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Archive for category: Original Posts

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Travelling With Disabilities

Travelling with a disability is not easy.  It requires planning, a supportive attendant, and an open mind.  March break is around the corner and for months my clients have been asking me about travelling with a disability.  Here are some pointers:

1.    Book the trip with a travel agent who specializes in disability, either by interest or circumstance (some have disabilities themselves), if you can.  These agents understand that “accessibility” is not an inclusive term, and with personal experience, or feedback from other patrons, they can customize the trip to meet the needs of your unique situation.  Check out www.accessholidays.ca as an example.

2.    Planning goes a long way.  Send pictures of your equipment, measurements, and get pictures and measurements in return.  Disclose the nature of your disability if you are comfortable with that, and be clear about what you can and cannot do.

3.    Travel with an attendant.  On a trip to Alaska there was a man from our town also on the boat who had a mobility impairment.  He did not have an attendant with him and was constantly asking other patrons to help him.  They were willing to comply, but at times his needs were not met, and it would have been best for him and the other travellers if he had someone with him who understood these and was trained to assist him with the same.

4.    Look at all your equipment options.  Can you rent something smaller or lighter that might be easier to lift, will fit into narrower places, or can you rent devices when you arrive?  I just provided a client with photos of devices, different from the ones he uses daily, that he could consider renting to facilitate his upcoming overnight to a waterpark with his children.

5.    Become informed.  Check out these government resources. Did you know that in Canada, if you have a disability and are flying domestically, you may be eligible for extra seating, support, or your attendant can fly for free? Learn more from Westjet.  Or that Easter Seals offers a Disability Travel Card for buses and trains?  Also, if you have a disability and require someone to assist you through an airport to the gate, or at the gate through security and customs, there are special passes that can be obtained for this.  In Florida there is a rehabilitation program for people with spinal cord injuries that includes “project airport” and this takes wheelchair uses through an airport, onto a plane, and helps them understand how they can successfully manage this despite a physical impairment.  Many magazines (Abilities for one) often has articles on accessible travel and these highlight many different places that are great to visit, and some of the things to think about before you leave or when you arrive.

6.    Talk to an Occupational Therapist.  Occupational therapists have a wealth of knowledge about how people with different conditions can adapt their environment or equipment to manage.  Consider seeking our expertise if you are embarking on a journey outside of your typical space.  Together we can discuss strategies and solutions that can help ensure your vacation is successful.

Safe travels!

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AODA: Making Ontario Accessible. How Can an OT Help?

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

As an occupational therapist, business owner, and MBA, I can’t help but to reflect on the colossal legislation that is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, or AODA.  If you are not familiar, this is Ontario’s way of making the province accessible by addressing the following key areas so that people with disabilities can more fully participate in their communities:  customer service, employment, information and communication, transportation, and design of public spaces.  This a catch-all legislation aimed to create a culture of acceptance for people of all abilities.

So where does occupational therapy fit into this and why is this legislation important?

Occupational therapists help people with disabilities to function more safely and independently in any environment in which they need to manage.  That includes at home, work or school, for leisure pursuits, and in the community, and often involves helping people to obtain devices, products or services.  Based on my own experiences, I thought I would share my thoughts on the importance of this legislation by sharing real examples of situations where a company or employee got it wrong when trying to provide service to a consumer with a disability:

Example 1:  A few months back I was taking an ailing relative to an appointment at a lawyer’s office.  We arrived and the building was poorly marked.  We tried a couple of entrances and walked around the building a few times.  We finally found the entrance and were met with three flights of long and windy stairs.  We climbed these slowly and when greeted by the lawyer he said “you should have told me stairs were a problem and I could have met you at home”.

Example 2: The other day I was at the bank waiting for an appointment.  A patron with a cane ventured in and tripped on the scatter rug that was not lying flat on the floor.  Two staff quickly ran to her side and started pulling her up by her shoulders to get her back into standing.  The teller told me that people trip on those mats “all the time”.

