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
Back to school is just a few weeks away. Check out our helpful infographic aimed at giving parents, teachers, and even kids some proactive strategies they can use to manage this transition as smoothly, productively, and as positively as possible.
Backpacks are a staple for every student. They travel back and forth between home and school, lugging books and school supplies. They are put through the unavoidable daily abuse of being thrown on the ground, trampled on, stuffed into a cubby or locker, saving a spot in line, and become over-stretched and over-used with the necessities of school. They are a necessary part of your child’s education, yet how much thought do you really put into the backpack your child wears aside from maybe price or color? Have you considered the health implications of an improperly worn, fitted, or poorly supportive backpack?
Learn what to look for in a backpack to ensure optimal support in the following infographic:
For more information on how to select a backpack, proper fit and use watch our OT-V episode, Backpack Safety Guidelines.
Summer Programming Note:
Summer vacation is here and we will be taking a break from our regular schedule. We will be posting some of our popular seasonal blogs just once a week throughout the summer but will resume our regular three weekly posts in September, filled with new and exciting content including our popular O-Tip of Week series.
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I don’t quite understand why hitting a stationary ball is so difficult but alas, golf is one of my favorite sports. I started playing as a teenager and spent years figuring out that my old baseball swing aimed lower would hit a golf ball far, but not really straight. With practice I have removed the sway, slowed down my tempo, and learned that trying to kill the white-dimpled-target does not work out either, and voila, I am hooked.
But beyond my love of the sport as an athlete, I also love how adaptable it is. Growing up I remember playing with my grandfather who had polio. He would swing a club with one arm while his other arm held his crutch to keep him standing. Yet, even with one arm, he could hit the ball consistently far and straight – skills foreign to most amateurs. As an occupational therapist, I now suggest golf as one way to re-integrate clients into the athletic world following an accident or injury. How? By breaking the sport into its component parts, and structuring participation around ability.
Many people start with putting. While putting can be boring to practice, it is the most important part of the game as you are likely going to put at least 18 times a round. Putting requires neck flexion but can be done in sitting or standing. Mats can be purchased to putt at home that will eject the ball back to your feet if your putt is successful. At times, I have even used putting with clients at their home to test for visual-spatial deficits which makes it a great exercise to also practice if deficits are noted.
From putting, people can slowly increase the club speed through chipping, pitching and low wedge shots. In these cases, there is little body movement and reduced torque through lowered club speed that would cause pain if the ground, not the ball, was impacted. Then, if feeling good around the greens, the player can start with low irons on the range and work backwards to full swings. Eventually, they can try a few holes with a cart to pace the walking, then consider a pull cart with walking later if that is within their abilities.
What is also great about golf, however, is how this is getting attention in the world of modified sport. Now, some courses have Solo Riders (www.solorider.com) that can be used by people who have deficits in independent standing. These Solo Riders position the golfer in swing distance from the ball, then elevate them into a standing position to facilitate the swing. These carts can go on the tees and greens as they only distribute 70 pounds for force through each tire – less than a person’s foot so they don’t damage the course. I played in a tournament recently where a local golf pro, who had a spinal cord injury, demonstrated the use of a Solo Rider on a par 3 from the tee and hit the ball within a few feet of the pin. Apparently, for the group before us, he hit a hole in one.
I also remember reading an article a few years ago about physiotherapy programs that were focusing on golf-related skills in therapy such as balance, trunk control, pelvic rotation, and fluidity of movement to help golfers return to the game. Other activities, such as yoga and Tai Chi are also now known as ways golfers can improve flexibility, strength, endurance, and muscle control in the off-season.
My parents vacation in Florida all winter, and while there met Judy Alvarez who instructs and assists disabled people to learn, enjoy and excel at the game of golf. I read her book (Broken Tees, Mended Hearts) on a recent holiday. What is most compelling in her book is not about the physical benefits of golfing, but rather the emotional and participatory value golf has for her disabled clients. Through participation in a challenging but modifiable sport, people can regain passion for sport, competition and can work to achieve personal bests. Golf really is FORE all and I hope you will consider hitting the links.
Originally posted July, 2013.
Summer Programming Note:
Summer vacation is here and we will be taking a break from our regular schedule. We will be posting some of our popular seasonal blogs just once a week throughout the summer but will resume our regular three weekly posts in September, filled with new and exciting content including our popular O-Tip of Week series.
