What a busy week! Of course, on what has been one of the busiest weeks of this summer for me, the number of positive stories has increased by quite a bit. Here is a fraction of what I rounded up for this week.
Occupational Therapy
Presidential Candidate speaks of the positive impact of OT! Speaking about how great occupational therapy is with increasing independence and function can bring both sides of the aisle together! Presidential candidate Joe Biden (@16:25) speaks of the importance of occupational therapy with aging in place. No matter what your politics, this a message I think all occupational therapy practitioners can get behind!
What It’s Like to Help People Recover From Coronavirus at Home. Great interview of a home care occupational therapist, Aveline Dowling in Self magazine. These questions really dig deep and Aveline is quite candid about what it is like to work in someone’s home during this period of time.
Research
Nedra Gillette Research Fellowship. Can $5000 help your research efforts? Yes. It. can! The American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s Nedra Gillette Fellowship is open for applications. The deadline is September 1. The fellowship supports research efforts of a postdoctoral fellow who seeks to study the human condition as it is influenced by health, participation in valued roles and social justice. This type of research is pivotal right now in the field of occupational therapy and these funds will help support your research efforts. Click on the link to learn more.
Where to begin with understanding occupational therapy research: Facilitating Evidence-Based Practice: Process, Strategies, and Resources For me, nothing is better that an article that provides concrete steps to learn a skill. This article is a great start to understand evidence-based practice. A must for students and a refresher for practitioners (including me!).
Potpourri
How has the Americans with Disabilities Act helped you? NPR is asking for stories on how the American with Disabilities Act has impacted the lives of individuals with disabilities. Morning Edition wants to collect stories from people within the disability community and will air some of the stories provided. With the ADA legislation turning 30 years (relatively young), I am certain that these stories will be powerful.
Amount of steps impacts mortality rate. This is great news for walkers! From research (correlational) published in the JAMA, walking was found to be effective with decreasing mortality rate. The results showed that compared with taking 4,000 daily steps, taking 8,000 to 12,000 steps per day was associated with lower death rates during the study period, including from cancer and heart disease. The researchers also found that among the high step takers, a greater steps-per-minute rate did not significantly lower their risk any further. This is also great information for clients to know to ensure a healthy lifestyle during and after recovery.
What a great idea! Never underestimate the power of creativity in others during this time.
Krip Krop Nation Five standout hip hop rappers with disabilities.
Please stop by again next week as I post Part 2 of my OT/OTA Admission series where I focus on strategies to succeed in OT/OTA School and my first article review on the following article: Fieldwork Educators’ Expectations of Level II Occupational Therapy Students’ Professional and Technical Skills. You can find Part 1 where I focus on getting admitted here: Part 1 OT/OTA Admission Series Getting In
I hope you have a great weekend!
Turquessa.
OT Research Corner 