Example 3: Also recently, I ventured into the community to help a client purchase an appropriate bed.  The salesperson at the store told my client (who uses a wheelchair) that he “knows about people like him”.  When my client transferred onto one of the beds in the showroom, the salesperson tried to physically assist him, and continued to try and assist even after my client told the salesperson he did not need help.  Then, after the transfer the salesperson (standing behind my client) pulled the transfer board out from under him suddenly causing my client to lose his balance.

Example 4: Or, the story of a client of mine who uses a wheelchair and ventures into a large department store where an employee at the front of the store puts a sticker on him that says “I am special”.

These scenario’s highlight why the AODA legislation is necessary.  Everyday people with disabilities are poorly serviced, spoken down to, underestimated, or encounter barriers when trying to access a product or service.  With an estimated 15% of Canadians having a disability, and the number growing rapidly with the aging population, this equates to millions of consumers that are not able to access products and services, or who are being poorly treated or physically or emotional jeopardized when they do.  Or, expanding this further, these poorly serviced consumers often shop with an attendant, family or friends, doubling the number of people witnessing this problem.

Can you see the problems in these examples?  Would you handle these situations differently?  Has your employer provided you with the education and training to know how to provide proper service to people with physical, mental or emotional impairments, visual or hearing disorders, or how to optimally service someone who may be unable to speak or write, or who shops with a support person or service dog?  Can people with physical disabilities access your building, use the washroom?  If not, your employer is already missing the mark on the AODA legislation.

While many business owners may feel that the AODA legislation is unimportant or does not need sufficient attention, I would argue that this is not something to ignore.  Not properly training staff on the ways to service all people well runs the risk of impacting a business’s reputation, sales, and overall profitability.  Imagine, for example, that I disclosed the names of the businesses above?  What would you think of those establishments?  Or, perhaps worse, if my clients went online following and shared their experiences with others on social media?  Complained to a manager?  Or got hurt and decided to sue?  Or, looking more positively, we can turn this on its head and talk about how companies would be perceived, talked about, and celebrated for getting it right.  People share great stories too and many people with disabilities have a network and community of others that they liaise with for support.

Occupational therapists have the skills, training and experience to show others how to properly service people with disabilities, from barrier-free environments to effective communication and respectful and caring interactions.  Much like you hire a plumber to fix a tap, a mechanic to fix your car, or a lawyer to draft your will, hire an occupational therapist to help you and your business become AODA compliant.

Visit our AODA Training and Education page to learn more on the services we offer.

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Hoarding and Decluttering: 10 Suggestions to Free your Home and Mind

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

We all have keepsakes that are difficult to throw away. Personally, I still have a bag of stuffed animals from when I was a kid (downsized from the four garbage bags of stuffies I had when I got married), and also have a box called “sentimental stuff” that is filled with cards, letters, and keepsakes that I just can’t emotionally part with (poems from my great-grandmother, the last card my grandparents sent me before they passed away, etc).

While these items and “stuff” may be taking up some closet space, they do not significantly affect my ability to function.  That is when being a “pack rat” can cross a line and refers to the subset of the population whose life is significantly impacted from ‘stuff’ building up in their homes. In 2013 “hoarding disorder” officially became a clinical diagnosis, and it is estimated to affect 3-5% of the population.

Hoarding is defined as “persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions. People with this problem accumulate a large number of possessions that often fill up or clutter active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that their intended use is no longer possible” (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition).

This is a real disorder that has a negative impact on an individual’s emotional, physical, social, financial and even legal aspects of life. Hoarding can get in the way of a person’s ability to participate in daily meaningful occupations, which can result in a deterioration in health and wellness.

It is important for individuals struggling with hoarding to seek treatment. The two current “best treatments” for hoarding disorder are pharmacological and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT recognizes that a person’s thoughts and feelings and behaviors are interconnected and influence one another. Occupational Therapists can use CBT to help someone with hoarding disorder address their disruptive thoughts and feelings to decrease the behavior of hoarding.