Have your children ever asked you if they could just wait in the car while you run into the bank, grocery store or post office? Though it may seem like a short trip where kids would be safe, they may not be.
In keeping with our posts about summer health and safety, I thought I would touch on another very tragic, but preventable, circumstance surrounding cars and children. It was the first very hot and humid day a few summers ago when I heard of the death of a two-year-old after his grandmother left him in the car. She just forgot he was there and went about her day. While it might seem inconceivable that this could happen to any caring and well-intentioned adult, I read an article recently that helped me to understand how possible this is.
Several years ago a mother in Calgary was returning to her job as a University Professor after a one-year maternity leave following the birth of her second child. She was a well-educated and diligent mother that did everything she could to protect the safety of her children during pregnancy, at home, and in the community. With her return to work the family had to adopt a new routine. She dropped her older child at day care and proceeded to take her daughter (11 months) to her new child care provider. The mother and daughter were singing and laughing in the car when the child fell asleep. The mother then spent the next several minutes putting together a very detailed mental plan of how she was going to get her child out of the car seat and into the day care without waking her. Once she visualized that process, and understood how it would all work, her mind rapidly switched to thoughts about her first week back at work and all the things she needed to accomplish. She arrived at work, went about her day, and realized when she came to her car to go home that her daughter was still in the car seat.
Her purpose of engaging in the interview and having the article published was to help people understand how this could happen and how it can be prevented. For her, she believes that the process of “visualizing” the drop off of her daughter made her mind believe that it actually happened. When her mind switched to thinking about work, it was convinced that her other responsibilities had been completed. This is the power of visualization, and of a distracted mind.
But I feel the most important aspect of the article were the strategies for prevention. The mother went on to have other children and talked openly about the steps she now takes to ensure she does not relive this tragedy. She explained that she always makes sure she puts something in the back seat with her children. Her purse, work bag, lunch. This requires her to enter the back seat of her car when getting out. Or, the opposite could also work – put a diaper bag, toy or child backpack in the front seat to cue you to their presence. This mother also said she has asked her child care providers to call her directly if her children are not dropped off on time, as expected. Lastly, when putting her children in their car seat she puts on a bracelet that is kept in the seat. She takes it off when getting them out. This serves as a visual cue, but has also become part of her new car seat routine that will reinforce a new behavior (put the bracelet back in the car seat when leaving the vehicle, making her access the seat).
According to WebMD “there is no safe amount of time to leave a child (or pet) in a car”. The temperature inside a car can rise or fall exponentially faster than the temperature outside, as your car functions as a greenhouse. Just get in your car on a hot day and try to breathe. Preventing child death from being left in a car is possible, and parents need to be wary of new routines, changes in schedules, and the cognitive process of remembering multiple things. And most of all, don’t be naïve enough to believe the self-fulfilling “this could never happen to me” phenomenon. Any oversight, regardless of how significant, can happen to us all.
Summer Programming Note:
Summer vacation is here and we will be taking a break from our regular schedule. We will be posting some of our popular seasonal blogs just once a week throughout the summer but will resume our regular three weekly posts in September, filled with new and exciting content including our popular O-Tip of Week series.
In celebration of summer, I wanted to re-share this infographic on pool safety. These helpful tips and tools are good things to review and consider, ensuring you, your friends and loved ones are safe and enjoy some fun in the sun this summer! Remember, when it comes to children, nothing is safer than diligent and attentive supervision.
Previously posted July 2017
Summer Programming Note:
Summer vacation is here and we will be taking a break from our regular schedule. We will be posting some of our popular seasonal blogs just once a week throughout the summer but will resume our regular three weekly posts in September, filled with new and exciting content including our popular O-Tip of Week series.
It can be difficult to keep children’s minds stimulated during the summer months and often many children suffer summer brain drain. One of the best ways to put a plug on this drain is to encourage regular reading. Encourage your child to set a SMART Goal for how many books they plan to read this summer and keep track using our free printable summer reading log. Be sure to build in rewards when your child is on track and when they meet their goal!
Summer Programming Note:
Summer vacation is here and we will be taking a break from our regular schedule. We will be posting some of our popular seasonal blogs just once a week throughout the summer but will resume our regular three weekly posts in September, filled with new and exciting content including our popular O-Tip of Week series.