Comments and references (extra posting)

Bakhru, H. (2007). A handbook of natural beauty. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House.

Deloria, W. (2009). Coach without a whistle. United States of America: Cornerstone Bible Publishers.

Jonas, S., & Phillips, E. (2009). ACSM’s exercise is medicine: a clinicians guide to exercise prescription. Philadelphia: American College of Sports Medicine.

Lluch, A. (2007). I will get fit this time!:workout journal. San Diego: WS Publishing Group.

Siegel, R. (2010). The mindfulness solution: everyday practices for everyday problems. New York: The Guildford Press.

Stables, G. (2006). Health and beauty the natural way. New Jersey: Home Farm Books.

Practical Considerations Blog 6/6

"Don't downplay the importance of a gyms hours and amenities. If the place is closed at the times you can work out, or if the locker rooms make you queasy because they smell bad, you're not likely to benefit from the membership" (Lluch, 2007, p.101).

A gym membership. This is what I need to begin with in order to partake in my activity. As Lluch (2007) says the importance of the hours and amenities considerably change the value of the membership. My gym is 24/7 which is awesome because……

I was walking home from town last year and I vividly remember walking past my gym at 3am. I had lots of energy and was so keen to let loose on the treadmill. I went home, jumped into my gear and went back down to the gym. Not a person in sight. Just me and the treadmill.

Back to reality. I look down at my shoes and they’re falling apart on me. I put my hand into the compartment of the treadmill, searching for my towel, I forgot it today. I look down at my brand spanking new training pants which my boyfriend got for my birthday….there is something awesome about new training gear. I must admit, on a student’s budget, going to the gym is a luxury, one of which I couldn’t give up now. These are the practical considerations I need to evaluate before being effective in my activity.

I have recently talked about the bathrooms at my gym, with the mountain of smells. The only downfall is that there are only two bathrooms. Both of which are always taken. So I take my sweaty body home, jump into the shower and freshen up. It doesn’t matter anyway, I left my towel at home, remember!


Lluch, A. (2007). I will get fit this time! : workout journal. San Diego: WS Publishing Group.

Ambience Blog 5/6

“From the music I played and the pictures I displayed to the arrangement of my equipment and the display of supplements and clothing… it had to create a warm and friendly ambience” (Deloriea, 2009, p. 140). This quote clearly depicts the way a gym presents itself in terms of how it feels and what the gym member can see and feel when entering the gym. This quote comes from a personal account from a gym owner.

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Remember how I told you about the damp smell of sweat and the loud music that approached me as I made a haste exit from the changing room? This is ambience. This is what I see, hear, feel when I go to the gym. It is the overall feeling of a place. I go to the gym twice today, both having very different feelings of ambience. In the morning, the air is crisp outside and inside the gym is just as crisp, air-conditioning running full and about 20 bodies floating around the place all on their individual gym routines. They all seem fresh, full of energy and relatively happy. It makes me feel something similar and makes me motivated to keep going and working towards my goals. As I walk up the treadmill, the cleaner comes over and cleans the treadmill next to me. I often think to myself about her job while I am there and how often she cleans and if she likes her job. Having clean equipment adds to the positive ambiance of the place. Off to tech I go.

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Went to the gym after tech. Afternoon, peak hour and sweat dripping faces, panting mouths and slamming of machines. I think I prefer the morning. Everyone seems too focused, too strict. There are posies of males gathered to check out each other’s muscles and the ladies who have just endured an 8 hour shift release some stress. I can almost feel the tension in the air. Ambiance. The overall feel and atmosphere of a place.

Deloria, W. (2009). Coach without a whistle. United States of America: Cornerstone Bible Publishers.

Affordances - Physical (extra posting)

It is clear that there are physical affords attached to exercise and if there wasn’t you clearly aren’t doing it right! When doing an activity analysis of exercise there are many performance skills that one naturally displays.

Today I set the bar higher for myself, I hop on the treadmill as per usual and begin to climb at 15% incline – which actually means 100% because ‘the makeshift hill’ doesn’t get any higher than this! I set the speed at around 6.0 and march my way until my breathing gets heavier. I endure and up the anti - so to speak. That word…’endurance’ is absolutely the biggest consideration I take when exercising on the treadmill and today it really is an endurance race. I have forty minutes to make something of this workout but it is the last 10 minutes, or the last 200 calories that is the hardest, that’s when my inner endurance kicks in and pushes me harder. This is when I take the speed to 7.3, 7.4…..8.2. I am now running up a ‘steep hill’.

