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Author Archive for: jentwistle

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OT Approved Christmas Gifts

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

If you’re a keen and organized shopper, I’m sure you have the majority of your holiday gifts already purchased, and if you’re anything like my Mother had everything done and wrapped in August! However, if you’re anything like my husband, you are waiting until the 24th to think about Christmas.

Although Santa and his Elves are hard at work building the toys your children put on their Christmas wish list, there may be a few items you still need to purchase.

We consulted our talented team of Pediatric Occupational Therapists and are happy to provide you with some fun but functional gift inspiration. These are gifts that are educational and stimulate child development:

1. BOOKS: Although technically not toys, books make an excellent gift. Fostering a love of reading in children from an early age is essential in development of language and literacy skills, while building creativity and imagination. And so many types of books exist! Beyond regular books, pop-up books, and interactive books, there are even books where you can record your voice, or the voice of a loved one into the story so that person is “reading” to your child. This is great for those people in your life who are out of town and are not able to “read” bedtime stories in person.

2. TOYS THAT MAKE THEM THINK: Look for puzzles, games, shaper sorters, science kits and more. Problem solving through play is fantastic for the mind and will help them become independent problem solvers in life. But be prepared to explore and learn with them. Interactive parent-child time through new learning is also essential to development!

3. TOYS THAT GET THEM MOVING: We’re living in the sedentary age of technology where obesity is on the rise. Try some active toys like a skipping rope, scooter, ride on toy, a bike or winter sports gear like skates, skis or snowshoes. But with all riding toys, include the helmet too! Keeping kids active is extremely important for both their physical and mental health!

4. TOYS THAT BRING OUT THEIR CREATIVE SIDE: Fostering creativity in kids at an early age is important for their development. Looks for gifts that will encourage them to be creative like art kits, dress up clothes or crafts and supplies.

5. AN EXPERIENCE THEY WON’T FORGET: Too many toys to choose from? Why not treat the children to an experience instead. Consider tickets to a sporting event, a play, or musical or a child-appropriate concert. Special events like these create fantastic memories and can strengthen family bonds.

We hope you find some gift inspiration from our tips and with you very Happy Holidays!

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How to Maintain Your Weight This Holiday Season

Holiday dinners, parties and get-togethers full of delicious food, drink and sweets can often call for pants with an adjustable waist band! With a month full of temptations and indulgence it can be difficult to stay on track and many end up gaining weight. We want to help you to put a stop to this and to stay on track with the following article from WebMD that provides 10 tips to avoid holiday weight gain. So please enjoy the holiday season and all it has to offer… but try not to over-indulge.

WebMD:  10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

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Inspired

“Be calm in the face of all common disgraces.”

Gordon Lightfoot, The House You Live In

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Workplace Ergonomics: Laws for Work

Humans are not made for immobility. Even if you take a healthy joint and put it in a cast for even a few days, when you remove this the movement of the joint will be decreased, pain will appear, and muscles that surround the joint will have started to atrophy. So, how does this translate to jobs that require us to sit all day, being immobile at a computer, in a car, or at a desk?

In the world of rehabilitation we find that insurers assume that “sedentary jobs” are “easy” on people because of the low physical demands required of these positions. While sometimes this can be true, research is starting to highlight that “sedentary” is still not “healthy”. In fact, while it may seem harmless to complete your job duties in a sitting position for 8 hours or more per day, this can actually set the stage for injuries to develop slowly over time. Some of the most common work related factors that lead to the development of injuries include fixed and constrained postures that are awkward and maintained for too long, repetitive movements, and a high pace of work.

So what can be done? One of the most effective way to address injuries in the workplace is to employ workplace ergonomics. While a popular buzzword in the fields of health and safety, it begs the question, what really is ergonomics?

The term ergonomics is derived from the Greek word ergos, meaning “work” and nomos, meaning “laws”- hence the Laws for Work. The idea behind ergonomics is that each worker brings a unique set of skills, patterns of performing the job, and individual factors to the workplace. Many times offices and work environments are designed with space, budgets and esthetics in mind, but less so for the people who will actually be using the work setting to be productive. This often leads to injury, higher employment costs, and inefficiency.

Ergonomics addresses well-being and performance in relation to one’s job, equipment, tools and environment, with an overall goal to improve health, safety and efficiency of the worker and workplace.

