Occupational therapy - Research Paper Example

? Written assignment Occupational therapy, which is also known as OT, is a form of holistic health care job which aims at promoting health by enabling the individuals, particularly the sick patients, to perform meaningful as well as purposeful activities all throughout their lives. Stroke is a cerebravascular disorder that affects the central nervous system. The stroke victims need care not only in their physical activities but they are also bound in their psychological requirements. It is here that the occupational therapist can help the victim. Stroke Definition and Features Stroke is a disease which is preventable. Stroke is defined, as per the World Health Organization, to be a clinical syndrome consisting of “rapidly developing clinical signs of focal (at times global) disturbance of cerebral function, lasting for more than 24 hours leading to death with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin” (Stroke Diagnosis, 2008, p. 6). There are two primary forms of stroke which are ischemic and hemorrhagic ones (Durstine, 2008, p. 248). In an ischemic stroke the blood vessel gets blocked generally by a blood clot that results in a region of the brain to be deprived of oxygen and causing it to stop functioning. Ischemic strokes have resulted in 80% of all the known cases of strokes. A hemorrhagic stroke takes place if a blood vessel, which carries oxygen and other nutrients to the brain, bursts causing blood to spill into the brain. A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is a form of stroke attack which symptoms and signs get resolved within 24 hours (Stroke Diagnosis, 2008, p. 6). The diagnostic symptoms of stroke include numbness, physical weakness or paralysis, improper slurred speech, slightly blurred vision, severe headache and other symptoms. Limitations of Strokes Stroke attack leads to mainly limitations in the functionalities of its victim. These can be in the form of motor skills, cognitive deformities, sensory skills as well as emotional issues. Motor skill can include the inability of the stroke victim to move from one place to another (Post Stroke Disabilities, 2003). The memory and sensory levels of the victim are also impaired. These victims need continuous support and care from the people. The stroke victims face problems with their physical, cognitive and sensory skills (Davis, 2012). The physical impairments can be in the form of difficulty in standing straight, maintaining balance, co-ordination in their body movements, etc. Similarly, there are cognitive and sensory problems. The patients can lose their memory at any time of the day. These can affect their daily activities such as forgetting things in a place and having difficulty in recollecting it. The difficulty to stand straight makes them very vulnerable as they need constant support here. Problems arise in their communications too. The patients might not be able to convey their needs clearly because of speech impairments. Cognitive impairments can be in the form where the patient loses the sense of worth (Brooks, 2000). These factors can affect the occupational performances of the persons such as moving from one place to another, picking up things, bending down or forwards, raising hands and many other functions. The sensory and the cognitive impairments can make the victims become impatient and irritable. They might lose their patience on slight occasions and may even become stubborn sometimes. The patients may start feeling depressed and low because of their cognitive effects which can prompt the patient to become more reclusive in nature. These can affect their occupational performances as they lose their acceptability with other people because of the symptoms. Model and Frame of References That Can Be Used by OT Occupational therapists practice different theoretical frameworks for framing their practice. A few of them are: Models Person Environment Occupation Performance Model (PEOP) – This model highlights the complexities observed in the person-occupation-environment. It is important as it implies the occupational life of the person (Reed & Sanderson, 1999, p. 268). Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) – This model aims at person’s motivation and his surrounding that can impact the occupational life. It tries to integrate the physical and mental components of the patient with his environment (Finlay, 1999, p. 77). References Biomechanical Frame of Reference – Is used in treating stroke victims who face difficulties in their movements while doing their occupations. This can be in the form of lack in muscle strength, endurance etc. Cognitive-Behavioural Frame of Reference – This reference is used in treating the stroke patients who suffer acute mental disability (Creek and Lougher, 2008, p.51). OT Intervention for the Care of the Stroke Victims The Function of Occupational Therapists Research