Two more weeks until 2021! This year has been one for the books. I would like to ask you to think about how you are going into 2021. If you had to list one accomplishment that you are most proud of what would it be? What would be your biggest regret? What are your goals for 2021? Did you accomplish the goals that you set for 2020?
My word of the year for 2020 is ‘accomplish’. For 2020, my focus with all the tasks in my life is to ‘accomplish’ what I set out to do. Of course, 2020 really did not care what I wanted and just kept throwing curve balls. Ironically, with each curve, my focus on ‘accomplishing’ what I set out to do changed to “accomplishing’ what I needed to do. Though there are still two more weeks left in the year, my word of the year continues to serve me as I accomplish what I need to do.
I went a little overboard with the summary this week.
Occupational Therapy
Register for Election Town Hall with Board Candidates on Jan. 5, 2021 – AOTA–-virtual town hall event with candidates for the AOTA Board of Directors. Learn the views of the candidates that are vying for positions in AOTA. The event is free, but registration is required.
CMS makes some telehealth services permanent after COVID-19 (healio.com) There have been some positive changes by CMS with telehealth reimbursement for therapy services and in general. Knowing what is covered helps clients make informed decisions.
OT Gift Guide – Allison The OT Student (home.blog) I am always tempted to make my own gift guide. Instead, I perk up when I see the gift guides of others and just provide a link! These gifts can capture any OT/OTA’s heart: compression socks with nice designs, OT mugs, wine glasses, and therapy planners.
Best Practices for Occupational Therapy in Early Childhood (aota.org) Gloria Frolek Clark’s knowledge of pediatric occupational therapy practice is unbelievable. This textbook will be a much-needed reference for years to come.
A year in which everyone understood that occupation matters – Glasgow Caledonian University Occupational Therapy Blog (wordpress.com) One of my favorite blogs. Each post provides great insight into the field of occupational therapy.
Emergent Literacy in children using Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) – Emergent Literacy Matters (wordpress.com) My research focus is literacy, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this post. Great section on pointers to provide emergent literacy intervention with children that are using AAC.
AOTA INSPIRE 2021 – AOTA The 2021 AOTA Conference is revving up. FAQ section.
Research
Preschool program linked with better social and emotional skills years later — ScienceDaily A preschool enrichment program developed at Penn State helps boost social and emotional skills that still have positive effects years later during middle and high school.
The Development of Leisure Participation Assessment Tool for the Elderly (hindawi.com) Open Access. The leisure participation assessment tool for the elderly developed in this study can obtain information on the leisure of the elderly by measuring leisure exploration, leisure participation, and interference factor affecting leisure participation. With research also showing the positive impact of leisure on function with the elderly, having a clearer understanding of leisure with an elderly client is important.
“Effectiveness of Refresher Sessions on Student Preparation for Fieldwork” by Elena W. Espiritu, Thu M. Can et al. (eku.edu) Open Access. Results found a positive impact on perception of readiness with the provision of a refresher course.
“Post-Professional OTD Graduate Outcomes” by Nichole Morrow, Barbara Townsend et al. (eku.edu) Open Access. Post-Professional OTD? Is it worth it? That is always the question that therapists have when applying to occupational therapy programs. This article points to the outcomes of graduates from a post-professional OTD program.
Educator’s Guide for Addressing Cultural Awareness, Humility, and Dexterity in Occupational Therapy Curricula | American Journal of Occupational Therapy (aota.org) Guide that provides strategies and resources to enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes in occupational therapy curriculum
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal: Vol 67, No 6 (wiley.com) December 2020 issue.
On my TBR list:
AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives. Donations can now be provided to AOTF via Amazon Smile. Support OT research!
Potpourri
The Exercise Hormone Irisin Helps Protect Against Alzheimer’s (shape-able.com) I read this in Still Alice and apparently there is some truth according to this article.
How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted — and You Are, Too (hbr.org) Read: Everyone is tired. How can we get through this together?
Best Songs of 2020 – The New York Times (nytimes.com) Did your favorite song make the list?!
Our Best Homemade Christmas Gifts • One Lovely Life This guide to homemade gifts is so timely. I plan on making some of the pecan treats and the homemade stovetop potpourri.
10 Literary Podcasts to Listen To if You Miss Life Before Quarantine – Electric Literature Apparently, I need Bonnets At Dawn because I miss going to the library and spending a few hours wandering between the shelves. This list is pretty awesome and fun! I will have to do a review if this podcast satisfies what I miss and report back.
5 Important Google Drive Updates for Teachers and Educators | Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (educatorstechnology.com) In this age of Google Drive making collaborating so much easier, knowing updates that are needed is important to keep your system running optimally. This is a great blog as well.
Improving Your Balance to Prevent Falls – The New York Times (nytimes.com) There is a plethora of research on what works to prevent falls. This is a nice succinct synopsis.
Recipes for Chocolate Truffles – The New York Times (nytimes.com) You’re welcome.
I hope you have a great weekend!
OT Research Corner 