Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Age-Related Changes In The Neural Gating Of Respiratory Sensations In Humans, Wen-Pin Chang, Kai-Jie Liang, Chia-Hsiung Cheng, Chia-Yih Liu, Andreas Von Leupoldt, Pei-Ying S. Chan

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Neural gating of respiratory sensations (NGRS) characterises the brain's ability to filter out repetitive respiratory sensory stimuli. This mechanism plays a crucial role in the neural processing of respiratory stimuli. However, whether ageing affects NGRS in healthy adults is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of age on NGRS as well as the corresponding S1 and S2 components of the respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs).

Methods: Three age groups of healthy adults participated in this study: a young group (YG; age 20-39 years), a middle-aged group (MG; age 40-59 years) and an old group (OG; age ≥60 …

Integrating Occupation-Based/Focused Assessments During The Evaluation Process. Opportunity To Revisit The Topic In A Post Covid-19 Practice Setting?, John S. Luna

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Occupational therapists treat clients across the lifespan, and every successful intervention begins with a successful evaluation. Incorporating a variety of norm-referenced standardized assessments into the assessment process has become increasingly important to justify services to third party payors identification of goals, and intervention strategies. However, occupational therapists tend to select assessments that are focused and measuring performance skills and client factors versus occupations and performance of occupations. The purpose of this article is to examine the topic of occupation based and occupation focused assessments. While using occupation-based/ occupation-focused assessments is not a new topic, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how …

Occupational Deprivation Or Occupational Adaptation Of Mexican Americans On Renal Dialysis, Shirley A. Wells

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this study was to explore the occupational changes and perceptions experienced by Mexican Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and their families living with dialysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 Mexican Americans with ESRD and 17 family members. The participants with ESRD described altered or lost activity patterns, capacities and freedoms. With a heightened awareness of death, the family members made altered occupational choices, which were consistent with their cultural values. Changes in the physical body, adhering to the dialysis regimen and environmental restrictions created barriers to occupational participation. These findings suggest that living with dialysis …

Determinants Of Adherence To Living On Dialysis For Mexican Americans, Shirley A. Wells

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores perceptions that affect adherence behaviors among Mexican Americans living with dialysis. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 15 Mexican Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) living on dialysis, 15 family members, and 6 health care personnel who provided care to them. Four themes emerged: (a) positive influences to adherence, (b) obstacles to adherence, (c) daily activity losses, and (d) fears about living with dialysis. From the findings, the perceptions given for non-adherence with the dialysis regimen ranged from denial of the condition, lack of pre-education, to cultural factors. Those given for adherence included prolonged life, family, and …

Perceived Stress In Occupational Therapy Students, Teresa A. Pfeifer, Peter L. Kranz, Angela E. Scoggin

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress of entry‐level master's occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled at a Texas university. A total of 29 students including nine men and 20 women participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The participants were interviewed during the end of the first and second year of the entry‐level master's programme in OT. Questionnaires, given at the same time, contained demographic data, open‐end questions and force choice questions rated on a Likert scale. The results indicated that the majority of students (66.4%) rated their current level of stress …