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Archive for category: Solutions For Living

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O-Tip of the Week: Not Enough Exercise? Sneak it in!

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

Spring has finally sprung and it’s time to add some healthy activity to your life.  So, for the month of May, our series will be providing tips to help you get physical!

You don’t have to spend an hour each day at the gym to be active.  There are many ways you can “sneak exercise” into your busy day.  Some examples include:

  • Walking or biking to work
  • Taking a walking lunch or a walking meeting
  • Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Parking a little further away so you can have a short walk
  • Walking every aisle in a store, instead of just the one you need

How do you “sneak” exercise into your day?  Share with us as we’d love to hear some new and fun ways to get moving! 

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O-Tip of the Week: Simple Ways to Turn of the Tech and Get Kids Moving!

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

Spring has finally sprung and what better time than to add some healthy activity to your life.  So, for the month of May, our series will be providing tips to help you get physical!

Do you struggle to get your kids to power down and get active?  Devices can be addictive and detrimental to mental and physical health so it’s important to create a healthy balance.  Our Printable Technology Pass can help parents get their kids to power down and get active!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn additional tips to tame the technology habit in our post The Detriments of Screen Time and a FREE “Technology Pass.”

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Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy: Key Differences and Similarities

The differences and similarities between Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy have long been confused.  Although both Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physiotherapy (PT) are registered healthcare professions specifically in the domain of rehabilitation, each profession has it’s unique role and purpose in one’s recovery following injury or illness, as well as in the prevention of disease, further injury, and disability. 

Learn more about the key differences and similarities of these two extremely valuable therapies in the following infographic:

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Innovative New Medication Management Solutions

We love to share new and innovative technology that can assist in day to day living.  Managing medications for yourself or someone you care about can often be tricky, especially if cognitive deficits are present.  A great new product, Memo Box, is a smart technology that can vastly improve how medications are managed.  Memo Box is a digital pill box that syncs with multiple devices to track, remind, and send alerts to family members about medications and more.  Take a look and ask your health professional if you think this device might be helpful for you or your loved one.

Memo Box

 

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O-Tip of the Week: Need Some Motivation? Phone a Friend!

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

Spring has finally sprung and it’s time to add some healthy activity to your life.  So, for the month of May, our series will be providing tips to help you get physical!

One of the best ways to get and stay motivated to be active is to exercise with a friend.  Find yourself a “workout buddy” to go to the gym or latest yoga class with, or to walk or run together.  Having a friend to exercise with can keep you determined and accountable!

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O-Tip of the Week: Time to Get Physical!

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

Spring has finally sprung and it’s a great time to add some healthy activity to your life.  So, for the month of May, our series will be providing tips to help you get physical!

When it comes to exercising regularly one of the biggest stumbling blocks for many is time.  Many find that there is no time in their busy and hectic lives to incorporate exercise.  So what’s the key to overcoming this obstacle?  Schedule it in!  Like you would schedule a meeting or an appointment, schedule in an hour or ½ hour daily for some sort of physical activity.

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Returning to Work after Illness or Injury: OT Can Help

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

In 2011, Statistics Canada reported that 5.9% of full-time employees were absent from work due to illness or disability. The costs associated with workplace injuries are vast.  Studies have shown that the duration of work disability, as well as costs, are significantly reduced when the workplace has contact with a health care provider coordinating return to work interventions. In fact, well-designed return to work programs are now recognized as the best practice to reduce costs associated with worker’s compensation.

Occupational therapy is a cost-effective strategy to accelerate the client’s recovery and rate of returning to work. With an effective return to work plan coordinated by an occupational therapist, injured or ill employees can recover quicker and return to work faster, significantly reducing employer costs associated with workplace injuries.

In the following video from our OT-V series, we will discuss how occupational therapists can help to support the critical transition back to the workplace following an interruption of work duties due to physical or mental health issues.

For more information on promoting employee wellness in the workplace visit our Healthy Workplace blog page.

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O-Tip of the Week: Out with the Old

Our O-Tip of the week series we will be providing valuable “OT-Approved Life Hacks” to provide you with simple and helpful solutions for living. 

Often the focus of occupational therapy becomes helping people to organize their activities, their stuff or their time.  So, for the month of April, our series will be all about organization.

It’s hard to stay organized when you simply have too much stuff!  Here are some great tips to help you to be out with the old on a regular basis:

  1.       Say yes:  when you get a call from an organization doing a pick up of used clothing and household items, always say yes.  This will force you to go through a closet or drawer and donate items you no longer need.
  2.       One in one out rule:   this should apply to both kids and adults!  For kids, with each new toy or book they receive have them select an old one to donate to a child in need.  For adults, with each new article of clothing that enters your closet, remove an old one and donate it.
  3.       Let the seasons be your reminder:  each season clean out your closet and drawers and remove items by asking yourself the following questions:

a.      Does this item still fit?

b.      Have I worn this item in the last 12 months?

c.      If I went shopping NOW would I buy this item again?

If you answer NO to any of those… say see you later!

 

 

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How to Handle Difficult Conversations as a Caregiver

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

My grandmother always used to say “once an adult, twice a child”.  She was referring to the fact that we start life dependent, and through the aging process, tend to end our life that way as well.

So, what happens when the grown-up “child” needs to become the caregiving adult in a relationship with an aging parent?  It leads to many tough conversations about some pretty big topics.  Recognizing that some conversations are not only difficult, but could cause relationship-changing outcomes, we created this video to give some pointers for handling the big ticket items adult children might encounter with their aging parents.