As we discussed in an earlier post, the Holiday Season Survival Guide, December is a stressful time of year. Many of our survival strategies include proper planning and organization. Use the following FREE printable Holiday Gift Planner to help you stay organized and on track this Holiday Season.
For more helpful tools providing solutions for living visit our Printable Resources Page.
December is, legitimately, the most stressful month of the year. Shopping and presents, food preparation, cards, socializing, crowds, different schedules and routines, decorations, spending, pressure to buy the right thing for the right person – and not forgetting anyone.
Instead of harping on all the reasons I struggle this time of year, I am going to be productive and offer some practical suggestions for people that also have issues getting through to January. Here are Julie’s TOP 10 TIPS based on my own experiences as a busy mom, but also as an occupational therapist who often helps people to break down tasks into more manageable, and less stressful chunks:
Energy is like a currency, we only have so much of it and need to spend it wisely throughout our day. Conserving energy during small tasks throughout the day helps to save needed energy for important, meaningful daily activities. If energy is a precious resource to you, planning ahead with the help of the following checklist will help you conserve as much energy as possible throughout your day.
The following FREE printable will help you to identify which activities have high, medium and low energy costs and can help you to plan your days and weeks to balance your overall energy expenditure.
For more helpful tools please visit our Printable Resources Page.
Many people who have been injured, are chronically ill or are aging have multiple recurring appointments each month with Doctors, specialists, lawyers and more. It can be difficult for the person and their caregivers to keep track of these. Our FREE printable Upcoming Appointment Tracker will help to ensure your appointments are easily scheduled and never missed.
Simply print, fill out and post.
For additional helpful tools visit our printable resources page.
Mornings with children can be hectic… to say the least. Ensuring kids are awake on time, dressed, fed, and ready for the day, all while you are trying to get yourself to work on time, can cause a great deal of stress and set a negative tone for the day ahead.
Our FREE printable checklist will help kids become accountable for their morning routines and allow you and your family wake up on the right side of the bed each and every morning.
For more helpful tools visit our Printable Resources Page.
Many people who have been injured, are ill or are aging take multiple medications every day as part of their ongoing treatment. It is very important to stay on top of your medications and to know the purpose of each prescription. Your Pharmacist will be able to provide you with detailed information that you should take with you to each and every medical appointment you have. To help you keep track at home we recommend using a dossette as an organizer and to have a chart posted near your medications.
The following FREE printable can help you, your family and caretakers keep track of all of your medications. Simply print, fill out and post.
Find additional helpful checklists and resources on our Printable Resources page.
For kids, and kids at heart, Halloween is always fun! But among the pile of candy is a hidden pile of sugar that is detrimental to your health. Now that the fun is over, how do you as a parent limit the amount they consume? Try our 10 great solutions to rid your home of excess Halloween Candy.
October is Occupational Therapy Month in Canada and this year we are celebrating OT with our month long infographic collection titled “An OT Knows…”
All month long learn about some of the many ways Occupational Therapists provide solutions for living to people of all ages.
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
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 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
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
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
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.