On the many occasions that we work with our clients, they can become board with the activity.  One thing that I do is cater to the individuals preferences and likes.  Making small alterations to the therapeutic task can increase interest and engagement and help your clients meet their goals. 

In occupational therapy,  the one material that has a million and one uses is theraputty.  OT's have used theraputty to engage patients for years and there is no slowing in sight.  It can be used over a wide range of ages with almost innumerable ways to use it.  Here are a couple of exercises that I personalize for clients. Check it out!

The Multi-Directional Reach Test is an inexpensive, reliable, and valid tool for measuring the limits of stability as derived by reach in four directions.

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In this video check out the extreme talent of these individuals participating in dance, despite their disability.  Exposing those that we work with to this type of media inspires innovation, confidence, and inclusion. 

Is your state amongst those that are the best places to live for those with disabilities? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 million Americans live with a disability. To determine which states were the best, factors were spread across four general categories: economics, affordability, livability, and health care. 

Informal supporters provide the majority of long-term care to chronically disabled older adults. Caregiving has been recognized as an activity with perceived benefits and burdens. Caregivers may be prone to depression, grief, fatigue, financial hardship, and changes in social relationships. They may also experience physical health problems. Perceived caregiver strain has been associated with premature institutionalization for care recipients along with reports of unmet needs. Screening tools are useful to identify families who would benefit from a more comprehensive assessment of the caregiving experience.

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Occupational Therapy's role in autism spectrum disorder is wide ranging.  It can span throughout the course of one's life.  From evaluation, accomodations, education, modifying, environmental alterations, etc.  There are a plethora of benefits OT can add to the autism community. 

The McGill Pain Questionnaire consists primarily of 3 major classes of word descriptors--sensory, affective and evaluative--that are used by patients to specify subjective pain experience. It also contains an intensity scale and other items to determine the properties of pain experience. The questionnaire was designed to provide quantitative measures of clinical pain that can be treated statistically. 

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The origins of occupational therapy are rooted in mental health, as the creation of the profession dovetailed with the early 20th century’s mental
hygiene movement. With the call for deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental illness, which culminated in the 1963 Community Mental Health Act, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants began working in community mental health.