We talk a lot about concussions on our blog. Why? Concussions are a serious brain injury that should not be left untreated and are one of the main reasons to seek the services of an Occupational Therapist. Sports-related concussions are estimated at 30 000 per year in Canada with many occurring in popular contact sports such as hockey, football, and soccer. It is important for coaches, athletes and parents to recognize the signs of a concussion and follow strict guidelines if a head injury occurs. The following from Parachute Canada provides “Concussion Guidelines for the Athlete.” Check it out and be sure you are aware. If you suffer a head injury make sure you see a doctor and always remember “when it doubt, sit it out!”
What Is Ergonomics?
I’m sure you’ve heard the term, “ergonomics” before, but do you know what it means and more importantly, how it could benefit your organization?
Ergonomics is a catch-all phrase for the process of ensuring the body is in an appropriate position when completing daily tasks. Sitting, standing, bending, lifting – all these movements require the proper ergonomic position of the legs, spine, and arms to promote comfort and productivity, and to reduce the risk of physical injury. Proper ergonomics is often most important at work, as this is where you spend the majority of your time.
Everyone deserves to be comfortable at work – from the front line staff to the CEO. When people are comfortable they are happier, more productive, feel valued and supported, and are less likely to leave work due to physical injury from poor office ergonomics.
Check out our informative video for information on how an Occupational Therapist can help in your office by keeping people at work, enhancing productivity, reducing costs, and promoting employee morale and satisfaction.
Make Healthy Eating a Habit
Eating well is a crucial part of your overall health. Proper nutrition fuels the body, helps ward off illness and disease, and helps you to maintain a healthy weight. When feeding an entire family, during busy and stressful times, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet as sometimes convenience takes precedent. The following from Global News discusses great tips to get your family on the path to eating well and how to keep you there in the long run.
Global News: Healthy eating– Top tips to keep your family on the right path
Mind your Mouth – the Language of Disability
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Have you ever been in that uncomfortable place of wondering what to say to someone with a disability? That cognitive and emotional process of wanting to offer support, but not wanting to offend? Or worrying about offending by offering support? Or worrying about offending by not offering support? It can be a conundrum.
I recently left a client meeting and one of the other providers was a wheelchair user. As we ventured to the parking lot we stopped at her car. As we were finishing our conversation she proceeded to engage in the process of transferring into her vehicle. Not wanting to provide help without her request or permission, and not really knowing if she needed it in the first place, I simply said “I know you do this all the time but if you need a hand please let me know”. I figured it was the best way for me to acknowledge that I could help if she needed or wanted it, but that I didn’t want to assume she could not be independent.
I have had many clients tell me about situations in the community where people have made comments, or engaged in actions that are blatantly disrespectful. I had one client enter Walmart in his wheelchair and the “Greeter” put a sticker on him saying “I am special”. He was livid. Or, at a recent course we watched a video of a client with quadriplegia trying a community outing for the first time since his injury. As he struggled to manage his wallet and bank card the cashier was visibly annoyed. Granted she was young, but clearly had no patience for this man that was struggling and her actions were clearly not going to make him feel any better. On top of being compassionless, she didn’t offer him any assistance either.
Ontario has made some great strides in the domain of customer service. Not only are commercial buildings to be accessible to people with mobility impairments, but now employers are responsible for training their staff on how to appropriately and effectively provide service to people of all abilities. This is a great step in the direction of helping all people know how to manage service situations that require compassion, patience and understanding. We have previously blogged about the Accessibility Legislature in Ontario and you can find that information here: “Accessibility In Ontario.”
So, have you ever wondered how to navigate those waters? Have you ever used the words “confined to a wheelchair” or “wheelchair bound”? Do you understand the difference between handicap and disability? Do you know how use of words like “cripple, invalid and retard” have changed over time to now be generally unacceptable ways to reference someone with a disability? For people in wheelchairs, the wheelchair actually allows them freedom of movement. It returns to them a level of function they lost when their legs stopped working. For many of them, the ability to be independently mobile is not “confining” and does not make them “bound”. It is now proper practice to put the “person” before the “disability” and to describe their situation as you would their hair color. For example, “Julie has brown hair” has the same application as “Julie uses a wheelchair”. How could I be offended by such a statement of fact? I recently came across the following resource called “Watch Your Language” and find this is an excellent tool to help people that may not have regular contact or training speaking to or about people with disabilities to understand the nuances of language surrounding this topic.
But I think the most important thing to remember here is that not all disability is visible. It is never good practice to speak negatively, disrespectfully or rudely about anyone. Doing so just reflects poorly on you. Remember that everyone has a story and the one you might make in your head about that person or their situation may not be accurate. As Stephen Covey always said “talk about people like they are present”. In the current movie Cinderella, I love the advice she gets from her dying mother: “have courage and be kind”. Words to live by.
Weekly Mind Bender
What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet it never grows?
A mountain.