While the majority of the population does not struggle from hoarding disorder, the build-up of clutter in a home can sneak up on all of us, and lead to negative consequences such as a disorganized home, feeling discouraged and overwhelmed, and the frustration of misplacing or taking time to find items, to name a few. Here are some unique ways to decrease clutter in the home:

1. Start with 5 minutes. It can be overwhelming to start the process of decluttering, therefore, start with 5 minutes a day and be satisfied with your accomplishments at the end of this time.

2. Give one item away every day for a year. Check out www.365lessthings.com, a blog about a woman who gives away one item a day.

3. Start by filling one bag. Whether it is a donation bag or a trash bag see how quickly you can fill one bag of items to give away or throw out.

4. Do the “Closet Hanger Experiment”. Hang all your clothes with hangers in one direction. After you wear an item replace the hanger in the closet facing the other way. After one year throw away all the clothes on hangers facing the original side – you did not wear these items for a whole year!

5. Do the “12-12-12” challenge. Find 12 things to throw out, 12 things to donate and 12 things to be returned to their proper place in your home.

6. Use the “Four-Box Method”. Systematically go through each room in the house and assign every item to one of four boxes: trash, give away, keep, or relocate. Every item must be assigned something! Remember – you do not have to do this all at once, take your time to go through each room!

7. Make a list and set a time. Make a list of areas in your house you want to clean/declutter then set a time for each one (i.e. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes). Start with the first thing on the list and then STOP when time is up. If you did not finish that area within the given time, set a new time and try again later!

8. Try the “Travelers Method”. Think about how small a suitcase is and how you have to prioritize items when packing for a trip. Use the same mindset when decluttering.

9. Rearrange the room. Every few months rearrange furniture in major rooms (i.e. couches, desks, shelves). This will force you to find the junk that has been collecting throughout your home.

10. Play “Musical Chairs” with your closet. Remove all your clothes and hangers from the closet. Take away 5-10 hangers. Start to put your clothes back one at a time, each time assessing whether to keep the clothing item. STOP once you run out of hangers and donate remaining clothes.

A few other useful tips can include calling a friend to come to help – then reciprocate the offer, or call for a free pick-up of household items and once this is on the calendar make sure you fill a box to donate!  Diabetes and Cerebral Palsy are a few local (Ontario) programs that turn your unneeded items into charity.

Decluttering can seem like a daunting process, but using these strategies, and setting small attainable goals, can help you have a peaceful, clutter-free home and mind!

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Have You Got The “Lady Balls” To Stand Up To Cancer?

A fantastic new campaign by Ovarian Cancer Canada asks if you have the “lady balls” to talk about ovarian cancer?  The organization’s research states that ovarian cancer kills 5 Canadian women everyday and is one of the most difficult cancer’s to detect.  Check out the following brochure to become educated about this cancer and show your lady balls by sharing the information with others.  It could save a life.

Ovarian Cancer Canada:  Ovarian Cancer Fact Sheet

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How’s Your Posture?

Repetitive activity using improper posture and body mechanics can result in excess energy expenditure, fatigue, pain and even injury or damage to muscles and joints over time.  Therefore, it’s important to know the proper body mechanics required when completing everyday tasks and activities, at home, at play or at work or school.

The following episode of our Occupational Therapy Video Series:  OT-V discusses how to ensure you are using proper body mechanics with respect to:

  • workspace design
  • lifting and repetitive muscle use
  • excessive standing
  • excessive sitting
  • hand movements
  • excessive energy output.

Take a look to learn how an OT can help you improve body mechanics and reduce the risk of injury and pain in the long-term.  Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for access to this and other great OT-V videos!

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Occupational Therapy’s Important Role in Heart Attack Recovery

February is Heart Month and while many of our blog posts will focus on prevention through good health habits, we want to also provide you with some tips for recovery.  Below is some excellent information from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) on the role of Occupational Therapy in heart attack recovery.  As a heart attack is a life-altering event, often requiring permanent lifestyle changes, occupational therapists can help people to recover from the initial incident, to rebuild a life of function, and to promote change that will help with prevention.  Thanks to CAOT for your great description of how we help:

Take Heart. You can still do what’s important to you!

