RICHES Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
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Cognitive-Behavioral Educational Program Increasing Independent Living Skills for Adolescents with Mild Intellectual and Developmental Delays
Get PDFIn this exploratory study, participants were provided with information on transitioning into adulthood, IDD, life skills, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to increase their awareness of evidence-based techniques that can be successfully implemented to assist adolescents with IDD as they transition into adulthood. Data was collected for this project using a pre-survey, and an educational video followed by a post-survey. Once the pre-survey was completed, the participants were directed to watch an educational video followed by completing a post-survey. The results indicated a statistically significant correlation between eight paired t-tests that were completed between the pre-survey and post-survey. Teachers reported an increase in familiarity with CBT, familiarity with Individuals with Disabilities, familiarity with life skil1s changes, confidence in working with Individuals with Mild Delays, and confidence in using CBT with adolescents after watching the educational video. With these significant results, methods such as literary research, educational videos, and pre-test and post-test surveys can effectively measure familiarity, knowledge, confidence, and comfort in teaching professional\u27s new skills. Teaching other professionals about the dynamics of CBT and ways to implement CBT principles into their daily teachings can help adolescents make practical changes in their lives and implement life skills appropriately, which are required for the transition into adulthood. This exploratory study showed that an in-time short-term delivery educational method effectively provided educators with knowledge and tools to better assist adolescents with mild IDD in transitioning to adulthood successfully
Integrating Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Program in Adult Day Cares for Individuals with Alzheimer\u27s Disease
Get PDFAlzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in individuals over 65. There is currently no cure for AD, and deaths related to AD are rising compared to other diseases. A person with AD exhibits impaired cognition, short-term memory, behavioral disturbances, poor judgment, and language abnormalities. Therefore, there is a higher risk for geriatric depression and decreased quality of life. Prescription drugs are used to target AD symptoms; however, outcomes and benefits are limited over time. Families and caregivers are also affected by the mental and emotional deterioration of their loved ones. In an effort to relieve the burden, adult day cares can provide optimal care for individuals diagnosed with AD. Occupational therapy practitioners can educate and guide organizations such as adult day care centers on non-pharmacological interventions, including Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), an evidence-based group intervention for individuals with dementia. Consequently, a virtual educational in-service was presented to 12 healthcare participants working in adult day cares focusing on the efficacy of CST in improving quality of life, cognitive functioning, and geriatric depression. The post-survey results suggested increased knowledge about side effects of pharmacological interventions, improved participants\u27 satisfaction, understanding, and likelihood to use CST, and enhanced confidence lo complete advanced training lo become CST facilitators. In conclusion, educational presentations should be available to healthcare professionals to enhance their knowledge and use evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions to treat individuals with AD
Help Me Heal: Enriching the Environment for the Acute Care Stroke Population
Get PDFEnvironmental enrichment to increase patient participation and prevent further medical complications is not a new concept, but one that is in its infancy in the hospital setting. This paper sought to compile the current data of enriching the environment for patients with neurological deficits, and how it can be applied to the acute care setting. Methods used were a needs analysis of occupational therapists, and an in-service and educational handout to gather data from nursing staff. Through the presentation of the in-service and handout, and analyzing the results from the pre and post-test, there was an increase in understanding the importance of an enriched environment and increased confidence in nursing staff in implementing enriched environment protocols. However, while staff was able to understand the importance and use of an enriched environment, further work needs to be executed in order to consistently implement the findings with the patient population
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Comprehensive Interventions to Enhance a Patient\u27s Quality of Life
Get PDFComplex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a multifaceted pain condition that is seemingly disproportionate in time or degree to the usual course of an initial trauma and/ or a surgery timeline. It can be difficult to initially identify CRPS because symptoms can range, and it is difficult to clearly understand it as some people develop CRPS while others with similar trauma do not. As the aging population increases, there will be an increase in the incidence of chronic conditions, including CRPS. The lack of physiological and neurological knowledge about CRPS, and mindset of therapists in an orthopedic outpatient setting towards treatment of pain, results in multiple unmet needs for the patients. Therefore, it is important for therapists to learn about this condition, how to effectively treat their patients living with it, and be able to provide the mindbody support to enhance their patient\u27s functional well-being in their valued areas of occupations. This project strived to identify emerging, effective treatment interventions for rehabilitation therapists to better manage their patient\u27s symptoms, while emphasizing them to recognize their patient\u27s psychological struggles as part of their treatments. Search for evidence-based research was completed, to identify successful treatment cases and studies within the last 10 years. Searches in academic journals focused on physiological descriptions, body-spatial awareness, studies conducted that effectively treated CRPS, neurological changes, psychological effects, the quality of life (QOL) for those who are living with CRPS, and assessments for