Speed. Monitored only by me, for me…and today is a day for speed. This speed depends on my fitness, of course and since I began training like I do I have increased my fitness. When looking at physical affordances Butler (2011) poses the question ‘What is the capacity for strength, fitness, endurance, skill, flexibility, speed, height, balance?’ (p.2). It is evident that especially in my experience there is capacity for strength, fitness & endurance specifically and it can be agreed to some degree that skill is necessary to partake to the level I do. It is not until you evaluate your own capacity that you realise how important these physical affordances are.

Butler, M. (2011). Affordances (cont). Unpublished, cited with the permission of the author. Otago Polytechnic School of Occupational Therapy, Dunedin.

Affordances - Aesthetics Blog 4/6

I must remember I’m my biggest critic in the progress I am making at the gym, but what do I see when I look in this mirror? I see muscles in my legs and a flattened stomach. I see a bright red face with sweat beneath my eyes, dripping down my forehead, onto my neck and chest. To me this is absolute proof that there is some beauty attached to exercising.

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I head to the gym again this morning and I am welcomed with a damp sweat smell, although really unwelcoming, it actually reminds me I am here to work. I walk into the bathroom. I am hit with a mountain of smells, shampoos, toilet sprays, perfumes and damp sweat. I feel overwhelmingly sick and need to get out of there. As soon as I walk out, I am greeted with one of my favourite songs blearing on the speakers – it seems the music is louder than usual today which motivates me to walk faster to the piece of equipment I want. Perfection – aspirations – a valid aspect of the aesthetics of exercising. I agree, sometimes this can be taken to the extreme, but in my case, perfection will be achieving my greatest goal: Bikini by Summer. Some may say this is artificial or self-absorbed, but for someone who has never felt comfortable with doing so, I completely disagree.

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“Beauty and health go hand in hand. The finest cosmetics in the world cannot disguise the effects of poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and exercise or too much stress. Beauty comes from within.” (Bakhru, 2007, p. 134). If I consider beauty in this context, the type of beauty that is associated with going to the gym is purely selfish and can be seen as vanity. I agree with this to some extent as it is very much a very personal journey but there are elements to exercising and shaping an individual’s body that is aesthetically pleasing, to say the least.

Bakhru, H. (2007). A handbook of natural beauty. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House.

Affordances - Spirituality Blog 3/6

There are three main affordances that I have mindfully constructed around this activity I do. These include spirituality, aesthetics and physical affordances. These will be discussed over the next three blogs.

Spirituality. "Recreation must not be neglected. You well know the power for good and evil the mind has over the body" (Stables, 2006, p. 18). There is room to feel connected with the universe through exercise, and especially be connected with your internal spirituality. This quote by Gordon Stables (2006) depicts this well. Exercise for me is about connecting the mind and the body.

The bead of sweat I talked about? It was the beginning of many that day. The only reason there were so many was as a result of the communication going on inside my head. "Keep going, earn your break!" and with that I was able to break the barrier and keep going. There is always a constant battle of voices going on in my head when it comes to doing cardio. Sometimes I think to myself if all this effort is worth it. However, I remind myself by going to the gym and achieving my goals it gives me a resound sense of meaning. It reminds me to be at peace with myself, and denote all the stress that is happening in my life. Exercise can also be a celebratory event for me, especially when I achieve something I didn’t think I could. This is a valid measure of my internal spirituality.

I had initially thought that spirituality had to be something religious but when you take the inspiration and motivation one receives from partaking in exercise, it is evident that exercise becomes part of the person. The activity gifts the person a sense of meaning, it gifts them the ability to be at peace with not only themselves, but the world around them. I consider myself very spiritual.

Stables, G. (2006). Health and beauty the natural way. New Jersey: Home Farm Books.

Ergonomics and Exercise - Blog 2/6

Ergonomics and exercise….the correct way to walk on the treadmill, sit on the bike, or pull those weights? No.

I sit down to write this entry and the pain in my legs is a reminder of how hard the gym session was this afternoon. I remember that I must stick to this routine and this pain won't last forever but the results will be beneficial. I am ordered by my trainer - "Lucy, stick with this and you will achieve", I hear him say. It’s these changes and this communication that ensures the exercise I do work for the intended purpose – to change.

“When exercising outdoors, the type of surface that you choose to exercise on can impact both her enjoyment and her chance of injury….parks often provide exercisers with dirt or grass paths on which to walk or run…many physical activities can easily be done at home. Some examples include using a stationary bike or treadmill, doing yoga or aerobics” (Jonas & Phillips, 2009, p.117).

The way I make changes and meet my needs as an individual depends on how hard I work at my occupation – exercise. I need to make the exercise I do fit me, fit my goals and fit my needs. In saying this, the environment must be well suited to what I do. I look down at the treadmill racing under my feet, almost faster than my feet can hold up. This is where I chose to do my activity. I could choose to do it outside on the pavement, or walk around a mall a few times in order to get exercise. I think about why I choose the gym. I choose it for the routine; a place to go to that I know will not be affected by the weather. It is raining today and I am glad I am inside, warm, on the treadmill.