The principles of ergonomics help address a variety of work-related issues. Common issues include workplace and work process design, work-related stress, disabled and aging workforces, tool and equipment design, architectural design and accessibility. The great thing about ergonomic intervention is that it can be applied proactively, preventing problems before they occur, or reactively, adjusting the worker-job-context “fit” when problems do occur. Employing ergonomics involves finding a way to match individual employees’ strengths and limitations with the context of activity demands to improve both worker safety and workplace productivity.

Occupational therapist’s holistic vision and training in finding “fit” between people, environments and “occupations” makes us optimal professionals to assess and treat ergonomic issues. An occupational therapist can help minimize risk and maximize worker safety, productivity and efficiency.

We invite you to download our free E-book:  “Cost Effective Ergonomics Solutions” to learn more.

Stay tuned to our Workplace Wednesday blog series for some great tips and strategies to address common workplace complaints using principles of ergonomics and our unique viewpoint on occupation.

 

Resources
Haruko Ha, D., Page, J.J., Wietlisbach, C.M. (2013) Work Evaluations and Work Programs, in Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction

Canada’s National Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/risk_factors.html

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Forget Black Friday and Cyber Monday… Today is Giving Tuesday

What do you buy for that person on your list who has everything? Why not the gift of hope for someone who has nothing at all. Consider making a donation to an organization dear to your heart or purchase a charitable gift.  Charitable gifts are available through many organizations such as World Vision and Unicef,  Today is “Giving Tuesday” and what better day than today to start to think about those less fortunate than yourself. After the spending sprees of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” this event comes as a welcome change. “Giving Tuesday” is a day for all to step back, forget about the current stresses of holiday prep and shopping lists and think about those across the globe who are sick, hungry, cold and living without the basic necessities we sometimes take for granted. Many non-profit organizations and registered charities across the world are asking you to take part today on “Giving Tuesday” by giving of yourself resources, money, or time to help someone in need.

For more information on “Giving Tuesday” and how you can give to those in need, please visit www.givingtuesday.ca in Canada or www.givingtuesday.org in the United States.

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Inspired

“No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”

Maya Angelou

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HIV/AIDS and OT

Guest Blogger:  Samantha Langan, Occupational Therapist

Today people around the world will be wearing red ribbons to support World AIDS Day. This day of recognition started in 1988 to provide people with an opportunity to unite in the fight against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), show support for those who are living with HIV and to also commemorate those who have died. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 34 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2011. In 2012, The Public Health Agency of Canada reported 2062 new cases of HIV, but it is expected that others are also living with the condition, not yet knowing they have been infected. There continues to be many myths and stereotypes around how HIV is transmitted and stigma remains for those living with HIV. Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a cure for this, but the disease is preventable.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that attacks our body’s immune system, and over time, weakens our immune system to the point where it can no longer fight off bacteria, viruses, parasites, and even cancers. These diseases, known as opportunistic infections, can progress in the body of a person living with HIV and become what is known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. While those living with HIV do experience difficulties, HIV is now considered a long-term chronic illness that can be treated to help prolong and improve quality of life for those living with HIV/AIDS.

HIV is known to health professionals as an “episodic disability”, which means that for people living with the virus, symptoms can fluctuate unpredictably. Some common symptoms include muscle weakness, fatigue, changes in sensation in the hands and feet, decreased concentration and thinking, digestive problems, chronic pain as well as depression or anxiety. As symptoms can vary, people with HIV / AIDS can experience difficulty carrying out everyday activities like taking care of themselves, managing at home and attending work.

Occupational therapists support and empower people with all forms of disabilities and can assist people living with HIV to better manage in their desired activities despite unpredictable and on-going symptoms. In fact, occupational therapists work with those living with HIV by helping them to: manage their energy despite pain and fluctuating symptoms, find ways to adapt to tasks to make them more manageable, obtain devices that can improve safely and independence when completing daily tasks. Occupational therapists can also help people manage the emotional consequences associated with the condition, and can develop strategies to assist with cognitive changes should these exist. Another great way occupational therapists are helping those with HIV is through education and by providing strategies for them to be able to self-manage their disease. This is essential since HIV is a long-term illness. For more information about HIV/AIDS, check out the links below, or talk to an Occupational Therapist about how we help.

Resources
http://www.worldaidsday.org/about-world-aids-day.php
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/publication/survreport/2012/dec/index-eng.php
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/diseases-conditions-maladies-affections/disease-maladie/hiv-vih-eng.php