practitioners to apply and address their patient\u27s QOL. An interview with an individual living with CRPS was also acquired during this project to provide supplemental material for insight into the struggles of this condition. A presentation of the successful findings was provided to rehabilitation therapists at EmergeOrtho in Morganton, NC, explaining interventions such as graded motor imagery, immersive virtual reality, Scrambler therapy, dry needling, Total Motion Release therapy, and non-invasive stellate ganglion blockade. The presentation also highlighted the mental aspects that are often overlooked and unrecognized in CRPS. Data was gathered through a pre-survey and post-survey to gauge how impactful the in-service was on the therapist\u27s knowledge. The data demonstrated successful education to rehabilitative therapists on treatments for patients living with CRPS, positively changing the therapists\u27 confidence, outlook, and practice overall. The methods of this project highlight how occupational therapists can influence the health of others by promoting education and advocacy to practitioners of multiple disciplines
Educating Occupational Therapy Practitioners on the Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy in Teaching Social-Emotional Skills
Get PDFDeveloping a program designed to educate occupational therapy and speech therapy practitioners on emerging therapeutic methods to teach social and emotional skills to children and adolescents. Emphasis will be on the importance of children and adolescents learning social emotional skills to positively relate to family and peers and manage their emotions and self-regulate to facilitate success in academic and social situations. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the evolution of social skills, communication skills, and emotional recognition that are important for children develop. These skills are an important indicator of academic success. improve ability to form relationships or interact with others, and to regulate emotions to maintain appropriate behavior in any situation. Children who do not have the ability to learn social-emotional skills can be taught these skills with substantial research being done into school programs, services, and therapeutic interventions to help promote the development of these skills. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a treatment intervention that uses animals as an intervention tool to facilitate teaching a skill or achieve a specific outcome. AA T can be an effective way to teach SEL to children. 3 A project for therapy practitioners was created to educate them on SEL skills, why they are important for the development and success for children, and how AA T can be used as an intervention method to teach social-emotional skills. A recorded presentation was uploaded to a created website with surveys to complete before and after watching the presentation. The surveys included questions administered with a Likert scale to provide quantitative data to analyze the results. The data from the surveys demonstrated an increase in understanding of what SEL is and how AA T can be used as a treatment intervention tool
Therapeutic Rock Climbing and its Impact on Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Get PDFRock climbing is an activity that incorporates physical, mental, social, and emotional abilities due to the environmental and personal components involved with each climbing challenge. The aspects of this sport support the development of foundational skills essential for independent living and occupational engagement. This research suggests that participation in therapeutic rock climbing is effective in improving motor planning, social engagement, sensory processing, and self-regulation skills for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An educational in-service was implemented to 14 professionals including occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and adults who engage daily with children and teens with ASD. Each participant was provided pre- and post-questionnaires to complete before and after the in-service. The results showed improvements in all areas that were questioned among all participants which included the knowledge of therapeutic rock climbing, knowledge of the developmental skills that are enhanced through the activity of rock climbing, knowledge to provide evidence-based practice (EBP), and knowledge to educate the purpose to clients and families. Significant improvements were made specifically in the knowledge of therapeutic rock climbing in speech pathologists. The study suggests that educational in-services are effective in improving knowledge and skills of professionals working with children and adolescents with ASD. Furthermore, therapeutic rock climbing can improve the abilities of children and adolescents with ASD to motor plan, socially engage with others alike and different, and modulate and process sensory information to self-regulate more appropriately within various environments
Creating a Safe Environment: The Role of Occupational Therapy in Utilizing Sensory-Based Approaches in a Community Engagement Center
Get PDFReVive Center for Housing and Healing provides occupational therapy services in an engagement center model to clients experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Chicago, IL, which creates opportunities as well as reveals challenges when supporting clients. One such challenge is promoting clients\u27 well-being and occupational performance when clients experience chronic stress and trauma in their daily lives. This paper examines the effectiveness of providing training centered on trauma-informed design and sensory-based approaches to staff and students at the ReVive. The author presented an in-service training to ReVive\u27s staff and students in March 2022, presenting information on trauma-informed design and approaches to incorporate sensory-based approaches within ReVive\u27s Engagement Center. The participants (n=l0) completed pre-survey and post-survey before and after the in-service, and the survey results indicate that the participants improved their knowledge of trauma-informed design and sensory-based approaches by 36%. The study suggests that professionals working with clients experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity benefit from training to promote their understanding and application of environmental strategies and sensory-based approaches to promote clients\u27 occupational participation and performance in community-based settings
Occupational Therapy\u27s Role in Community Integration for Sex Trafficking Victims