Jonas, S., & Phillips, E. (2009). ACSM’s exercise is medicine: a clinicians guide to exercise prescription. Philadelphia: American College of Sports Medicine.

And so it begins...Blog 1/6

I thought to myself about 2 weeks ago that I really wanted to hit this semester with a bang - - - -and a whole new outlook on my attitude towards motivation, my body and in turn, EXERCISE!

I walk briskly on the treadmill today and I think back to four years ago where I was sporadic in my approach to exercise and remember that throughout high school I didn't attend a gym but I did play netball, although I was never really good.

I focus my thoughts on why I am making this change. I remember I want to focus more during my day, increase fitness and (hopefully) lose a couple of kg here or there. As I push and pull on the cross trainer I feel the stress falling off my shoulders and my energy increasing and I have to remind myself that I will be thankful for all this hard work later.

I strongly believe in the benefits of exercise and can pass these onto future clients. It is inspirational and motivating. I believe it gives me amazing structure to my day and as a result I am able to focus better while studying. Finally, I get to create goals to aim for.

“It’s like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, bicycling instead of driving. Practicing mindfulness in this way means noticing the sensations of walking when we walk, noticing the taste of our food when we eat, and noticing the clouds and the trees as we pass them” (Siegel, 2010, p. 43).

What will hinder me in doing this activity mindfully?
My energy is now fading on the treadmill and I really need to push myself in the right direction. I think about the appointment I have tomorrow afternoon which means I won’t be able to go to the gym when I wanted. Perhaps I will go for a run in the morning, hopefully the weather will hold out.

Siegel, R. (2010). The mindfulness solution: everyday practices for everyday problems. New York: The Guildford Press.

Tutorial Eight - Assistive Technology

What is assistive technology?

"Assistive Technology Products can enable people with disabilities to accomplish daily living tasks, assist them in communication, education, work or recreation activities, in essence, help them achieve greater independence and enhance their quality of life." (RehabTool LLC, 2004).

Above I have highlighted the key points in assistive technology. It is to enable individuals to accomplish and assist them with aspects of living to help achieve a greater independence and provide a better quality of life.

There are many variables for assitive technology and these include

Assistive/Rehabilitation or Educational Technologies - those which assist the individual in their daily activities vs technology that is used as a tool for rehabilitation or remediation.

Low to high technology - easy to make and easy to obtain vs difficult to make and difficult to obtain.

Hard and soft technologies - Readily available contents that can be purchased and assembled into assistive technologies vs human areas of decision making, strategies, training, concept formation etc.

Appliances versus tools - providing benefits to the individuals skill basis vs require skills for use.

Minimal to maximal technology - augment rather than replace function vs significant abilities needed to use technology.

General versus specific technologies - used in many different applications vs used in specific applications.

Commercial to custom technologies - Standard for general population vs Special for disabled population.

Data from: Odor (1984), Rizer, Ourand, Rein (1990), Smith (1991), Vanderheiden (1987).

But what does this all mean?
It means that there are SO many types of assistive technology out there, some that you would never believe and some that can be made by you, me or your neighbour just by implementing an idea.

Here is a video shown on Youtube about assistive technology:



It explains what assistive technology is and where it is used. Have a squizz!

Tutorial Eight
Focuses on a piece of assistive equipment introduced in class. There was a whole range of equipment shown by Star Mobility and Disability Centre Hamilton. A lot of them were for assistive devices within the class room, ranging from key boards to mouses to timers and voice recording prompters. I have chosen to focus on something that wasn't shown in class. I think it is an amazing piece of equipment that can be adapted depending on the setting. I have chosen to focus on the Dragon NaturallySpeaking within a spinal cord injury setting.

The Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a piece of software installed on the computer, used with a headset, designed with speech recognition enabling an individual to interact with the computer just by using their voice. This is particularly appropriate in a spinal cord injury setting where individuals experience limited rang of motion in their hands and are unable to use a standard keyboard.

It allows the individual to access Word processing documents, the Internet, check their emails, interact with family and friends even faster than someone without a disability.

Each client with spinal cord injury goes through their own variation of progress; therefore the degree of independence will be diverse amongst clients (Blackwell et al, 2001).

Dependant on the spinal cord level many muscle groups and primary movements can be affected (Atchison & Dirette, 2007).

Rankin (2010) explains that using a standard keyboard after the injury is no longer possible due to the paralysis and restriction of movement.

Rankin (2010, p.13) also says "when an individual is in hospital for months, the ability to communicate with friends and family back home and to keep in contact with the outside world, is invaluable."

