Caregiving is hard. 

Listen to the personal story Katherine Ayala OTA, shares about being a caregiver to both her mother and father while finishing up occupational therapy school. Stories like hers give us, as healthcare professionals, a perspective to help us love, forgive, strive and be the best we can be. 

A special thank you to Katherine for sharing her story. 

1. Caregiving is a hard role, especially when it isn't a role you have planned.
2. "Balance" is more than difficult to achieve and having family support helps.
3. Caregiving can change (strengthen and/or stress) family dynamics.

23 popular online and in-person caregiver support groups to share with caregivers

Caring for Yourself or Other Caregivers

Additional information on how to talk to caregivers to help with carrying out recommendations

I really appreciate you choosing to listen to and supporting the Seniors Flourish podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it and taking a minute to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. It really helps in reaching fellow OT practitioners, students and those curious about the OT profession.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode!

The Learning Lab Membership is the #1 source that helps you save time and feel more confident in your practice through clinical support, HUNDREDS of treatment ideas, patient handouts, resources, EBP journal club + more! Join today at SeniorsFlourish.com/LearningLab

The Patient Driven Payment System (PDPM) for occupational therapy practitioners in SNFs is a hot topic these days. I get questions about what does PDPM mean for therapy and what is PDPM's impact on therapy services all the time and listen to the stories on how this change of payment systems have impacted services provided and jobs.

I was fortunate to be able to get some of your questions answered by Sabrena McCarley MBA-SL, OTR/L, CLIPP, RAC-CT, QCP, who not only presents the webinars for AOTA on PDPM, but eat, breathes and sleeps PDPM because of her positions as the Director of Quality, RehabCare, a Board Member at Large of NARA (National Association of Rehab Providers and Agencies), a Medical Advisory Panel Member for the Living In Place Institute and an AOTPAC Ambassador for the AOTA.

She was able to answer those burning questions that you were wondering, clearing up some misconceptions and providing some concrete examples on what we can do as occupational therapy professionals to help us maintain our professionalism, ethics and feel empowered through these changes.

In addition, with the changes, many facilities are increasing group therapy sessions and many of you are looking for group therapy ideas. So, I decided to put together a list of suggested group ideas to get you going, as well as how to justify that working in a group can still target those performance components needed to work toward their goals.

FAQs on PDPM for practitioners to easily access in order to understand what PDPM is and to “arm” themselves with the regulations when speaking with their employer:  https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/snfpps/pdpm.html

Occupational Therapy Goal Writing, Objective Measures + Goals Bank (for adults!) Ebook

Documentation Series and pdf on Skilled Terminology 

People are searching for group treatment ideas, so some resources include:

1. I created a list of some group therapy ideas and ways to work on components while still focusing on the patient's goals here to download for free,
2. You can become a Learning Lab member with tons of group ideas and brainstorming how to make groups effective, client centered and (dare I say it?!?) FUN and
3. I also share group ideas from time to time on Instagram

What do we need to do to promote occupational therapy? Do we have to? How do we define occupational therapy and what we "do" for our patients?

Brock Cook OT, the host of the occupational therapy podcast, Occupied, and I dive into these questions and hash out how OT's distinct value is communicated in healthcare, with out patients, our coworkers and communities.

Also, check out all the the occupational therapy podcasts at OTpodcasts.com

Occupation based treatment ideas feel like they should come easy, but sometimes we as OT practitioners find barriers to getting creative and finding the occupations that are meaningful to our clients.

Timisha Tross BS, COTA shares how it doesn't have to be hard to put more occupation, creativity and fun into your occupational therapy treatment sessions - especially if you are working in a skilled nursing facility.

Resources:

Timisha's ebook: 12 Case Studies Treatment Intervention and Documentation Examples for Occupational Therapists Working in Skilled Nursing Facilities

OT Dressing Techniques (for Adults!) Using Theraband

Occupation Based Kit Ideas for Your Rehab Department: Print the supply list and start using right away!

Occupation Based OT Treatment Ideas for Men: I always strive for being client-centered, but this gives you some ideas for activities more geared toward men.

Learning Lab members have 16 Occupation Based Treatment Idea Videos and Occupation Based Idea lists in the Clinical Resource Section of the Lab for Balance, Endurance, Strengthening and more. Lab members, click here to access

Podcast: Focusing on Occupation in Occupational Therapy

Have you ever had wanted to volunteer internationally using your occupational therapy skills? Ever dream of exploring cultures, helping others, meeting like minded professionals or promote occupational therapy in foreign countries?

In this episode, Sarah Putt MA, OTR/L and I talk about how she uses volunteering internationally to sharpen her critical thinking skills, creativity, and giving back to the occupational therapy profession.

Resources

World Federation of Occupational Therapists | WFOT

Connect with Sarah on Instagram or download the OT4Lyfe Podcast at her website

1. If you have an itch to use your occupational therapy skills by volunteering internationally - DO IT!
2. Do your research to find a reputable company to volunteer with that aligns with your ethics and standards
3. You get as much out of it personally as you do professionally

Show Sponsor

SwiftRec is a free tool helping Occupational Therapy practitioners to keep track of the products they recommend, be able to share a link for that product directly with a client or caregiver during a therapy session, and protect clinician personal information like email and cell numbers.

