Equine Therapy

My first placement as part of my Occupational Therapy degree was in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit. The service focused on helping children and youth with various mental health issues and offered services such social skills groups, various adventure therapy expeditions and one on one treatment. The unit also ran a equine therapy course in conjunction with the local Riding for the Disabled for young children whom had anxiety issues, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder ,  and were struggling with social interaction. Whilst on placement I was lucky enough to be part of this initiative and see first hand how this intervention really changed the lives of these young children.

Not sure what the Riding for the Disabled is? Take a look at this youtube clip!
The Riding for the Disabled is now a worldwide association with similar objectives; helping individuals from all walks of life through the means of equine therapy. It gives a general over view as to how the Riding for the Disabled aids individuals in improving their functioning abilities. It allows them to have a sense of freedom and enjoyment while at the same time playing a huge part in improving their functioning ability.

Horses. The thought for some people is quite daunting, as initially all that springs to mind is a large broad animal with the potential to take control at any point. But there is just so much more to this creature than meets the eyes. This animal has senses that second to none. Not only are they trusting, sensitive and loyal but they also have all the attributes to be a best friend. This is where they become a powerful intervention technique.

This next video shows the powerful journey a horse can take you on..the journey of self discovery. For many young ones this is the most important journey they will ever endure.
It also shows where horse have taken us and where they will continue to take us in future.

The program ran for approximately eight weeks and within this time the children not only learnt fundamental skills of grooming, saddling and riding a horse but they learn't to trust and to be at one with the horse.

Some fundamental skills of what the children learnt is demonstrated in this video. This gives an insight as to the expectations of the children when working with the horses and the information and techniques they were required to learn whilst participating in the program.

While participating in this program I saw children bloom! Children with anxiety were now bold and bright youngsters standing proudly beside their horse. For other children the strong bonds they formed with the horses led to them having a new friendship and helped them to learn to trust and develop their skills as a team.
This video looks at an equine therapy program in McAlister, USA. The children in this video have similar needs to those that I worked with on placement. This video also shows the changes seen in the children and the different interventions used to help the child's functional ability improve. As you will see in this video the children have formed bonds with the horses and how these horses bring a new light to therapy and intervention techniques.

         

There are some truly amazing stories that eventuate from equine therapy and on my placement I was privileged enough to be a part of these stories! Equine therapy is such a powerful tool and is continuing to grow as an intervention technique in many services around the world! It is a type of intervention that can cover so many areas and can help with so many individuals to overcome their boundaries. This next clip shares with us a story of a young boy with autism. The boys parents and many health professionals struggled to find effective interventions for him and were having trouble communicating with the young boy. Then came along Betty...

    

                                

This is just a small insight into the world of equine therapy but i hope it has given you a taste as to how great and how powerful this form of therapy is.

References:

YouTube. (2012). How to groom your horse. Retrieved on April 28, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHtyy0tAPpA

YouTube. (2012). Horses and psychology connection. Retrieved on April 28, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cwP7IEReLg

YouTube. (2012). Horseback riding is proving to be great therapy for special needs kids.

Retrieved on April 28, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY00fbnitQA

YouTube. (2012). Community association for riding for the disabled (CARD)

Retrieved on April 28, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtEjl34hLo

YouTube. (2012). Autism therapy on horseback, the horse boy, CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with Rupert Isaacson. Retrieved on April, 28, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7GHzselNmA&feature=related

Blogs of Interest

For the purpose of this tutorial task I have searched blogging sites to find blogs that are of interest to me as an Occupational Therapy student. Some of these that I have attached in my blog feed include OT specific blogs, a blog looking at children's activities and a blog about wii technology as an intervention and also a fellow student's blog.

This is an example of a blog i have had communication with:

Rachel McCoy Participation in Occupation 1

http://rachelmccoyparticipationinoccupation1.blogspot.co.nz/

This is an example of our communication:
Louise27 April 2012 20:45
Hi Rachel!
Interesting post! These sites appear to be good outreaches for people with depression. Whilst on fieldwork experience did you direct people to these communities after discharge or as part of intervention?
Thanks,
Louise

ReplyDelete
Rachel McCoy2 May 2012 18:29
Hi Louise,
I didn't have this particular experience myself but this would be definitley something that I would consider in a future mental health setting (especially with adolescents).
Thank you for your interest

Occupational Transition Movie

As part of one of our tutorial tasks, we are asked to construct a short film demonstrating an occupational concept. We choose the idea of occupational transition.