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium (the latest, and the most appropriate) is priced around $280NZD with the exchange rate and a third party headset can be purchased from any good store such as Noel Leemings or Dicksmith for around $50.00.

Don Oliver was diagnosed with MS 40 years ago. Here is his story and journey with Dragon NaturallySpeaking

What an amazing application for Don, and others in a wheelchair with limited function.

Check out the tutorial below...

As you can see, someone with limited range of motion would thrive on using this in their daily lives, which is why I think it is an amazing assistive device for those with Spinal Cord Injuries and many more!

That wraps up the last post for Participation in Occupation One. I hope you have enjoyed reading it along with all the added extras.

:) Lucy

Reference List:

Atchison, B., & Dirette, D. (2007). Condition in occupational therapy: effect on occupational performance (3^rd e.d.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Odor (1984), Rizer, Ourand, Rein (1990), Smith (1991), Vanderheiden (1987) as cited in Hussey & Cook. (1995). Assistive Technologies: Principles and practice. Missouri: Mosby Year Book.

RehabTool LLC. (2004). What's assistive technology? Retrieved from: http://www.rehabtool.com/at.html

Rankin, A. (2010). Using assistive technology to help people with spinal injuries. (No report number). Stanmore: Mark Allen Publishing Ltd.

Wii-therapy with the aged

I stumbled across this amazing video in how Wii can cater to everyone, no matter what the age. It gave me goosebumps to see the smiles on the elderly faces. Have a watch!

Wii-therapy

I decided to provide an extra insight into Wii-therapy as a side note on this technology blog.

Wii-therapy is also known as Wiihab - an uptake on Rehab.
I take an interest in Wii-therapy, having seen it work in my Mental Health placement. The video below shows Wii-therapy used in physical rehabilitation by Occupational Therapists.


Firstly, a short video of Wii-therapy in Detroit.

Tutorial Seven: Linking to blogs of interest and exchanging comments

I have added a wee list of both my favourite websites and some OT related websites that you can now see down the left hand side of the blog.

Also, in this tutorial I learnt how to comment on others blogs and linked to some of my classmates blogs, finding some really interesting comments and photos.
I commented on Jess's blog and her movie that she made. I found that orange haired girl who played the lead role in the movie was really amazing! ;) ;) ;) (Guess who!).

I have had a number of people comment on my blog including the lecturer and two classmates. These are comments on progress and interest.

Who has commented on my blog?!



I have used the snipping tool to show that a collegue of mine has commented on my blog.. and she said I'd make a great paediatric therapist - how nice of her!


Bye for now!

Lucy

Tutorial Six: The internet and online communities

I have chosen to focus my interest drawn from field work around schizophrenia - a mental illness. The focus of this post is around online communities available that relate to this topic.

The three online communities I have chosen are as follows:

http://www.eppic.org.au - for information on different types of psychosis-spectrum disorders, phases of assessment, treatment, and recovery

www.mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=7 - The Mental Help Net website exists to promote mental health and wellness education and advocacy. It includes comprehensive information on schizophrenia and related disorders.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/discussions.htm - This website is more of a forum styled community where people with schizophrenia, and those without can gain information on their illness.

(Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, 2011).

The first website focuses on adolescent mental health and early intervention. There are webinars (web seminars) that members of the website can watch and attend. There is also a forum for people to add to. There are links to contact the company and if someone is in need of help now they are able to tell you where to seek this help. The information on this website is primarly one way and informational, however there is reason to add and contribute to discussions. It provides sound links to outside agencies and articles around psychosis. An excerpt of the information discussed is as follows:

Substance Use
Because the age of onset for most people with a psychosis is in the late adolescent early adulthood years, all types of substance use needs to be assessed and addressed. Substance use is a problem for a young person if they experience frequent cycles of intoxication, withdrawal, and craving, leading to relapse into further intoxication.

Steps to assess for substance use: what to discuss with the client

•Quantify substance use
•Patterns of use
•Diagnostic criteria for dependence or abuse
•Impact of use: social, vocational, physical, financial, psychological
•Risk of injury (impulse control problems, reckless behaviour, careless accidents, driving, using machinery, appetite changes)
•Method of use
•Safety of method of use
•Withdrawal symptoms
•Cravings
•Family history of substance use
•Polysubstance

Assessment Tips

•Be conversant with the lingo. When in doubt ask!
•Normalise drug use (expect that the client uses substances)
•Avoid judgemental overtones
•Look out for yea-saying, gain-saying and acquiescence
•Look for physical signs of substance use

(Orygen Youth Health, n.d)
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The second website focuses on latest news, videos, blogs, weblogs, links, book reviews and questions and answers regarding schizophrenia. It is a fairly interactive website but the layout could be more professional. Members are encouraged to give their opinion and share their stories when they like. I would assume this is a good website, both informative and interactive.
This website has links to other blogs and I have taken an excerpt from one:.....

