processing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other learning and behavioral challenges.

Next we had to find four videos related to this practice area, these are below:

Here is an overview of many fun ideas and initiatives been used with children with Sensory Integration Therapy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02JlnqUhXeU

This video is a lot like the first it shows some more ways it is used at Sensory KIDS where they use the STAR therapy model, developed by Dr. Lucy Jane Miller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Jm9G0cpxU

Next is an educational video about a USC Occupational Therapist called Aki Funahashi, who works with children in a pediatric therapy setting. In this video he talks about his practice and how sensory integration therapy helps. This is the hyperlink http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_JKPt7spc

The forth video I have chosen is shown here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfOov_bSwXg. Occupational Therapist, Jean Davison, discusses Sensory Integration Therapy and explains what it is and who it helps. She shows how it is used with the children. 

The last video I had way a video that shows Aquatic Sensory Integration with a Pediatric Therapist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAu6d_Pabpo, this is slightly tangential to the main topic but quite interesting anyway.

Tutorial Four

For Tutorial Four we were asked to do a one minute long video based on a Occupational Concept. For this I chose the topic Occupational Deprivation.  For this we used the quote “if you draw it for me, if you cut it for me, if you paint it for me, then all you show is that you can do it better than me” to show that by doing something for others although you may mean well all you are doing is showing them that they can’t do things as well as you can. This quote was a motto of Hamilton North School where Briony Barnette had one of her placements. I think this quote is so powerful in the way that it suggests we are depriving others if we take their occupations off them.

The audio sung by my Flatmate Caleb Young used the song “I can do anything better than you” from the musical “Annie Get Your Gun”, we thought this was fitting as it showed the occupationally deprived persons conclusion (the one that was getting everything done for them), that when others did something for them that is the way they felt. 

Tutorial Three

For Tutorial Three we were asked to follow instructions to set up a Blogger Account. As I have a active blog up and working I have done this. We were then asked to choose a blog template, provide a blog title, provide a blog outline and purpose for the blog and complete our blog profiles, which I have done. We were then asked to upload a photo that represents us. I chose 'Bullseye' from the Movie Toy Story as I adore him.

Tutorial Two

P.i.o

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Tutorial Two:  Occupational Engagement, Doing, Being, Becoming and Belonging.

Tasks associated with this tutorial

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For my second Fieldwork placement I was at the Hamilton Group Riding for the Disabled. Their motto is "Confidence, independence and well being for people with disabilities through therapeutic horse riding and horse care” (Hamilton Group RDA, 2011). Through my PowerPoint presentation I wished to convey the Occupation of Therapeutic Horse Riding and Mastership. Also I wished to explain how Doing, Being, Becoming and Belonging are strongly shown through this in the Hamilton Group RDA.

Using this presentation we were asked to define the terms do, be, become and belong in relation to reference sources presented in the tutorial (direct references to be acknowledged and stated in full at the end of the post).  Provide explanations of how your chosen images represent each of these concepts.  Images are to be referred to in the order they appear in the presentation with a brief description e.g. image 5 shared meal (no more than 200 words excluding references). The concept of doing “includes purposeful, goal orientated activities” (Hammell, 2004, p.301). Research has shown there are five dimensions to experiencing and expressing occupations through doing. These include the need/opportunity to keep busy (shown in many slide in particualar slide 5, independent riding), and explore new opportunities (Hammell, 2004) (this is shown in image 9, Playing ‘hoofball’.   The process of being involves “simply experiencing life and the environment around us, frequently in an accepting, non-instrumental way” (Hammell, 2004, p.301). For example this is shown in image 13 where the riders are experiencing the environment around them as they go on farm treks. Becoming describes the idea that people envision what they want to become and how their lives might be worthwhile (Hammell, 2004). For example image 16 developing communication and social skills helps create more meaning in their life. Belonging is a term used to describe the necessary contribution of social interaction, mutual support and friendship, and the sense of being included, to occupational performance and life satisfaction (Hammell, 2004, p.302). Image 18 shows how the volunteers belong to the RDA volunteers group this develops social interaction. Also image 19 shows how riders belong to a group that have the same interests and love of horses as they do, this develops friendships and mutual support for each other.

We were then asked to provide 3 examples of ethical considerations we made in relation to the images you chose e.g. creative commons material, informed consent, authenticity of online sources. All photos not taken by me were off freely accessible sites off the internet (including the facebook site, therefore consent for these photos to be put up was already given. The RDA co-ordinator confirmed that any person in photos shown on the internet had written consent. I also made sure online sources were authentic; the facebook site I used was created by the Hamilton Group RDA co-ordinator. Lastly, I got consent from my friends to use the photos of them and did not include their face where not necessary.

Reference:

Hammell, K. W. (2004). Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(5), 296-305.

Tutorial One

Tutorial One:  Information Technology and Ethical Issues

Hello blog followers, this is my first tutorial and in it I will be covering Information Technology and the ethical issues that surround it. Information Technology is defined in Dictionary.com, (my source for definitions as I do not possess a hardcopy dictionary) as “the technology of the production, storage, and communication of information using computers and microelectronics” (Dictionary.com, 2012, para. 1). To me this means anything and everything invented to enable communication and information to be transferred in the world today. Information Communications Technology refers to “the study of the technology used to handle information and aid communication...In addition to the subjects included in Information Technology (IT), ICT encompasses areas such as telephony, broadcast media and all types of audio and video processing and transmission” (Dictionary.com, 2012, para. 1). To me this basically means the study of all fields of information technology.