Heart disease has a major impact on an individual’s quality of life. It can lead to discomfort or chronic pain, activity limitations, disability and unemployment. “An estimated 345,000 Canadians aged 35 to 64 reported living with heart disease. More than a third (36%) of these reported needing help with household tasks or personal care” (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 1999). Heart disease requires lifestyle changes to prevent progression of the disease, further cardiac events and activity restrictions.

An occupational therapist in conjunction with other team members will help you determine what activities you can safely perform and how to modify activities to decrease the amount of energy required. This is important in achieving the maximum result from limited exercise capacity.

Try these occupational therapy strategies…

1. Use body mechanics: Smooth, rhythmic and repetitive motions are easier on your heart. Remember to breathe regularly. Avoid lifting or carrying heavy objects. Sit to work whenever possible, for example when ironing or chopping vegetables. Avoid lifting or carrying heavy objects. Slide objects or use a cart if possible. Change position frequently; this allows different muscles to work, increases circulation and prevents fatigue.

2. Simplify tasks: Break the activity into small steps, i.e. preparation, activity, clean-up and final phase. Take frequent small breaks throughout the activity rather than fewer long rest periods. Adjust work heights and areas to fit you. The most frequently used items should be located between waist and chest heights. Avoid working with arms above shoulder level.

3. Remember physical conditioning: Follow a regular cardiovascular exercise program as approved by your physician. An important element in maintaining cardiovascular activities is enjoyment; be creative – park a distance from work and walk in, join a mall walking program, exercise with a friend.

4. Recognize emotions: Anger, frustration, anxiety, and stress all increase the heart rate. Be aware of what creates stress for you and how you handle it. Try not to bottle up feelings – build your supports and talk to them. Decide on your priorities and learn when to say “No”. Pay attention to the activities that are stressful and schedule yourself accordingly, i.e. avoid unnecessary driving in rush hour and bad weather. Get enough sleep, rest, and maintain healthy eating habits. Work off tension appropriately.

http://www.caot.ca/default.asp?pageid=3703

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OT Can Help with Visual Impairment

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

My grandmother is legally blind.  She first lost her hearing in her 60’s but managed this well with hearing aids and the ability to lip read.  She also learned some sign language.  Then, in her 70’s, her sight also started to fail her.  This progressed until she was left with what she calls “cheese cloth” and shadow vision in her right eye and minimal, if any, vision in her left.  While adjusting to failing sight was of course difficult for her, adjusting to also losing the ability to lip read and communicate with people was an even bigger challenge.  She had always used her vision to compensate for her hearing loss and this was no longer an option.

As an occupational therapist I have worked with people who have low vision, and can say that no two people will experience this the same.  First of all, vision loss, and legal blindness, do not mean total blindness, so the first step is always trying to understand what people can see and the ways their vision continues to work (or not) for them.   This of course involves multiple professionals, but as occupational therapy is about “function” we need to look at how their vision works, and doesn’t work, in the environments in which they live and access.

Of course, safety is always the primary concern when dealing with vision loss.  Safety in the home involves looking at fall risk, ease of mobility, cooking and meal preparation, and of course the ability to respond to an emergency.  In the community this involves how someone with vision loss can negotiate roads and streets, manage around other people, complete paperwork at stores and offices, and avoid compromising situations such as becoming victimized or managing money transactions.  Transportation is also an issue and getting from A to B usually involves the use of an attendant, taxi, or walking via a service dog or with the use of a white cane (which is mainly used to notify others of a visual impairment and to detect obstacles).

