My OT journey

To restore a client's confidence in mobility it is important to educate the client on the steps it takes to reach that goal. As a therapist it is also important to talk with the client about their values, goals, and needs to adequately help the client. The hierarchy of mobility skills is as follows: bed mobility --> mat transfer --> wheelchair transfer --> bed transfer --> functional ambulation for ADL --> toilet and tub transfer --> car transfer --> functional ambulation for community mobility --> community mobility and driving. This order is what I expected because it begins with the most basic one to accomplish and understand and then it works it's way up. For example, the milestones for an infant isn't to walk right away instead it would be to grasp.  As a therapist it is important to keep in mind that a body is easier to move when: the center of gravity is moving and the base of support is small . You can think of the hierarchy of mobility as...

There are many reasons as to why it's important that a client's assistive device is individually and appropriately fitted for them. One of the reasons is to ensure the safety, stability, and mobility of the client. For example, in order for a client to have a standard walker they must have fair balance and somewhat good upper extremity strength in order to life the walker with each step. In addition, there must also be good cognition to know and understand when to lift the walker. Another important reason is to prevent injury to the client. For example, when appropriately fitting standard crutches to a client it is important to measure 5cm below the axilla region. Failure to do so will result in injury to the brachial plexus.  When choosing the appropriate cane  to a client you must first select which cane is most suitable for them. There are two types of canes - a standard cane (one point of contact) or a quad cane (four points of contact, additional stability). Then the h...