Are you a healthcare professional looking for research and resources about spinal cord injury? Are you a non-professional looking to learn more about spinal cord injury to assist yourself or someone you care about? Visit the Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence Community (SCIRE) website– a wonderful resource for anything and everything Spinal Cord Injury.
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 September, a month of back to school and back to reality, our O-Tip series will provide you with OT-approved ways to put the focus back on you. This week’s O-Tip can help to improve your mental health in a matter of a few minutes each day.
Though working through lunch or breaks sometimes seems like it could help you get more done, it actually is counterintuitive. Breaks are necessary and can help to boost mental health and productivity, especially in the workplace. However, breaks aren’t just for the office, but for household activities as well. Some great ways to make the most of this break to boost your mood include:
Remember it’s important that we take frequent breaks to reduce stress, improve focus and to take care of ourselves.
Mr. Black, Mr. Brown and Mr. Green are eating at a restaurant.
Each is wearing a coloured tie. The ties are black, brown and green in colour.
Suddenly the man wearing the green tie says :
“Did you notice that our ties are the same colour as our names but no one is wearing a tie similar to his name?” “Strange, indeed,” says Mr. Black.
Question: What colour tie was each man wearing ?
Mr. Black = brown,
Mr. Brown = green,
Mr. Green = black
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Sexuality is an integral part of being human and is another one of those concepts that exists on a spectrum. It contains with it physical, emotional, social, behavioral and relational elements that impact us all at various levels and times in our lives. As an occupational therapist, I have had many conversations with clients about changes in sexual activity post-disability, injury or trauma. Some of these conversations are as simple as “sex is the last thing on my mind” to “I would just like to sleep beside my spouse again”…to “do you have any resources or devices you can suggest to help me re-engage sexually”…
It was in 2000 when, during my OT training, we had a lecture designed to educate and inform us about adaptive sexuality and sexual activity. The lecturer was perfect – he was a social worker, openly gay, and owned a retail store for adult intimacy items. He was very knowledgeable about the topic of adaptive sexuality, counselled people at his store, and the topic clearly did not make him at all uncomfortable. But that was not true of our class. Soon after he started his lecture and produced some adaptive items that his clients have found helpful, half of our class got up and left (in fairness, he told us all if the topic made us uncomfortable he would not be offended if we left). I was amazed and disappointed at the same time. Here we were, in the process of being trained to help people function in all areas of life after disability, and some members of my class were not open to learning about this. I guess that explains why the spectrum exists – because we all have various levels of comfort with such a vulnerable, intrusive and often “taboo” topic.
Fast forward almost 20 years to the first weeks of school, I can understand the current debate in Ontario over the topic of sex and sex education and fully appreciate both sides of the argument. But as a parent of four teenage girls, I must ask: “what is best for the kids”? Well, that answer too will be complicated – for some, it will be best for them to learn from their parents and for others, the school will do a better job of educating them in a way that is respectful, honest, inclusive and forthcoming. What I think we don’t want as parents, educators, or as a society, is for kids to “figure it out on their own” and turn to the internet and social media to get answers to their important questions. As we all know, the internet contains a lot of harmful images, video, and opinions that could negatively impact them if they go looking.
Of greatest concern, however, is the mental health of the kids who have thoughts, feelings, emotions or experiences with sexuality that are unconventional, confusing, violating or just plain scary. If these kids are not given the proper channels, at home or school, to talk and sort-through, understand, cope with and manage these, how will they adjust? We know kids today are increasingly anxious and depressed, we know suicidal ideation and risk is high in youth, so how can we best support them? I personally don’t think that is through undermining research that tells us these conversations need to happen, or by resurrecting outdated anything that we know is obsolete to appease those (like half of my OT class) who find these topics, and the evolution of sexuality over the last 20 years, uncomfortable. Kids are smart and instinctive – if adults are fighting over this, the entire concept of helping them through the many phases of sexual development may become something they won’t allow any caring and responsible adult to be a part of. That would be a poor outcome for us all.
Did you know that the use of technology, even having a television on in the bedroom, can disturb the amount and quality of sleep you achieve? Could our reliance on devices be part of the reason one third of the Canadian population isn’t getting enough sleep? Learn more about the effects of technology on your sleep in the following from the Sleep Help Institute.
Sleep Help Institute: How Technology Impacts Your Sleep and What to do About it
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 September, a month of back to school and back to reality, our O-Tip series will provide you with OT-approved ways to put the focus back on you. This week’s O-Tip can help with physical self-improvement by helping you properly fuel your body.
How do you know if you are getting the essentials or getting too much of the things we shouldn’t have without tracking what you eat? We challenge you to fully track what you eat and drink for one full week (or longer for lasting success) to help you find out if you are getting what your body needs. From there you will be able to make appropriate changes to your diet. Try the My Fitness Pal app which analyzes the foods you eat and shows you how much of each nutrient (ex. protein, iron, essential vitamins) you have consumed. You can also use this free (with paid options) app to count calories, track hydration, exercise and more.
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
When my children were young, each September I would take some time to write letters to the teachers my children would have for the upcoming year. I have found this to be an effective way to help the teacher get to know my child more quickly, and to understand who they are beyond their informal and scripted report card from the year before.
In this letter I would describe my child – what they are like as a student and a person, and what they do and don’t do well. But beyond this, I also explain the culture of our family when it comes to homework. I remember when my daughter was in kindergarten she didn’t finish a homework assignment. I got a note home from the teacher highlighting this. It was written to me. I responded with: “I already passed kindergarten, please hold my child responsible for not meeting her classroom expectations”. I have enough to do. I have to parent them, keep them safe, plan for the present and future, make sure they get along with their siblings, ensure they become responsible and respectful adults, have clean clothes, food to eat. I really don’t need to do their homework.