As humans we are constantly changing, developing and transiting through our life stages.This is known as occupational transition and can be further defined as "circumstances creating a change in the nature or type of engagement pursued by or available to an individual." (Christiansen & Townsend, 2011, p.421). Transitions happen throughout our lives whether it be moving house, going to school, starting a new job and many more.


As students, occupational transition has become a large part of our lives. We must learn to adapt to changes in study patterns, a new home away from home and transit into new responsibilities that come with this stage of life. As you will also see this transition has affected us in different ways as we are all individuals and experience transitions through life in different ways. So sit back and enjoy.


References:

Christiansen, C. H. & Townsend, E. A. (2011). Introduction to occupation: The art and science of living (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is becoming more prominent in today's society as the world evolves and changes and our need for technology to assist us in our daily lives increases.

Assistive technology is defined as “any item, piece of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (States Act, as cited in Cook & Hussey, 1995). I perceive Assistive Technology as any form of technology which has been adapted to help increase participation in activities. These may include wheelchairs, communication devices such as iPads, adaptive cutlery, walkers and the list goes on! 

Although there are many forms of Assistive Technology one particular item that I have become rather intrigued about is powered wheelchairs! During our recent Assistive Technology lecture with Dave Speden from Kimi Ora school, a school for children with high needs, in Wellington we were introduced to power chairs and given an insight into how important these are for children in particular.

It was incredible to see how much independence could be given by a piece of equipment and how there are so many gadgets that help aid this independence to give individuals the quality of life they deserve.

Power chairs...well where to begin! There are so many different types available each with modifications to best match the individuals needs.

They vary in sizes, drive types, control types, specialty control configurations and seating systems (Allied Medical, 2012). When considering looking into a powered wheelchair one must consider some of the following questions so the power chair best suits the individual and therefore allows them maximum independence. Some questions include

Allied Medical (2012) states that there are three main types of chairs available; rear wheel drive, mid wheel drive and front wheel drive. A rear wheel drive is a more traditional configuration with the drive wheels behind the backrest of the chair. This type of chair is commonly used with those who have unstable hand functioning and can sometimes be larger and have a larger turning circle (the space in which the chair needs to turn on itself in a complete circle). "A mid-wheel drive and a front-wheel drive have their drive wheels further forward, which allows the power chair to be extremely maneuverable and an ability to turn in a much smaller space than a rear-wheel-drive might require." 

As I said earlier there are so many options of what kind of power chairs you can get!
Check out this websites as examples of the large variety.
Allied Medical

This video is also another example of the range of power chairs available:

Chairs also come with many other gadgets such as blue-toothing capabilities, seating systems, special controllers and so much more!

And the cost you may ask? Well that varies depending on what kind of modifications the chair has and what form of drive it is. Also depending on availability of the chair prices may vary also.

These chairs are amazing in how they help individuals to accomplish their goals. Dave Speden (as mentioned above) spoke about how the use of this technology has aided children to explore, learn, discover and most importantly play which is so so important to children! It helps them to engage in both learning in school hours and outside of school and not only that but helps them to do daily activities.

Having the ability to be able to do this on their own is also so important and having independence at any stage in life is what we all want, need and strive for. 
Shown in this video below is a young girl accomplishing daily tasks independently and given her the freedom to be a child and learn and experience such important parts of life.

This equipment also relates to the term occupational performance, which is used commonly in the Occupational Therapy lingo. This term is defined as a person's ability to do everyday tasks such as working, playing, and relaxing. However for people who has a disability their occupational performance in some areas is restricted and limits them from participating fully in activities.

And this is where amazing technology, such as power chairs, comes in. This technology  breaks down these barriers and allow individuals to fully participate in activities which are of importance to them. It gives individuals independence and helps to eliminate stigma and enables individuals to live the lives they want to. How amazing is that!

