Are you able to spot the difference between a regular “sports drink” like a Gatorade and an “energy drink” that is full of caffeine and sugar without looking at the nutrition label? It might be harder than you think—and if it’s hard for an adult, think of how many kids might make the mistake. Learn more about a concerning new study warning the dangers of “energy drinks” for youth care of CBC News.
CBC News: U of C researcher warns parents about dangers of high-caffeine energy drinks
Our O-Tip of the week series delivers valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living.
For the month of Movember, a month dedicated to Men’s Health, our “MO”-Tip series will provide you with OT-approved ways to take care of the men in your life.
Testicular cancer is most prominent in young men aged 15 to 29. This type of cancer responds well to treatment if it is caught early, however, due to embarrassment, many don’t check themselves regularly and/or don’t seek medical treatment for irregularities. It is recommended that men check themselves monthly. To learn how to do this monthly check and to learn more about testicular cancer check out the following care of Movember.
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
As a kid in the 80’s I remember seeing a newspaper article about a girl that was struck by a car after exiting a school bus. There was a picture of the girl on the ground being attended to by emergency personnel. It was a disturbing image and I was about her age. After that, it seemed that school buses started to have stop signs and flashing lights, and huge fines were imposed for passing a school bus when it stopped to let children on or off. Whether these two events are directly related or not, it is true that laws tend to change when something horrible happens and people are hurt or killed.
In April of this year, tragedy struck Saskatchewan as the Humboldt Bronco’s Junior hockey team bus was in a collision with a transport truck, killing 16 people on board and seriously injuring 13 others. Those killed and injured were teenagers, coaches, and trainers. Could any good come of this senseless loss of life and talent? Maybe, as those involved are asking people to #buckleupforthebroncos by encouraging the use of seat belts on tour buses if these are present.
Transport Canada is already responding and by 2020, all newly built transport buses will be required to have seatbelts.
So, what are the current laws in Canada for this? Well, seatbelt use falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial and territorial governments and in most provinces the law states that seatbelts must be worn if they are provided, but of course, most motor coaches are not required to be equipped with belts, so they are not always available to be worn. That will change in 2020.
Working in the field of auto insurance where my clients are people injured in car accidents, I can state clearly that seatbelts save lives. Bus accidents are rare but are catastrophic when they happen. These new laws could save many lives and hopefully will reduce the significance or impact of bus-accident-related injuries.
But all of this got me thinking…my daughter is a varsity athlete for a prominent University. I asked her if the coach bus that transports them to games and tournaments has belts. Her answer was “no, they do not”. I suspect this means that most University, College or Sports teams buses don’t as well, so change is necessary and if these buses can’t be retrofitted to include belts, they need to be replaced. I too am in the sports arena as the assistant coach of a sports team and our club also travels by coach bus. I have asked our travel coordinators to make sure our tour operators provide buses with belts, and if they don’t, to find another vendor. Hopefully, that can help promote change — one team at a time.
We all need to buckle-up and if belts exist, use them. Even if you don’t feel the need to wear a belt, in the event of an impact if you are unsecured you would be tossed around the inside of the vehicle, threatening the security of others. Secure yourself, secure your belongings, and secure your passengers. There is no logical reason not to.
Falls are the leading cause of injury amoung older adults in Canada and the number one cause of brain and spinal cord injury in seniors. November is Fall Prevention Month – learn about the strategies Occupational Therapists use to reduce the risk for older adults in our post, Falls are a Leading Cause of Injury- Let’s Talk Prevention.
Our O-Tip of the week series delivers valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living.
For the month of Movember, a month dedicated to Men’s Health, our “MO”-Tip series will provide you with OT-approved ways to take care of the men in your life.
According to Movember Canada, across the world, one man takes his own life every one minute. By learning some of the less-recognized symptoms of depression that are more prominently seen in men we may be able to prevent this. These include:
These behaviours are untraditional of typical depressive symptoms but mean that men who may benefit from emotional aid are often slipping under the radar for health professionals, and this can lead to disastrous consequences including poor quality of life and higher rates of suicide. If you, or a man you know, is experiencing these symptoms speak to a healthcare professional.
This Movember, commit to walking or running 60 km in recognition of the 60 men we lose each hour to suicide. Learn more here.
Learn more in our post, “Stressed or Depressed” – Man Therapy
A family is in distress on an island.
They must come to shore.
They have a rowboat but it can only hold 90 kg.
They cannot swim.
How can they all get across to shore if:
Dad weighs 85 kg.
Mom weighs 65 kg.
Son weighs 45 kg.
Daughter weighs 40 kg.
Dog weighs 8 kg.
Son and daughter cross.
Daughter gets out, son returns.
Son gets out, mom and dog cross.
Mom and dog get out .
Daughter returns to get son.
