Occupational therapy is such an amazing profession to address the challenges of our patients with dementia. But how can we truly use our skills to engage our patients, teach staff and care partners these skills and help our patient's thrive? My guest Jenna Mele OTD, OTR/L, CCCM, RYT, gives some great tips, resources and practical ways to work with our patients that have dementia so they can be as independent and successful as possible! LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SPONSOR  This episode of the Seniors Flourish Occupational Therapy Podcast is sponsored by Clinitote. Get 30% off any Clinitote luxury medical bag by heading over to www.Clinitote.com and using my discount code: SFpodcast30 Thanks for Listening! I appreciate you taking the time to join me this week. If you have ANY suggestions on OT podcast topics focusing on the older adult, I'd love to hear your suggestions. Head on over to SeniorsFlourish.com/podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates and be sure to not miss an episode. Plus, it's free!

Understanding Dementia + Building Skills for Engagement

The OT Flourish Podcast (previously known as the Seniors Flourish Podcast) with Mandy Chamberlain MOTR/L showcases interviews with Occupational Therapy influencers, answers questions and discusses relevant topics for OT practitioners working with older adults.  

Let's get EXCITED for OT when working with older adults while getting practical, actionable ideas that you can use in their own practice right away. The OT Flourish podcast mission is simple: Helping OT practitioners be the best they can be when working with older adults.

Medicine

Science & Medicine

Science

Health & Fitness

Sex is an ADL! Do you address a client's sexuality or ask how they identify? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves in order to provide client centered care, keeping in mind AOTA’s Vision 2025: “As an inclusive profession, OT maximizes health, well-being and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities, through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living." Guest Devlynn Neu MS OTR/L shares their passion for bringing awareness and unity within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as helping OT practitioners feel comfortable addressing sexuality in our practice.  Key Takeaways:  Use neutral terms - "partner," "significant other" Ask "How would you identify yourself?" Start with conversations and being open to learning about   Resources from the Show: Inclusive Services for LGBT Older Adults A Practical Guide To Creating Welcoming Agencies National Resource Center on LGBT Aging LGBT Aging Change, Challenge and Resilience Power Point Person-Centered Care for LGBT Older Adults Be sure to learn more from my guest Devlynn with their "LGBTIA+ 101: What do the letters mean" series on Instagram through @therainbowot, theRainbowOT.com and through their conversation with Sarah from OT4Lyfe Podcast called Inclusion, Education, and All the Colors of the Rainbow.

Let's Talk About Sex (Baby!) and Identity in the Older Adult

The biopsychosocial model and occupational therapy are the perfect match as they both focus on the biological, psychological, and social elements, as well as a person's individual experiences. It is often confused as being a biopsychosocial frame of reference, but it's not, as a model of practice helps organize a clinician's thinking and approach, vs  a frame of reference is a tool to guide one's intervention. What I love about this model, is that it really puts the person first - but wait, I know what you are thinking, "I am an OT practitioner and I already do put my patient's needs first!" But wait! Rafael Salazar II, MHS, OTR and owner of Rehab U Practice Solutions digs in, gives some examples, and shows us how to use this model to maximize our outcomes. Subscribe Apple | Stitcher | iHeart → 3 Key Takeaways  Utilizing the biopsychosocial model in occupational therapy can help be a more holistic practitioner Using the biopsychosocial model can help you be more client centered and have better outcomes It can help address more psychological factors in a medical model   Resources from the Show Links, resources and specific recommendations from Rafi Using Therapeutic Use of Self to Maximize Occupational Therapy Outcomes Occupational Therapy Documentation: The Ultimate Guide to Simplify Your Documentation Click Here to Get:  Skilled Terminology Quick Reference with Key Phrases for Billing and Reimbursement Cheat Sheet Research:   The Biopsychosocial Model: Application to Occupational Therapy Practice  A Biopsychosocial Approach for Addressing Chronic Pain in Everyday Occupational Therapy Practice  Thank You For Listening 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!     Wanting MORE OT Resources? 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 Biopsychosocial Model and Occupational Therapy

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.  → 3 Key Takeaways  Caregiving is a hard role, especially when it isn't a role you have planned. "Balance" is more than difficult to achieve and having family support helps. Caregiving can change (strengthen and/or stress) family dynamics.  Resources:  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 Thank You For Listening 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!     Wanting MORE OT Resources?  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 Caregiver Experience From a Personal OTA Perspective

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. Resources from the Show: 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:  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, 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 I also share group ideas from time to time on Instagram 

PDPM Q & A: Your Questions Answered!

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

Understanding Dementia + Building Skills for Engagement

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