So as an occupational therapist, what type of strategies do we employ?  Well, of course it will vary depending on the amount of vision someone has and of course the functional tasks they want to achieve.  But here are the main ways we help:

Sleep – insomnia is a significant problem for people with vision loss.  Lack of sight can impact the sleep / wake cycle and restlessness is a common problem.  Yet, with poor sleep comes poor physical, emotional and cognitive function in the days following so addressing sleep issues is very important.  For this we can help by suggesting sleep and relaxation CD’s, mindfulness methods to reduce anxiety and mental unrest, and positioning aids to promote comfort.  Helping people to creating predictable sleep / wake cycles is also important.  Some audiobooks are also helpful provided they promote cognitive rest, and not cognitive stimulation.  We also discourage television or computer use, or listening to news or world events before bed as this can also stimulate the mind making sleep more difficult.

Personal Care – it is very important that someone with a visual impairment have a consistent personal care routine.  This helps to promote sleep / wake cycles and keeps the body on a predictable schedule.  The bathroom can be a very unsafe place if equipment is not provided to ensure transfers in / out of the shower or tub are safe, it is easy to get on / off the toilet without grabbing the towel rack, and to prevent falls that can be common in this space.  Organization is key to ensuring that the individual can find the items they need when they need them, without unnecessary and timely searching.  Lighting and contrast on bottles or counters, and using shapes to identify objects is helpful.

Cooking – there are many ways to address function in the kitchen, but the main ingredient is always organization.  People with visual impairment need things to be consistently placed where they expect to find them.  Their ability to search and locate is impaired, and thus it is inefficient (and unsafe) for them to be rummaging through drawers or cupboards to find cooking utensils or other items.  Color contrast is also important.  Using tape, foam, Dycem, stickers, markers, or even shelf paper we can adjust surfaces to promote contrast or to re-label items in larger print.  Items can also be purchased in different colors or shapes, depending on what is easier for the individual to see.  There are several other devices and tools that can also be used to help someone with a visual impairment to know when they have filled a pot or glass, to know the buttons on the microwave, to more safely chop or cut, and lighting in the space is very important (but note that too bright and too dark can both be problematic).

Technology – there are many technology aids and devices that can promote the function of someone who is visually impaired.  Voice recognition software, text to talk technology, closed circuit readers, and Siri-managed phones and tablets.  Using a computer, someone who is visually impaired can order groceries online, do their banking, shop, communicate with others, read the paper, and interact with the world.  This allows them to function in needed and purposeful ways, but safely and independently.

As you can tell, most of these suggestions involve the environment and modifying this to promote function.  That is really the heart of occupational therapy – if we can’t change the person or the impairments they experience, we can at least adjust their environment to accommodate their needs, compensate for any deficits and promote independence.  But this of course also requires the by-in from other people using the space as without the entire family on board, the strategies could get lost after implementation.

My grandmother functions extremely well for someone with both hearing and vision loss.  She is probably the smartest person I know at 88 years old.  I fully believe that she now compensates for her deficits with her extremely sharp mind that allows her to retain and remember everything.  As my dad says “she is blind in one eye and sharp as a tack in the other”.  She is an inspiration and has managed to adjust to some significant challenges in her later years.  However, I do get concerned when I visit and she wants me to read her scale so she knows how much she weighs.  I always ask her what she wants to hear and her response is something along the lines of “you are a rotten kid”…something her and my grandfather always called me – especially when I took a quarter off them playing cribbage.

 

Originally posted February 2015

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The Anxiety of Social Media

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Co-written with Jacquelyn Bonneville, Occupational Therapist

I can only imagine how it must feel to be a teenager in today’s era of technology and social media.  When I was young, our social circles were those we could call, or see at school, in the neighborhood, at camp, or when playing sports.  If we did something wrong, embarrassing, or “bad” it could only ripple so far in the small puddle that surrounded us.  Now, that puddle is an ocean and our activities, photos, thoughts and feelings can not only reach people that we would not otherwise engage with, but can extend across continents.

Over the last decade researchers have been attempting to capture the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media, with mixed results. Social media platforms include websites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. People of all ages are engaging in social media, as it becomes one of the most predominant forms of communication. Social media has its benefits and risks, and as the rate of anxiety in North America rises it is important to consider how and why you may be using social media, and what it may be doing to your health.