Allied Medical. (2012). Power chairs. Retrieved on April 22, 2012 from http://www.alliedmedical.co.nz/medical/category.asp?id=8

Cook, A. M., & Hussey, S. M. (1995). Assistive technologies: Principles and practice. Missouri: Mosby.

Queensland Government. (2007). Occupational performance. Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/learning/disability/parentguide/glossary/index.html

YouTube. (2012). Etac balder junior power wheelchair ENG. Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbTuI_h39Bs 

YouTube. (2012). Invacare TDX electric wheelchair. Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_syLLTpu3kw 

Information Technology

Information Technology. It seems to be what our world and daily life amounts to and revolves around. It assists us, limits us, causes stress and frustration but with out it many things in today's society would not operate like usual . And so the saying goes we can't live it but we can't live without it. 

 
This blog will look more closely at the term information technology  and some of the ethical issues that arise when we use technology to transport our ideas.

According to Techterms (2012) Information Technology or IT as it is commonly known refers to "anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies."

Each individual will have their own interpretation of what IT is depending of their use and experience of it but to me I see Information technology as a broad term in which many subcategories can branch from and as technology develops and changes this term can only become even broader. Technology constantly comes into my daily life, whether it is accessing course work, social networking through the means of Facebook and other such like networks or for leisure; watching mindless and entertaining videos on youtube. Whatever it may be for and whether we agree with it or not, IT constantly seeps into our lives.

It is due to its convenient, functional and accessible nature that makes technology a very dominant part of our society. Society is slowly but surely becoming more reliant on technology for socialising, education, involvement and to move 'with the times'.

Facebook is one of the new developments information technology has to offer in the socialising department that has taken the world by storm. It has become almost socially unacceptable to not have joined at least some form on online social networking. It has become common practice for many individuals, namely myself, to pop on to 'the book' to catch up on an old friends new adventures or to check with mum what is making for tea. This form of technology slots into my daily life almost subconsciously and for many others this is also the case. It also become the worlds greatest form of distraction! Facebook engulfs you into its easily accessible and functional world and before you know it hours of precious study time are lost..whoops! 

Due to how easy Facebook has become to operate i feel competent in communicating and socialising on this network which is a very important part of my everyday life and what I would class as a  meaningful occupation. However change is something that not everyone accommodates to well, particularly myself, and in true technology style change is inevitable and happens rapidly. This change and the process it takes to get used to it sometimes limits my use of the network and how much i enjoy it.

Technology is becoming more common in Occupational Therapy practice and due to the practicalities it possess it is becoming more useful and relied on too. It is not only used to enhance a clients functional ability in many areas but also as a communication tool, educational tool and as an important tool in many other areas. 

Devices such like interactive video games such as the technology gaming device known as "Wii" can be used in many practices to improve an individuals functional ability. It can be useful to help with both motor and process skills (doing the move/ task and mentally preparing and processing the task) and also social skills with other clients or members of the community. The beauty in this form of technology is that the individual playing it and having fun doesn't always realise that they are improving their abilities, which for some clients can be a straining and tedious task. Wii is just one of the many different forms of technology which can be used to aid Occupational Therapists in their practice and I'm sure that with the growing increase in technology advances there will be plenty more to offer in future.

This video below demonstrates how this technology is already advancing and what is in store for it in future that will potentially help many Occupational Therapists in practice.

However, technology in practice does have some limitations and these include lack of resources and financial limitations in practice and also copy right, publication and also privacy concerns. These can influence not only the way in which technology is used but what type of technology is used in practice also.

An understanding of information technology is paramount to any practice in today's modern world. Many of our daily activities relay or are linked to technology such as work, education and communication and therefore we must grasp an understanding of how this technology operates and how individuals operate it in their daily lives.

References:

Techterms. (2012). IT. Retrieved on 16 April, 2012 from  http://www.techterms.com /definition/it

Youtube. (2012). Wii games may help children with cerebral palsy: Daytona beach child injury attorney. Retrieved on 16 April, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl7erAJFoIc