Wanting to LEVEL UP your OT practice?

The Learning Lab Membership is the #1 source that helps you save time and feel more confident in your practice through clinical support, HUNDREDS of treatment ideas, patient handouts, resources, EBP journal club + more! Join today at SeniorsFlourish.com/LearningLab

Even though there is a large percentage of the US population that affiliates with some level of spirituality or God, our current healthcare system does not often put a priority on spirituality and intuition outside of a typical hospital chaplain. Because occupational therapy looks at the "whole person," it is an important aspect of people's lives that we sometimes don't address. Some areas of OT practice integrate this more easily, such as roles in hospice and palliative care, but given the fact that spirituality affects the health, healing and well-being of our patients, it is a necessary aspect of a person's identity as a person.

Spirituality is included in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, implying the necessity of addressing this in client-centered practice. Guest Emmy Vadnais OTR/L, BCTMB, ARCB discusses how we can integrate spirituality and intuition into our practice, no matter what your affiliation is (or is not).

Resources from the show:

Spirituality Reflections: What Spirituality is and How Can it Impact Health & Healing in OT Practice: Free Reference Sheet

Healing Connections Podcast 

Hemphill, B. (2015). Spiritual Assessments in Occupational Therapy. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1159

OT and Integrative Health Continuing Education Courses

Check out the Holistic OT Community

I really appreciate you choosing to listen to and supporting the Seniors Flourish podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it and taking a minute to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. It really helps in reaching fellow OT practitioners, students and those curious about the OT profession.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode!

Are you looking for MORE OT resources and treatment ideas?

The Learning Lab Membership is the #1 source that helps you save time and feel more confident in your practice through clinical support, treatment ideas, patient handouts, resources, EBP journal club + more! Join today at SeniorsFlourish.com/LearningLab

Many know that occupational therapists help with driving rehab, but how about driving retirement? It is a HUGE shift to go from driving to not driving and what is our role in preparing our patients with this transition? The more we can help our patients explore alternative options, the easier it will be for them in the future.

Terri Cassidy OTD, OTR/L, Certified Driving Rehab Specialist, discusses what this looks like, as well as how we can work on these goals for our patients to maintain as much independence in community mobility as possible!

Resources from the show:

Practitioner Toolkit: The Role of OT in Driving Rehab

Clinician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers

We Need to Talk: Family Conversations with Older Drivers - "This guidebook gives families easy-to-use, practical information to help them plan ahead and initiate productive and caring conversations with older adults about driving safely."

At the Crossroads: Family Conversations About Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia & Drive - "helps families determine when it’s time for loved ones with dementia to stop driving and helps them cope with driving cessation."

GoGoGrandparent website for on demand transportation companies like Lyft into services that help families take better care of older adults.

I really appreciate you choosing to listen to and supporting the Seniors Flourish podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it and taking a minute to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. It really helps in reaching fellow OT practitioners, students and those curious about the OT profession.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode

Are you looking for MORE OT resources and treatment ideas?

The Learning Lab Membership is the #1 source that helps you save time and feel more confident in your practice through clinical support, treatment ideas, patient handouts, resources, EBP journal club + more! Join today at SeniorsFlourish.com/LearningLab

Curious what an occupational therapy fieldwork looks like? Guest Chelsea Rowe OTR/L just finished her level II fieldwork and shares her pros, cons, challenges and celebrations of her experience. She also talks about resources she couldn't live without, tips for assessments, productivity and what to expect when diving into fieldwork!

Learning Lab Membership

OT Toolkit

• Mastering Fieldwork: 7 Tips I Wish I’d Known - Podcast with OT Miri
• 8 Productivity Tips for Occupational Therapists Working in SNFs blog post 
• Productivity Standards (and Ethics!) in Today’s Occupational Therapy World podcast 

I really appreciate you choosing to listen to and supporting the Seniors Flourish podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it and taking a minute to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. It really helps in reaching fellow OT practitioners, students and those curious about the OT profession.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode.

Occupational therapy practitioners are continuously looking for ways to maximize the potential of their clients that have had a stroke. But what does the research say? Lauren Sheehan OTD, OTR/L & Lauren Souders OTR/L, CBIS dig into the intensity and repetition for task based practice in order to increase the motor function after a person has a stroke. Tips for how to do it, options for technology to assist us and when should we get started.

Virtual Reality and OT Neurorehabilitation podcast

Fugl Meyer, ARAT & AMAT assessments

Websites:

Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation: ebrsr.com

Shirley Ryan Abilitylab: sralab.org

Research:

Effect of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy on Upper Extremity Function 3 to 9 Months After Stroke: The EXCITE Randomized Clinical Trial

I really appreciate you choosing to listen to and supporting the Seniors Flourish podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it and taking a minute to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. It really helps in reaching fellow OT practitioners, students and those curious about the OT profession.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to make sure that you never miss an episode