My children know my philosophy on schoolwork. This is for them, not me. It is up to them to know what is due and when, and to ask for help if they need it. They are not to cram and ask for things the night before. Bedtime is bedtime, not to be extended because of homework procrastination. When I help them this is in the form of assisting them to organize the work, break it into manageable chunks, showing them simple ways to understand the content, and asking them if they feel this will meet the expectations of the classroom.
I expect teachers to hold my children accountable for completing their assignments. If this means no recess, extra homework, a failing grade, a trip to the principal’s office, so be it. I trust the school system and the measures they have in place to educate my children – if I didn’t, I would pursue other options. Learning, like working, involves responsibility, commitment, accountability, organization, planning and time-management. Kindergarten and beyond is the perfect place to accumulate these skills, as I feel the true value of school is not in the content, but in learning how to learn, be around others, and manage the expectations of someone in charge.
In Kindergarten my girls had to participate in a car rally. The task was simple – make a car, and parade around the school in a foot race, holding the car around your waist. One kid arrived with a car made of wood. It had working lights, mirrors, and tires that rotated on a functional axle. He couldn’t even lift it. I wonder if his parent failed the assignment?
Co-authored by Meredyth Bowcott, Student Occupational Therapist
The 2018 Rogers Cup has just wrapped up in Montreal and Toronto, and once again spectators in Canada and around the world were dazzled by the likes of top-ranked tennis players such as Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep. If you’ve ever tried your hand at the sport, you know it requires great speed, agility, endurance, and of course coordination.
So how do these players prepare to return a serve that can clock in at speeds of over 160 km/hour? Well, they do it with a little help from a part of the brain called the cerebellum.
The Mighty Cerebellum
The cerebellum registers the serving player’s movement pattern, along with the speed and trajectory of the tennis ball, and predicts the outcome of these movements. As the returning player makes a split-second decision about how to get into position to hit the ball back, the cerebellum is still hard at work. It receives instructions for how the body should be positioned in order to return the serve, simultaneously comparing the body to the actual position of joints and muscles. The cerebellum sends signals to adjust the position of the body in real time, giving the player the best shot at returning the serve.
We can’t all be tennis superstars, but we do all rely on our cerebellum in our day to day lives. Truly, any intentional movement that you accomplish in a smooth and predictable manner, from watering your plants to drinking a cup of coffee, is brought to you in part by your cerebellum.
Ataxia
So, what happens when this crucial brain structure becomes damaged and isn’t working as it should? One of the symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction is ataxia. Ataxia is characterized by a loss of muscle control and coordination, and can affect the whole body or only specific parts (upper extremity, lower extremity, trunk, etc.). Individuals with ataxia may have difficulty initiating movements, movements may appear jerky and imprecise, and they may have poor sitting or standing balance. Others may have difficulty swallowing or experience rapid back and forth eye-movements.
Ataxia has a pronounced impact on how people go about the activities in their day. Without adequate muscle control and coordination, tasks like getting dressed, walking, and preparing a meal become more challenging.
How Occupational Therapy Helps
It’s important for medical teams to determine the cause of the ataxia and see whether it is due to an underlying issue that can be treated. When symptoms persist, occupational therapists (OTs) focus on ways to help individuals with ataxia compensate for their symptoms. Some of the ways an OT might help someone with ataxia are:
Energy conservation: Fatigue can exacerbate symptoms of ataxia, therefore it’s important to think about how to conserve energy throughout the day. We do this with the four P’s:
Joint stabilization: If muscle incoordination occurs in the upper extremity, it can be beneficial to stabilize the arm when accomplishing gross and fine motor movements. For example, stabilizing one’s elbow by leaning it on a table can help create a smoother movement when drinking from a cup.
Adaptive equipment: OTs can recommend equipment to make certain tasks easier. In some cases, the use of weighted utensils may help reduce jerky arm movements. Self leveling spoons can also help minimize spills during mealtime. Lining work surfaces in the kitchen with a non-slip mat such as Dycem © can provide traction to compensate for muscle incoordination.
Every person with ataxia is different, and occupational therapists have the skills to develop individualized plans to help them lead active and fulfilling lives. For more information on these and other ways occupational therapy plays a part in treating ataxia, contact an OT! In the meantime, if you like sports, watch the cerebellum in action at the upcoming US Open!
References:
Anderson Preston, L. (2013). Evaluation of Motor Control. In H. McHugh Pendleton & W. Schultz-Krohn (Eds.), Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction, 7th Edition. (pp. 461-488). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.
Foti, D. & Koketsu, J.S. (2013). Activities of Daily Living. In H. McHugh Pendleton & W. Schultz-Krohn (Eds.), Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction, 7th Edition. (pp. 157-232). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.
Mayo Clinic. (2018). Ataxia. Retrieved from:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ataxia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355652
Tipton-Burton, M., McLaughlin R, & Englander, J. (2013). Traumatic Brain Injury. In H. McHugh Pendleton & W. Schultz-Krohn (Eds.), Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction, 7th Edition. (pp. 881-915). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.
UBC Medicine – Educational Media. (2014, February 18). The Cerebellum – UBC Neuroanatomy – Season 1 – Ep 8 [Video File]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17mxfO9nklQ