Amber's brother, Josh, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006. Amber feels that those who are affected by schizophrenia or another mental disorder should be commended for their bravery, not judged. The blog (which includes a link to her art exhibit created titled Gaining Insight: An Examination of the Relationship between Schizophrenia and Stigma) is a place where Amber shares her thoughts and feelings about her brother's struggles, as well as updates on her own life and how she wants to work to educate others about mental illness.

"Monday, February 14, 2011
MENTAL HEALTH AND PRISON:
TWO SYSTEMS WITH SO MANY CRACKS
After reading a few insightful articles (posted by fellow advocate-Bob) I had this nagging feeling to delve into a very complex topic: the rise of mentally ill inmates in prison. In fact, this statistic has quadrupled in the past 6 years alone. Some chilling facts:


• 70% of jail inmates with mental illness are there for NONVIOLENT offenses.
• More than 16% of jail inmates have mental illness (at the end of 2000, nearly 1 million individuals with mental illness were in the criminal justice system).


To learn more about the facts above, check out this link. What's even more shocking is how many inmates are not receiving proper treatment for the severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. I will use an empathetic example to put this into perspective. Imagine a loved one who has or had a very serious illness (of any kind). Now imagine if your loved one was forced into a cell with no chance of treatment. This would further intensify the illness and at times lead to death."

(Gaining Insight, 2011)

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The final website focuses on a place where those with the same illness can come and discuss on old and new forums. There are thousands of threads on this website and cover areas such as Schizophrenia News, medications, social treatments, humour area, poetry, work and school related discussions, parent and cargiver discussions to name a few. Each person on the forum has a photo (if they choose) so anonymity isn't exactly covered. The discussions are very interesting once you get reading. One girl asks "Do you ever feel like everyone is plotting against you?" - - many many many replies on people agreeing and how they cope with this feeling. The sad thing about this website is that people are discussing different ways to kill themselves which is never ever a positive thing you want to see on a support community website. I would post an excerpt of that but it is slightly inappropriate for this, it still hurts me though. Such a hard world we live in.

One patron says - "The government sometimes bugs phones and installs spy cameras in peoples houses. They also sometimes engage in mind control. Currently they are working through the Department of Work and Pensions to make mentally ill people commit suicide through harassing and stalking them. I would be careful if I were you." (Leon, 2011).

The delusions around the government bugging phones and installing spy cameras in peoples houses can be viewed on a few posts on the website by the same person. Schizophrenia.

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It brings forth the question. What is a 'community'? An online community at that.

Wikipedia describes online communities as

"An online community is a virtual community that exists online whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual." Wikipedia (2011).

What is it that this community is seeking? Is it a sense of belonging perhaps? These support groups are not necessarily support groups and this can be seen in the content available online.

Which brings me to my next point. Is this information ethical?

David Weisbrot, president of the Australia Law Reform Commission, which has been investigating online privacy, comments, “Laws designed to protect privacy in the outside world struggle to cope with the issues raised by online communities. For example, online publication of photo-graphs, which may be sensitive and revealing, raises new challenges in relation to consent....when we interact with others online, we have no real way of knowing whether they are white or black, male or female, fat or thin, young or old. Will this disembodied quality of the online world lead to greater fairness, or will we lose the ability to engage concretely with others, and therefore truly overcome differences?" (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2010, p.1)


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So, what benefits do these types of communities have for tradition society?

While being largely informational there is also the benefit of reflecting real life communities, but through the internet. Sometimes it is easier for an individual to discuss information through the computer, rather than discussing it face to face in a group, especially with the stigma attached to mental health. The internet has grown so much that these types of communities can help to provide connections over distances instantly and to be able to connect with people with the same views or concerns is beneficial. These support communities are at no cost to the individual(Sunderland, 2011).

But what do these communities lack?

The use of these communities depends on those who have access and those that do may misuse it or have a delusional reliance on it. This is particularly important to note for those with mental health issues as they can often feed on these sources as a form of solid information, especially within the forum websites, which in turn questions the validity of the information shared.

"Although not generally as connective as real world communities and relationships, online communities have a great deal to offer. They can, if used constructively, provide information, support, entertainment and identity as a supplement to our everyday lives." (Sunderland, 2011)


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Reference List:

Gaining Insight. (2011). Mental health and prison: two systems with so many cracks. Retrieved 20 April from: http://gaining-insight.blogspot.com/.

Leon (2011). Thread reply. Retrieved on 20 April from: http://www.schizophrenia.com:8080/jiveforums/thread.jspa?threadID=44209&tstart=75.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. (2010). Retrieved on 20 April from: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/social-networking.html.