In some ways, social media is not a new concept at its core. Humans have always desired information, gratification, and social exchange to a certain extent – they also require opportunities to de-stress, to socially disengage, or to feel surrounded by others and yet not obliged to interact with them. Social media trends have made it increasingly more difficult to switch off, leading many to feel constantly bombarded by notifications of what others are doing, thinking, saying, feeling (good or bad).

The concept of instant gratification is now more prominent than ever, with instant “likes”, comments, “re-tweets”, or number of “shares” available, and many strive to measure their social success in these numbers. As social media instant gratification is almost a new norm in society, this is likely to transcend into offline world. How will this expectation of instant gratification affect our ability to be patient with life events that typically take a long time to achieve, such as relationships or career development? What is all this pressure to be well-liked (literally) on social media doing to teens who are developing their social identities in the midst of a social, public world? What does online popularity mean for people who are easily influenced, or have low self-esteem and self-concept? These are questions many therapists are now addressing regularly in sessions with teens and adults alike.

You may have heard hot-topic terms like Facebook Addiction Disorder and Social Media Anxiety Disorder; though neither of these are valid diagnoses currently, it points to the notion that a serious shift is happening in our society. Social Media helps us to create a highlight-reel of our lives – either the life we are living, or the life we want to live – and we only post the things we want people to see and this is often enhanced, truth-stretched, fabricated, sepia-toned, and cropped. It leads people to believe that this is what college is supposed to be like, or what my summer is supposed to look like, or how I’m supposed to look as a mother out with my children. Some literature suggests that social media may be holding us up to completely unrealistic expectations, resulting in us feeling less pride for our accomplishments, and more anxious about how we may be measuring up. For more information on this, and an interesting video of youth explaining social media related anxiety, check out these two articles:

The Very Real Anxiety That Comes From Texting, ‘Likes’ And FOMO

Yale psychiatrist has one explanation for why students these days are so anxious

A study published by The New York Times in 2015 reports anxiety is now the #1 mental health diagnosis on college campuses. The constant comparisons, fear of missing out (or ‘FOMO’ as it is often phrased), and misinterpretations of texts are certainly impacting the mental wellness of people of all ages. As a result, anxiety rates are rising exponentially.

Self-reflection is an important tool often encouraged by therapists to help you understand your own behaviour. Occupational Therapists may encourage self-reflection through mindfulness techniques. For instance, why do you use social media? Look at your last status update or picture upload; why did you post that? Maybe the last interaction with social media you had was to write a comment on a co-worker’s LinkedIn profile, and you believe the reason why you did so was to support their competency of certain skills in hopes of maybe boosting their reputation. Now, think deeper than that, to subconscious reasons that may have also motivated you for doing this: Does it make you look like a good coworker or friend for doing that? Does it help spread your name to gain more connections based on who views their profile? Would you be even a little upset if they didn’t return the favour? So, it is important to ask yourself the question: Why am I really posting this? How does it make me feel afterwards? How am I hoping to make others feel?  Do I have a motive deeper than a simple “like”?

It is important to check-in with yourself regarding your thoughts about social media and why you use it, and to respect that the youth of today have entirely different challenges socially than you may have had. To completely withdraw from social media, or to stop your children from using it entirely, may actually be more harmful than good. However, if your urge to use social media becomes so strong that it is negatively affecting your relationships, work, enjoyment in your accomplishments, time-spending, or if it’s making you feel anxious, professionals like Occupational Therapists (especially those with additional training in Psychotherapy) can be an excellent resource to help get you back to functioning in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable for you. OTs are experts and understanding competing life demands, and have a wealth of experience and knowledge helping people to rebalance into productive function.

