I can't believe it's already been a month since Wes and I were snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns and visiting some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Atherton Tablelands. Everyone knows what it's like when you get back from vacation; an unwelcome snap back into reality. We had to jump right into our first fieldwork placements, which was exciting but also very nerve-wracking. I was extremely lucky to be placed at Westmead Hospital about a half hour from our apartment, but Wes wasn't so lucky. He had to travel two and a half hours up to Newcastle, and unfortunately the school didn't cover or at least contribute to any of the cost for staying at a hostel for two weeks. He had a really good experience though and learned more during those two weeks than he did during the entire first semester of school. I can also say the same, and neither of us wanted to start second semester at the end of our placements. My supervisor was
super nice and ridiculously helpful with teaching me everything she could in the two weeks. I was doing community-based rehab for the elderly as part of a transitional care program and I absolutely loved it. The majority of my experiences were visiting the homes of people who had recently been discharged from the hospital after partially recovering from a stroke, a fall and/or a broken bone. The purpose of the home visits was to make sure the elderly could independently cope with being back in their houses, whether it be alone or with their spouses/family. Many people needed some assistive equipment to be able to shower themselves safely, to regain the ability to cook or just to simply mobilise around their homes. You would not believe the innovation behind some of these inventions, it was actually mind-blowing to see how many cool devices were in the supply stores. Some people also needed minor home modifications to be done, such as adding railings for going up/down stairs or for getting in/out of the shower. I was shocked to see how slight changes can make such drastic improvements in people's functional ability. I also saw major modifications being done, like bathrooms being entirely renovated, staircases being fully rebuilt or ramps being created for walker and/or wheelchair accessibility. This is where the creative side of Occupational Therapy comes into play, and I really enjoyed seeing how much freedom we have for designing the mods. I actually had the opportunity to take all of the measurements and draw up a set of modifications for a client that we'd visited. I was also able to write up numerous reports of various visits with clients, which were all submitted to their files. I felt so accomplished that my work was actually used!
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| Before and after shots of modifications |
Another part of my fieldwork experience was taking people on community visits, simply to see how they would function outside of their homes. Generally, elderly people don't go many places other than the grocery store, the mall, the doctor and maybe a community centre. They tend to stick to the places that are nearby or that they've been going to for many years, so they can navigate around very well unless they've had some brain damage. The main thing that OTs look for when doing a community access is how well the person does what they need to do. I know this seems very broad, but it's really important to see how independent the person is overall. Can they find the train/bus station and get on/off at the right stop? Can they get in/out of the car? Can they find the entrance from the parking lot? Can they mobilise safely to get around? Can they reach things on higher shelves? Can they push a cart or carry a basket as it gets heavier? Can they manage their money? Do they have the stamina to complete the task? Can they find a seat if they need to rest? And so on, and so on. I never realised how many different aspects are involved in the daily activities that we find so routine. I also never realised how MANY things get more difficult as you get older. The most important thing that I learned is that I never want to age!
It was really interesting to hear about all of the other students' experiences when we had a debriefing in the first week back to school. We were all grouped together based on what type of fieldwork we had, and I can't wait to find out what area my next placement will be in. I definitely like the community work, but I also find the TBI (traumatic brain injury) patients really interesting (probably because of my psychology background). It was really eye-opening to see how all of the things we learned during first semester play a part in the OT process. And I'm excited to see how the courses we've started this semester will contribute to our second fieldwork placements in a few months! Compared to how I felt when I first started this masters program, I can now confidently say that I'm loving what I'm doing!
Here's a few links to some great videos about OTs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1cHKY7Fqdw (a good rap for the guys)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgb1TVGpjg8 (a spin to Lorde's 'Royals')