Mental health foundation of New Zealand (2011). Support communities. Retrieved on 20 April from: http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/resourcefinder/listings/resource/73/support-groups/.

Orygen Youth Health. (2011). Early psychosis prevention and intevention centre. Retrieved on 20 April from: http://www.eppic.org.au/.

Sunderland (2011). Benefits.. Retrieved on 21 April from: http://moodle.op.ac.nz/mod/resource/view.php?r=45796&frameset=ims&page=3.

Sunderland (2011). Conclusion.. Retrieved on 21 April from: http://moodle.op.ac.nz/mod/resource/view.php?r=45796&frameset=ims&page=3

Wikipedia (2011). Online community. Retrieved on 21 April from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_community.

SENSORY INTEGRATION: Good for sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, proprioception, memory and various organization issues.

Paediatrics Occupational Therapy. This is where I am heading - hopefully!

Schizophrenia Simulations

Children with Autism - amazing field to get into

Virtual Hallucinations

Tutorial Five - Video Production Session (2)

Youtube - FAMOUS with a HUGE online community. Infact, the statistics show that Youtube has had more than 13 million hours of video uploaded during 2010 and 35 hours of videos are uploaded EVERY MINUTE! That is HUGE!

It is amazing to think that 70% of the traffic on Youtube comes from outside the US, with 700 million playbacks during 2010. Those are some huge statistics. See more at: www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics.

From this, over 4 million users are connected and auto-sharing with at least one other social network. For example, I might 'like' something on Youtube and automatically it links to my Facebook page where all my friends can then go into the link and watch it at their leisure.

Founded in 2005, Five years later, youtube rentals are launched, and youtube exceeds 2 billions views a day. WOW.

So, a topic of interest from my fieldwork that could be shown on youtube? Let me see... Keep an eye on this for some interesting videos on schizophrenia and other mental health issues.. I will also look at the autism and sensory moduation in paediatrics which is something I think I want to get into in the future.

Reference list:

Youtube. (2011). Statistics. Retrieved on March 22 from: www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics.

Tutorial Four - Video Production Session

And what an awesome movie it was!

We were given the brief to make it from a 'letter of the alphabet'.. Initially we thought it would be a fantastic idea to take a "still" of every letter of the alphabet BUT O & T (for OT - Occupational Therapy).... buuuuut our awesome camera-lass missed out an F, and put in the T. And it didn't exactly constitute an intriguing video... so we opted to change it in the next session.

We thought HORROR. We thought DAYLIGHT HORROR. We filmed DAYLIGHT EXAGGERATED HORROR.

A furry faced monster lurks in the trees by the OT block, chasing a flaming ginger haired lass into the bush before leaving this lass lying behind red caution tape, with the letter M next to her as a form of condolence. M for Murder.

Hilarious to make, not so hilarious to cut and turn 3 minutes into 30seconds however. Moviemaker was the choice of editing tool ...The outcome is just outstanding though.... take a look a few posts below!

-- Lucy

Tutorial Three - Blog Creation

This tutorial was basically set around creating this beautiful blog that I have done! I chose the background as it truly depicts a specific aspect of technology, and one that I love and follow in my every day life - photography!

The colour scheme is also tailored to my needs and wants as my favourite colour is green.

The blog title is a bit tongue and cheek, using the @ and ! keys as a substitute for a's and i's. How technological of me!

I already had a blog profile set up and a photo set of when I had long brown hair! Times have changed! But it will do, I think.

This tutorial I also added photos from Flikr which can be seen on the right hand side of my blog - some interesting smiles in that bunch!

Off to Tutorial Four!

-- Lucy

Murder Mystery!

Tutorial Two: Digital Imaging: Second Part!

“A new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature”

I don't know whether I agree to this quote and it is definitely open to interpretation and open to discussion probably between generations, I would think. I am of Generation Y. I come from a generation where we are surrounded so much by technology that it becomes a part of every day life, we can't escape it. Our cellphones are glued to our hands, laptops can fit into our pockets if we like and information is accessible at a click of a mouse. We are forever being topped up with new technology that is, in my opinion, better than the last. I must admit, I don't have the newest technology and SOME new technology has little benefits to the standard person, but I do think it is always going to better, always going to be superior and have new and exciting features to make us linked to the world around us. It is inevitable. So no, I don't think that new technology is less superior to its older counterparts. I just think it hasn't been given the time to be explored.

Now, we move onto the ethical issues raised with digital imaging. There are so many different social networking sites out there that share photos and digital images that its hard to keep track of them all. So what ethical issues are raised with imaging?