Playgrounds for Seniors
The “baby boomer” population is aging. It is estimated by Statistics Canada that by 2031, all boomers will have reached age 65, and the proportion of seniors could reach 23% of our population. Government and businesses are planning ahead to accommodate for the increase to the 65+ population in many ways. Overseas a new trend in senior’s health has erupted and it could soon be coming to a community near you. The following article from The Huffington Post discusses the creation of “senior’s playgrounds” which are said to be beneficial to the elderly by providing physical activity and increased social interaction. Check out the article to learn more about these playgrounds and look for one soon at a park near you.
The Huffington Post: Playgrounds For Seniors Improve Fitness, Reduce Isolation
Cognitive Challenges at Work– There’s an App For That!
CanAssist is an organization at the University of Victoria with the mission of creating a better quality of life for people with disabilities. They have created helpful apps, available on numerous devices, including the “CanWork” app which works to promote independence and build confidence by helping people with cognitive challenges at work. The app helps individuals manage shifts, prepare for work and complete work-related tasks successfully. It has just received endorsement from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and we encourage you to check out the “CanWork” app and many of the other helpful apps created by CanAssist.
Should Parents Reward With Food?
Using dessert as a reward for eating vegetables, taking advantage of the free cookie at the grocery store if the kids behave, promising ice cream if the kids complete their chores…these are all examples of using foods as a reward for good behaviour. I’m sure we all have been guilty of this behaviour at one point or another, and while it’s true we all deserve a reward every once and a while, an edible treat may not be the best option. The following from WebMD discusses why using food for praise doesn’t work in the long run and tips to put a stop to this slippery slope once you’ve begun.
WebMD: Why Praising Kids With Food Doesn’t Work
Love Languages Applied to Work and Home
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I have a few online Goddesses I follow. Women entrepreneurs who have built an empire educating other women on how to be successful. Much like my own blog, they are comfortable sharing their stories of success and failure and want others to benefit from the knowledge they have.
In watching my online videos I will occasionally stumble upon a gem. A piece of knowledge, a book to read, a way of thinking, or an exercise that truly moves me forward. I recently had one of those experiences.
The video, by my career-crush and woman with the best hair in the world Marie Forleo (http://www.marieforleo.com/), was on ways to appreciate and be appreciated. Be it your spouse, children, parents or colleagues at work, we all strive to be loved and appreciated by those that matter to us, and to demonstrate this in return. Marie was suggesting that in work and life it is helpful to understand how people experience and interpret love and appreciation so the efforts you make towards them can truly have an impact. While a bit unorthodox, her suggestion was to engage people in the test of their Love Language. She mentioned that this really helped her and her team know how to work together and ultimately appreciate each other best. So, I took the test. And my husband took the test. And my children. And my team. The results were fascinating and helpful.
In my own family, our languages are different. Personally, I appreciate it most when people take things off my plate. My mind is a web of things to do so one less thing to think about is hugely valuable and appreciated by me. Be it “I grabbed the kitty litter, put that envelope in the mail, or will send that email” – it resonates and helps me feel loved. And call me cold, but I don’t resonate with physical touch (recall MC Hammer “Can’t Touch This”).
My girls are all different. While most of them ranked “quality time” as their # 1, some prefer “words of affirmation” and one “physical touch”. Not surprising, my physical touch kid is the one that is always asking for hugs and snuggling up to me on the couch. Of great interest to me was that the one whose highest score was “words of affirmation” is also the kid that has a really hard time with conversations about things she did wrong or ways she let us down. That makes sense now as people with this love language “thrive on hearing kind and encouraging words” and can be “shattered by insults”. While we would never intentionally insult her, indicating that her school work is sloppy will make her feel unloved. Good to know. After we took the test and talked about it as a family, I took all of our ratings and put these in a chart by the door where we come and go. I wanted these to be in plain sight and a regular reminder that our Love Languages are different and this matters when we want or need to be loved and appreciated by one another. In a chaotic family of 6, this understanding is essential.
So I then took this experience a step further. I asked the very important women I work with to also take this test. The results again were interesting. While my business partner and I tend to use small gifts as a way to show them appreciation, none of them ranked this as important. Most would rather have unsolicited compliments (“words of affirmation”) then a surprise Edible Arrangement. Some also prefer “acts of service” or being given “quality time” to feel valued. At work we can easily implement appreciation actions by offering to help them complete a burdensome task, providing unsolicited compliments, or making sure they have our undivided attention when they need it.
I consider the masterpiece that is myself to be always “under construction” and as such I am repeatedly interested in ways to be better, do better, and spread love. Love does not need to be considered romantic and according to 5 Love Languages, can be cast over all we meet with through simple gestures, kind words, a pat on the back, a small token of appreciation, or by sparing some time from a packed schedule. Take the test here and see how you interpret love and appreciation and share that knowledge with those around you.
Weekly Mind Bender
Can you solve the following?
1. Falling Temperature
2. Two Under Par
3. Fat Chance
4. Broken Heart
5. Hot Under the Collar
6. Head in the Sand