Get PDFHuman trafficking is currently one of the largest global issues, affecting an estimated 35.8 million people using various forms sexual corruption and exploitation for financial gain, resulting in modem-day form of slavery (Gorman, & Hatkevich, 2016). Women who have sustained traumatic sexual abuse continue to fall victim to their traffickers even long after they have been rescued and rehabilitated. Sex trafficking victims are more likely to have lower levels of education, difficulty finding and maintaining a job, and trouble accessing their communities. Although a plethora of research exists on both past and present statistics of sex trafficking victims, there is little to no relevant or current information on the success rate of sex trafficking victims after participating in extensive rehabilitation programs. The lack of research in this area misinterprets the severity of the issue and prevents sex trafficking victims from living independently within their communities. The profession of occupational therapy has a strong background in mental health using a cognitive and rehabilitative approach to enhance a person\u27s quality of life and independence through meaningful occupations. Occupational therapists can educate survivors on strategies to enhance life skills, social and leisure skills, and accessing their communities in a safe manner. Results from the pre and posttest questionnaires indicate that sex trafficking victims feel they lack the skills needed to create a resume, sit in for a job interview, or engage in social outings with their peers. Implementation of the program will provide resources to address these deficits to promote independence and community integration. Additional research is required to determine the role of occupational therapy within this emerging area of practice, and the effectiveness of rehabilitative programs after releasing sex-trafficking victims
Educating Social Workers: Decreasing the Gap of Children in Foster Care Who Need Occupational Therapy and Who are Receiving Occupational Therapy Services
Get PDFChildren in the foster care system have multiple increased risks including social-emotional delays, mental health concerns, academic delays, and more. Although these are all areas that the field of Occupational Therapy (OT) can address, there is a gap in the number of children in the foster care system who could benefit from OT services and who are receiving OT services. This paper explores the potential role OT services could have for children in the foster care system. To explore this potential, I used a needs assessment, pre-survey, and post-survey focused on pediatric OT with a group of social workers in the foster care system. My results indicated a lack of knowledge in the scope of pediatric OT, as well as a decreased understanding of the role OT could play for children in the foster care system. The post-survey results revealed a growth in knowledge related to how OT could benefit children in the foster care system as well as an increased recognition for potential OT needs of children in the foster care system. This paper suggests that educating social workers on the scope and benefits of pediatric OT is the first step to bridging the gap of children in the foster care system that could benefit from OT services and are receiving OT services
The Role of Acute Occupational Therapy in Providing Assessment and Intervention for Visual Impairments Post-stroke
Get PDFThis project was established to explore how occupational therapy practitioners working in the acute care setting can address visual impairments post-stroke, and how these impairments effect occupational performance. Project objectives were aimed to provide occupational therapy practitioners with an increase in perceived knowledge regarding how to identify, assess, and characterize visual perceptual deficits, allowing them to use this knowledge to develop tailored interventions to address limitations with activities of daily living (ADL) performance. Goals of this project were: to highlight the importance of providing early vision assessment and intervention within the acute setting; to increase the likelihood of acute occupational therapy practitioners incorporating vision assessment and treatment when working with clients poststroke; to improve confidence in providing assessment of visual impairments; and to improve confidence in providing interventions to address visual impairments with clients post-stroke. A literature review was conducted to evaluate current research regarding vision\u27s impact on occupation and the effectiveness of occupational therapy in providing early assessment and intervention to address visual impairments post-stroke. Twenty-nine currently practicing occupational therapy practitioners participated in receiving the educational material with twenty-two participants completing the pre-survey prior to the in-service presentation and thirteen participants completing the post-survey after the presentation of the educational PowerPoint and reviewing the resource binder. The resource binder was designed for occupational therapy implementation of vision assessment and intervention for clients post-stroke in the acute care setting. The resource binder consists of vision assessment resources using assessments within the Brain Injury Visual Assessment Battery for Adults (biV ABA) including subtest instructions, subtest documents, scanning worksheets, vision goal examples, and the scancourse activity. Pre-test and post-test surveys were compared using the results ofthe thirteen participants who completed both surveys. Post-test results revealed the PowerPoint and resource manual contributed to the occupational therapy practitioners reporting an increase in confidence, likelihood, and frequency of implementation of vision assessment and intervention for clients post-stroke in the acute care setting. Additionally, participants revealed changes in their knowledge of: the most common vision impairment post-stroke; their ability to name basic screening assessments to identify vision impairments; use of the biVABA; the ability to name interventions to address visual impairments; knowledge of the most common and most effective vision intervention; ability to write vision related goals; and use of referrals after discharge from acute care to further address the visual impairments post-stroke. In conclusion, the project was effective in both educating occupational therapy practitioners on the importance of providing early assessment of visual impairments post-stroke and increasing the likelihood of implementation of vision intervention in the acute care setting