• Privacy: While there are privacy tools or options you can chose on social networking sites, such as, Facebook, these are often not set to meet the individuals needs. Privacy is a huge issue especially when it comes to imaging. It has been said that an employer has full right to go into social networking sites and look at the profiles of potential employees, so it makes you think about what content you do have on these sites and what should be limiting to impress a potential employer. There is little privacy to the wider community if you allow it. Also, in regards to this when images of children are put up privacy for this child could be breached.
• Ownership: There are so many 'fashion blogs' or 'inspirational blogs' that I see floating without references to the images they upload. Ownership of the photo is then lost, without giving credit to the person who took it.

How does digital imaging relate to Occupational Therapy?

Firstly, we need to consider where these images are stored. They must be stored in a confidential space. It is so critical to our role that we maintain the privacy of our clients. Digital imaging is often used at special events on hospital wards or for housing medication where an image of the client is stored alongside the file.

At the end of the day we must remember who we are responsible for the most: *our clients*.

That is all for now folks!

-- Lucy

How to add a podcast

This video unfortunately is not fail safe. I think I may need help with this one!

Tutorial Two: Digital Imaging

It has dawned on me by watching the 'Did you know?' video that technology is incorporated in every aspect of our lives. If we take a minute to think about all the different types of technology we are familiar with the list is endless. For instance: Laptops, digital camera, video camera, DVD, VCR, television, PC, printers, photocopiers, cellphones...the list goes on!

There are many devices used to record and store information and provide this information to the wider population.

I stumbled across a really great OT blog of one individuals unique experiences in OT. It starts right at the start of her career and follows through to now. She is a frequent blogger and she has currently relocated back to her hometown and on the hunt for an OT job! She has some amazing information on her sidebars and links to other OT websites. Visit her blog site today! http://otstudents.blogspot.com/... now I need to find a better way to have it on the side bar like she does.

Also, as you can see below I have link an awesome youtube clip called 'Did you know?'. It makes reference to the ever changing society that is technology! For those of you that don't know, Youtube is a website where anyone, anywhere can upload a video of ALMOST anything. It is the worlds largest video sharing community. I would be suprised if you have never heard of it, to be honest!

Lastly, I will be figuring out how to upload a PODCAST! A Podcast is a series of media sources either audio or video that are released periodically and downloaded through 'web syndication' (Wikipedia. (2011). Podcast. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast) This will come shortly after this post. There is an icon which is called an RRS feed icon which usually indicates the web feed for a podcast. The web feed offers users up to date information as frequently as it becomes available.

So here I go...off to figure out how to upload one!! Wish me luck!

-- Lucy

Reference list

Wikipedia. (2011). Web feed. Retrieved on 1 March 2011 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feed).

lights on.

DSC00376, originally uploaded by lucyck.

cheesy smile.

DSC00380, originally uploaded by lucyck.

bright smiles.

DSC00381, originally uploaded by lucyck.

tongues out.

DSC00387, originally uploaded by lucyck.

preparation is key.

DSC00391, originally uploaded by lucyck.

getting squashed!

DSC00392, originally uploaded by lucyck.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

TECHNOLOGY EXPLOSION!

Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

My first posting was a slight introduction to Participation in Occupation 1, a second year Occupational Therapy paper.

Firstly, what is Occupational Therapy?

"Therapy based on engagement in meaningful activities of daily life, especially to enable or encourage participation in such activities in spite of impairments or limitations in physical or mental functions"

Princeton University. (2011). Wordnetsearch. Receieved on 02/03/2011 from wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=occupational%20therapy.

This paper focuses on Information Technology and Information Communications.

What is Information Technology?

"Branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers and telecommunication to retrieve and store and transmit information"

Princeton University. (2011). Wordnetsearch. Recieved on the 02/03/2011 from wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=information%20technology.

If we consider the above definition of Information Technology we can come to terms with how prevalent technology is within society. It is the sharing and storing of mass information. I will be posting a YouTube video which truly depicts the explosion which has become The World Wide Web.

Change within society is overwhelming in terms of technology. Society always wants more, the better, the bigger and this is being enabled by technology. It has become particularly common placed and has diminished the use of general planning tools and forms of communication.

At current I feel comfortable in using a laptop, a PC, digital camera, cellphone and an old version Ipod. I find new versions of Ipod's quite confusing to use and I sometimes don't have the patience when my old version works perfectly well for my needs. I am also uncomfortable using most APPLE product as I find them hard to navigate, althought I haven't given them much time though. It is sometimes about finding the time to sit down and play with these devices to increase the use of IT.This renders the question as to whether the majority of society want to stick to old school use of technlogies or are we increasing each day to accept reality.