For other strategies on how to attempt to manage social media related anxiety, check out:

How to Calm Your Social Media Anxiety

In the end, the verdict is still out on the benefits and risks of social media – from a mental health perspective.  Personally, I could not find what I could call “authenticity” on Facebook but still found myself checking this too often.  So I decided to go on a hiatus and have not returned.  I miss the funny videos and seeing photos of my friends’ children, but don’t miss the ads, bothersome images, or personal crusades that people use this platform to promote.  The most important thing here is behavioral regulation – check your screen time, understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviors when engaging in Social Media and make changes if you are not happy with what you find.  And good luck – kicking or changing any habit is not easy!

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Accessible Clothing Can Be Fashionable Too!

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Co-Written with Jacquelyn Bonneville, Occupational Therapist

As occupational therapists, we often see clients experience issues with dressing after an injury or as a result of a disability.  How do you dress when you have one arm?  Or, how can you don pants, socks and shoes when you have not feeling or movement in your lower body?  What about managing zippers and buttons with reduced fine motor control?  Spasms, reduced range of motion, the inability to stand for dressing, or body changes that make clothing options limited?  There are many reasons why dressing can become a problem.

As a society use fashion for several reasons – to manage the weather, for privacy from sensitive parts, and as an expression of ourselves.  Clothing and clothing choices are important.

Business-wear and athletic wear are two areas of fashion that are generally limiting for persons with dressing challenges.  For this blog we wanted to introduce some simple, but still fashionable and functional, adaptations that can help manage the task of dressing if this has become difficult!

Lock Laces or Elastic Shoe Laces

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Elastic and lock shoelaces are permanently tied, and allow for stretch of the shoe when putting it on or taking it off. This makes it a functional, inexpensive solution for anyone who doesn’t want to worry about their laces coming undone (especially athletes!), or for people who struggle with tying their shoelaces tight enough, or with the intricacies of actually tying the laces.  Note that often these are great in combination with a long handled shoehorn.

Nike Flyease LeBron Sneakers

Nike LeBron Flyease Sneakers (http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/zoom-lebron-soldier-9-flyease-basketball-shoe/pid-10327129/pgid-10327127)

Nike recently announced their release of slip-on ‘wrap-around-fasten’ shoes that are fashionable, basketball style high-top sneakers (designed with basketball superstar LeBron James). Though designed for young adults with Cerebral Palsy initially, this shoe is suitable for anyone who wants some stylish sneakers, without the hassle of laces. See the press release for more information and a video explaining the story behind these sneakers.

Under Armour Magzip

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Zippers are often an integral part of our Canadian Fall and Winter attire to help secure our clothing to keep us warm. Zippers can actually be very challenging to co-ordinate for many reasons, and Under Armour tackled “fixing the zipper” in 2014 with their Magzip technology in a variety of unisex athletic-wear styles. The bottom part of the zipper is magnetic, meaning that it is far easier to ‘thread’ and pull up than a standard zipper, without sacrificing athletic hoodie style. See the press release for more information and a video explaining the technology.

One-handed Snap-Belts

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Standard business attire (or even picture day at elementary school) often calls for a nice belt, and there are many options available online for snap-belts that do not require the threading of a traditional belt such as the RD Adaptive Apparel Snap-Belt pictured here.

Rollin Wear Jeans

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Jeans are a staple of many wardrobes, but they certainly shift and move when people are sitting or standing. For people who spend a lot of time sitting, including office workers and people who use wheelchairs, jeans can be extremely uncomfortable; jeans regularly have rivets on the back pocket which can cause discomfort while seated, they have the same rise around the waist so when you sit they are either too low or bunch up, and the front button can dig into your waist when you sit down.

Rollinwear has designed a line of jeans designed for wheelchair users that offer an easier ring to work the zipper, a clasp instead of a front button, and are overall designed with the different body position of a person while sitting instead of standing. Be sure to look online for other companies offering similar adaptive jean designs!

Part of the role of Occupational Therapy is to have insight and knowledge about products that will help an individual function independently, without sacrificing style, priorities, or efficiency. For more information about customized products that may work for your individual needs, speak with an Occupational Therapist!

As a last inspiring thought, check out this link to the story of a beautiful athletic-wear teen model with Down Syndrome who is changing perceptions of disability, while being stylish at the same time.