Consider the definition of IT you have provided.  How is this form of technology prevalent in our society?  How common place has it become? Information technology (I.T) is hard to be missed in New Zealand society. It is so prevalent that it is uncommon to not have many I.T items in the average house, shop, office or car in the New Zealand Community. New Zealand Statistics says “Sales of information technology (IT) goods and services (excluding communication services) increased 0.6 percent to $7,015 million in the 2004 financial year” (Statistics New Zealand, 2012, para 1).  This sounds like a lot of money, but technology has become a necessity in New Zealand Culture both in communicating with others and going about daily business. As a 19 year old my generation has grown up not knowing anything different than relying on information technology, and I believe those younger than me have been brought up with a heavier reliance on Information Technology. For example at my Intermediate school for students in the top class owning a lap top was made compulsory. In my life I find both my mobile phone for texting people (mainly to meet up) and my lap top (for facebook, receiving information form Otago Polytechnic, internet banking, skype, Youtube and finding quick facts of information) very important. Facebook for me is a really good way to communicate with others. I researched how many people are on Facebook currently and found Facebook reported there were 845 million monthly active users at the end of December 2011 on their blog page http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22. Thinking about this I wondered what the world would be like in the future and found this Youtube video of the world in 2021 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4bJEqoCAuI&feature=related , it really gets you thinking, where to next?

If I was asked what IT devices or system do you feel comfortable and competent using? I would say For my generation I would be classified in the technophob category because I find using technology does not come naturally to me. However I think I have just become comfortable with it just because it has become a compulsory part of my life, and although I found it hard to get used to at the start I get the hang of using it in the end. From having it as part of my core curriculum in year 9 and 10 i foguired out I am not quick when learning to use Information Technology, but as I use it today I rearly think about how much I am using IT today.  I think with IT my main limitation is not believing I am going to master it and giving up easily. Also the expense of new IT and time I have to use it (e.g a play station) puts me off buying it. However, as technology changes, to keep up with the world so must I. Observing others and learning from them helps me expand my use of technology. A few examples of where I use technology to engage in purposeful occupation are using Skype and Facebook to talk to friends and family, using Youtube to do aerobics and other fitness programmes, using my I-pod to listen to music and of course using Moodle to prepare for classes, assignments and exams.

How have you seen IT being used in Occupational Therapy practice? IT was very important to Occupational Therapists in community physical. Firstly, this is the most efficient way of easily assessing information. Secondly, the Intranet in the hospital was great for receiving previous information about the client and communicating with other health care professionals in the hospital. Thirdly, communication was made possible by using a phone to ring clients to arrange visits and emailing and ringing the builders and AcessAble about house renovating issues.       What issues exist around OTs adoption of IT systems and tools? I believe ethics and confidentiality are very important when using I.T. When using I.T the OT must think of who can see the information of the client and whether this is in anyway exposing the client or breaching the OT code of Ethics. Secondly, with all good technology there will be a cost; therefore the effectiveness of the technology must over ride the cost. Thirdly, technology is technical and there is the issue of time and money spent to training the Occupational Therapists up and giving them tools to train the client. What are some of the ways you can envisage IT use becoming a potential tool of practice. You should provide your own comments here as well as linking to examples of OT using IT in practice.  This can be done by hyper linking to blogs, internet sites, You Tube videos, podcasts etc In community physical I can forsee laptops or i-pads being used on all home visits and assessments and no hand written documents needed (especially since some handwriting is very hard to read). If clients live very far away from the OT’s workplace I can imagine Skype could be a better way of communicating then a telephone as you see their facial expressions and non verbal cues as the interview is conducted. Also teaching and education sessions can be recorded and posted on the internet for more clients to watch without leaving the comfort of their own home. I also believe assistive technology will be so beneficial with enabling communication, between clients and OT’s with a vast number of communication devices such as these two http://www.dakotabilities.org/services-programs/communication-resources/ and http://www.tilrc.org/assests/news/0211news/0211state20.html . These assist the client to share their thoughts and viewpoints on their intervention therefore developing a more client centred approach.  In your own words briefly critique why (or why not) a great understanding and use of IT will help us in our practice and daily lives if our goal is to enable occupation.  Like it or not Technology is all around us and it is rapidly advancing. As professionals we must adapt to the times and learn what IT will be beneficial to our clients and how our clients find meaningful occupation through IT. In our daily lives we must have a basic understanding of IT as it is becoming an efficient way to find information and communicate with friends and family. If we don’t ‘get on the boat’ we will simply be left behind.

What ethical implications arise from the capturing,  sharing and transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems (e.g. internet) When capturing, sharing and transferring information via IT devices ethical implications can arise. This is mainly centred around privacy where a person may not want a picture or video taken of them, or any information that might identify them (e.g. their vehicle number plate). Putting information on the internet (unless it is securely made private) will make it public for anyone to see. Transferring of information can be a dangerous matter, for example it can be a source of either text or cyber bullying, which in extreme cases has lead to teen suicide.  Also an example in class was sharing tips on how to cover up eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia conditions.

References

Dictionary.com (2012). Information and communication definition. Retrieved from             http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/information+and+communication+technology

Dictionary.com (2012) IT. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/information+technology

Statistics New Zealand (2012). Information Technology Survey: 2004 financial year Retrieved   from

http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology and communications/InformationTechnologySurvey_HOTP04financialyr.aspx

Facebook (2012). Factsheet.   http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22

Introduction to my blog

This is my very first blog, I'm super excited about doing one. So veiwers you will find out a bit about what OT students do, and how technolocically challenged I am too :).