In relation to Occupational Therapy IT use has become important for practice because as a society we are susceptible to technology every day. "Occupational therapy relies on therapeutic use of purposeful and meaningful activities, which are aimed at achieving a person's functional independence" (Creek, 1998, Pedretti and Pasquinelli, 2001)......"Technology offers therapists new types of handiwork and enabling devices, which are being drawn from a virtual enviroment" (Verdonck et al, 2007). Technology is effective to use with particular clients as a therapeutic tool. Technology now offers a new scope and development to therapy and the use of internet, gaming consoles and portable devices including handheld play stations, cellphones and IPODs can be empowering to particular clients. Internet can be used for online shopping, internet banking, music, downloads, movies, social networking, buying and selling…the list goes on.

However, there are some issues that exist around OT's adoption of Information Technology systems and tools. There is a lack of knowledge in some areas, which can affect the effectiveness of intervention with clients that understand knowledge. Maybe the client can teach the OT a thing or two! Also, OT's as practitioners need to back their interventions with clinical reasoning and judgement and there are risks involved with different pieces of technology. We need to consider vulnerable clients and the negative effects gaming and internet surfing can have on these individuals. (Griffiths et al, 2003). There are online sites that now offer gambling and online gaming at a cost and this could be a vulnerable situation for clients with addiction problems.

It can also have positive effects on individual clients. For this instance I will focus on the positive impact it has on mental health clients. While working in the holidays at a forensic mental health unit, facilitating the Christmas programmes and day programmes alongside 4 Occupational Therapists it became evident how important technology has become to clients aged between 18-40 (if not older!). It was important to hone in on these clients abilities and interests to help build rapport and maintain a therapeutic relationship whilst I was there. I noticed some of the clients had their own Ipods, or music players and they had access to two computers, TV's and on two units there was access to Wii. In 'down time' I often got out the Wii and competed against some of the clients. At first it was noticeable that the clients were skeptical about this new piece of equipment, especially to those who had not left hospital in a number of years. Once they saw how fun it was, they joined in. But, it wasn't just about the fun, especially from my point of view. It was about motivating the clients to try something new, entertaining purposefully and engaging them in meaningful occupation, even if that was 'play'.

There are, however, ethics that play an important role when considering IT and sharing of information. Intellectual Property (IP), for starters, is a legal entitlement which is attached to certain types of information such as photos, data, or personal details held on the world wide web and often informed consent is necessary to access or use this data. Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. (World Intellectual Property Organisation. (2011). WIPO. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/.

To me, intellectual property surrounds the arts, photos, films, plays, images, logos for companies and all the rest. For example...Google, a multimillion dollar company..their logo MUST be intellectual property, legally entitled to their company only. The blogger.com logo MUST be intellectual property. The photos taken by my self, on my own camera, MUST be MY own intellectual property when I display them.

What is social justice? Wikipedia (2011) notes that Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. (Wikipedia. (2011). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice). It surrounds fair treatment and is an ideal in society, however, is sometimes not adhered to. How often does this go astray when using IT? In terms of social networking, all the time. The amount of unjust information on the world wide web is astounding and often leaves an individual wondering whether the rest of the world knows more about them than they do.

This brings me to the next point of informed consent. There is a legal condition that must be given on the appreciation and access of facts and content. While Wikipedia is known to be a less than reliable source, it sums up 'informed consent' quite nicely. Well at least, so I can understand. Wikipedia (2011) says: "An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and future consequences of an action." Wikipedia. (2011). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent. This, to me, means that when using information on the internet you must be given informed consent before appreciating the facts and using the information.

There is then the question around being able to access all data given on websites...there are consequences for not being able to fully utilise such websites. We lose information, feel isolated from the truth and have a decreased access to information. However, some sites can be adapted to utilise websites to full potential for those with impairments. Blind people can have text converted into electronic speech, colour blind may have colours altered and there can be deaf personnel available so people are able to access this information.

Ah, so much information. So little time. Onto the next venture my friends. Keep reading!

Why blog?

So here I am, first entry. I have a couple of other sneaky blogs but nothing as technical as what this may become. A lot of the 'stuff' I put on my personal blogs are pictures, quotes, poems and thoughts of the one and only, Lucy Kelly (that's me). So in saying this, this 'type' of blogging is a lot different. It will be informative, educational but hopefully in a witty kind of way that makes you want to keep reading.

I am Lucy. Lucy Kelly. I am 22 years old and I am a SECOND YEAR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY STUDENT. I like to blog. This is great.

The purpose for this particular blog is to introduce ideas around human occupation and how technology can increase positive engagement in regards to individuals occupations.

Also, I don't re@lly type L!ke Th!s... K!nd@ T@K!Ng @ d!G... at modern day technology/communication amongst the younger generation.

That's all for now folks.

-- Lucy.