has shown that those victims who get occupational therapy interventions have lesser chances of deteriorating their health condition and can perform their daily functions in a normal manner (Sackley, 2006). Occupational therapy helps in improving the functions of daily life as seen after stroke (Law & MacDermid, 2007, p. 181). Occupational therapists also help in improving the ADL, or activities of daily living, of the stroke victims. It can help in reducing the cases of deaths such as by sudden accidents, as well as lessens the patient’s dependency on daily activities such as while bathing or changing clothes. They can also help the victims in their leisure activities. Occupational therapists can also help in handling spasticity by splinting, improving posture and positioning, and work on the patient’s cognitive as well as perceptual ability, whether the patient would require a wheelchair and other assistive devices or home adaptations (Stroke Recovery, 2011). The occupational therapists can make use of the models and references in assessing both the physical and mental stability of the stroke victims. Occupational therapists can help in treating stroke victim by integrating components such as occupational performance, occupational roles, etc. (Edmans, 2011). The OT can help the stroke victims in improving their body movements and co-ordination by taking the patient for a walk. The OT can also include some physical exercises to improve the flexibility of the muscles in the feet and hands. He can help the patient in improving body movements such as lifting the hands, turning around, moving back and forth, etc. The OT can help the patient in maintaining his balance and body posture. The home decor may be altered by them to suit the patients. The OT can include cognitive evaluation in his intervention program such as memory loss, sensation etc. He can also assess the motor reflexes such as apraxia that stops functioning properly in these patients. The OT can include memory boosting programs in his therapy to improve the memory power of the victims. Occupational therapists can contribute to improving the self-awareness and the levels of self-interest in the stroke victim. It can be integrated with the other stroke treatments, too (Stein & Cutler, 2002, p.129). They can include speech repairment therapy to improve the speech problems of the stroke patients. Conclusion Operational therapists can help in regaining the confidence levels in individuals suffering from stroke attacks. These victims suffer from many physical and mental ailments. The recovery process after a stroke had been referred to be a demanding journey where the stroke survivor has to move through different phases. With proper intervention programs, the OT can help these patients in a proper manner. References Brooks, G. (2000). Cognitive Impairment and cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury. Retrieved from http://www.northeastcenter.com/information-bulletin-cognitive-impairment-and-cognitive-rehabilitation-after-traumatic-brain-injury.htm. Creek, J., & Lougher, L. (2008). Occupational therapy and mental health. Elsevier Health Sciences. Durstine, J. L. (2008). Pollock's textbook of cardiovascular disease and rehabilitation. Human Kinetics. Davis, J. (2012). One-side neglect: Improving awareness to speed recovery. Retrieved from http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/RegainingIndependence/EmotionalBehavioralChallenges/One-side-Neglect-Improving-Awareness-to-Speed-Recovery_UCM_309735_Article.jsp. Edmans, J. (2011). Occupational therapy and stroke. John Wiley & Sons. Finlay, L. (1999). Applying phenomenology in research: Problems, principles and practice. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(7), 299–306. Law, M. C., & MacDermid, J. (2007). Evidence-based rehabilitation: A guide to practice. Slack Incorporated. Post Stroke disabilities. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.neuroaid.com/en/blog/category/post-stroke-disabilities/. Reed, K., & Sanderson, S. (1999). Concepts of occupational therapy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Stroke recovery. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cot.co.uk/ot-helps-your-client/stroke-recovery. Stroke diagnosis and initial management of acute stroke and transient ischaemic attack. (2008). Retrieved from http://guidelines.gov/content.aspx?id=14328. Stein, F., & Cutler, S. K. (2002). Psychosocial occupational therapy: A holistic approach. stroke diagnosis and initial management of acute stroke and transient ischaemic attack. Retrieved from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG68NICEGuideline.pdf. Sackley, C. (2006). Cluster randomized pilot controlled trial of an occupational therapyintervention for residents with stroke in UK care homes. Stroke, 37, 2336–2341. Retrieved from http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/37/9/2336.full. Read More