Daughter and son cross.
Daughter gets out, son returns to get dad.
Son gets out, dad crosses.
Daughter returns to get son.
Son and daughter cross.
Research completed by student Occupational Therapists Ashley Carnegie and Natalia Puchala, Supervisor Julie Entwistle.
Blog completed by Ashley Carnegie, Occupational Therapist
As an Evidence Based Research Project through McMaster University, Solutions for Living set out to summarize and highlight common OT recommendations after initial assessment. The goal was to publish these findings to help student OTs, or OTs looking to enter the sector, to understand the scope, depth and breadth of the recommendations we tend to make. Here are the highlights of our research findings, the completed study will be submitted for publication to OT journals when finalized.
Occupational Therapists play a valued role in Ontario’s auto insurance sector. In this, Occupational Therapists are hired by lawyers for assessment and treatment, or by insurers to conduct Insurance Examinations. Assessments usually start the OT service delivery process and serve to determine and outline the impact the client’s motor vehicle collision, and resulting injuries has had on all aspects of their previous life (e.g. self-care, productivity, leisure). These assessments end with recommendations for the treatment and care that are needed to help the client recover. Occupational therapy treatment recommendations are designed to support clients in maximizing their potential to return to pre-accident function in all areas of life.
Despite the 1000+ Ontario Occupational Therapists working in this role, available literature about this sector is limited and does not adequately capture the role of occupational therapy in this setting. Therefore, in this study, a retrospective chart review was conducted of 205 occupational therapy assessments conducted with clients who had a motor vehicle collision. The aim, as indicated earlier, was to summarize OT recommendations post-assessment to help others interested in learning more about this area of practice. Recognizably, Solutions for Living by Entwistle Power Occupational Therapy was the only company involved in this chart review, and different companies may, and are likely to, have different findings. Further, clients seen for OT assessment are already pre-screened to be eligible candidates for service, and thus assessments with “no recommendations” are unlikely.
Through the 205 charts reviewed, the results demonstrated the following:
Common Injuries
Intervention Recommendations
These interventions are in-line with best practices and standard treatment for the most common injuries identified in this study.
Surprisingly, only 3% of OT assessments recommended use of the OTA in treatment delivery, highlighting that most OTs tend to initiate treatment directly. It is felt that therapists may introduce OTA later in treatment once rapport with the client has been established, but the use of OTA early for some education and device delivery may prove more cost-effective and is something OT’s should consider.
Additional Results
Attendant care: 91% of clients needed attendant care. The average dollar amount recommended for attendant care was $3565, the median was $1733, and the range was between $0 and $10,544. A trend was identified between number of injuries and attendant care recommendations; The amount of attendant care recommended increased with the number of injuries.
Assistive Devices: 91% of clients needed assistive devices. The average dollar amount for devices was $757.46, the median was $397.94, and the range was between $0 and $5670.
Occupational therapy treatment: The average number of occupational therapy treatment sessions recommended was 6; with an average duration of 12 weeks. Injury or number of injuries was not predictive of OT sessions or duration recommended. Notably, however, recommendations are often made to conservatively encourage insurer approval and only represent the first treatment block. Multiple blocks of treatment are common.
This retrospective chart review outlined typical injuries, common intervention recommendations, and recommendations for attendant care and assistive devices following an occupational therapy assessment. Although there is some uniformity in recommendations, the lack of consistency indicates the customization taken by OT’s in assessing for client’s unique and specific needs. This individualized approach is necessary and encouraged as being best-practice and client-centered. Of further note, it was evidenced that OT’s play a very important part in system navigation and help to outline and connect the client to other necessary providers. Doctors, lawyers, insurers and other professionals should recognize that OT’s are valuable front-line providers and can be the keystone to helping clients to get the help they need.
As demonstrated, Occupational Therapists play a vital role in Ontario’s auto insurance sector and their assessments are pivotal in helping clients to get care, devices, education and treatment, along with connection to other professionals. This study is the first to showcase the OT role in Ontario’s insurance sector, and more research is needed to look more closely at OT service delivery.
Stay tuned for the entire research study with its methods, findings and recommended next steps. We will be sure to circulate the article on our blog once published
A new interview series by fellow Occupational Therapist Karen Gilbert called The Art and Science of Everyday Living is shedding light onto the value of Occupational Therapy for those with “invisible” health conditions. Covering topics like living with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and anxiety, Karen interviews Occupational Therapists who share their resources and best practices. Check it out!
According to a 2002 survey by Statistics Canada approximately 3.5 million Canadians struggle with sleep. If you or someone you love has trouble falling or staying asleep an Occupational Therapist can help! Learn more about the solutions to help you get a better night’s sleep in our post, Trouble Sleeping? We Have Solutions for You!
October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT. In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.
We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!