Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Promoting Longevity Through Engagement In Purposeful Occupations, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Ron Henry, an artist based in Grand Junction, CO, provided the cover art for the Fall 2022 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “On the Trail to Durango” is a 36” x 36” painting made from oil and acrylic on gesso board. Ron has been creating beautiful art since he was a child. Art has provided Ron with a strong sense of purpose throughout his life. At age 90, Ron attributes his longevity to living a healthy lifestyle and regular engagement in purposeful occupations, such as painting. In this tenth anniversary issue of OJOT, Occupation and the …

An Exploration Of The Lifestyle Of Rodeo Athletes, Brooke Tunnell, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Rodeo is considered one of the most rapid-growing sports across many nations and consists of highly talented, tough athletes (Haney & Pearson, 1999). There is a gap in the research that examines the occupation of rodeo through an occupational therapy and occupational science perspective. Occupational science, the study of human occupation, focuses on how the form, function, and meaning of daily activities influence health and well-being (Larson & Zemke, 2003). Form, function, and meaning guided the mixed-method research study utilizing survey, interview, narrative prompt, and photo elicitation. Three themes were extracted from the data and embodied the personal and occupational …

The Coping Strategies Of Older Adults With Age Related Vision Loss (Arvl) – A Narrative Account, Zakara J. Stampp

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The goal of this study was to share the stories of older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL) and how they have coped to maintain meaningful occupational engagement. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm, data collection and analysis were guided by the narrative inquiry methodology. The participants consisted of six older adults aged 60 or older, diagnosed with one of the following ARVL conditions: macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and/or glaucoma. Participants were recruited from vision loss non-profit organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and the Alliance for Equity of Blind Canadians (AEBC). One older adult was …

The Anatomy Of Human Occupation, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Dr. Emily Balog, PhD., OTR/L, ECHM, an occupational therapy professor and artist based in New Jersey, provided the cover art for the Summer 2022 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “The Knitting Brain” is an 11” x 15” painting made from watercolors. The inspiration for this painting came from years of experience working with individuals with head injury, stroke, and mental illness. The piece is from her Anatomy of Human Occupation series. This collection of paintings is a unique and authentic representation of Dr. Balog’s love of the human body and the healing power of occupation. Dr. …

Oral History Service Learning: Veterans Studies And Sosa, Amanda S. Hansford

Veterans Studies Undergraduate Capstones

As professionals, it is important to promote interprofessional education and collaboration among disciplines. This project explores connections between Veterans Studies, Library Science, and Occupational Science / Therapy. An oral history protocol was developed between the student sponsored organization Student Occupational Science Association (SOSA) and the Eastern Kentucky University Veterans Studies academic program. The goal was to promote deeper learning and cultural competency about members of veteran and military communities. Participants also gain leadership and interviewing skills applicable in a variety of career settings.

The model of human occupation (MOHO) guided aspects of the project design is used to discover the …

A Virtual View Of Occupation: Transactionalism In Mmorpgs, John Miklos, Alex Nold, Shasta Rice, Amanda Flores

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

To date, most research on massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has focused on the effects playing MMORPGs has on players’ health and wellness. The virtual environment of MMORPGs has yet to be explored as a space where meaningful occupations occur. This qualitative study explored the virtual environment using a transactional perspective in order to define the qualities of virtual worlds, how transactional relationships operate more clearly within these virtual worlds to construct occupational meaning, and subsequently to provide a foundation of qualitative data to support future research including virtual worlds. The sample included six MMORPG players with experience playing …

Promoting Occupational Therapy Involvement In End-Of-Life Care Through Advocacy And Education, Macey Genzlinger

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The end of life is a difficult stage of life to manage, but people who are dying still desire to participate in meaningful occupations. This participation can be negatively affected by the challenges faced at the end of life. Occupational therapy is a profession perfectly fitted to facilitate occupational participation for patients at the end of their lives. However, occupational therapy is underutilized in end-of-life care, and many knowledge gaps exist surrounding its use. Much work needs to be done to solve these problems which this Capstone project begins to address. The theoretical framework underlying this project is the Occupational …

A Conceptual Framework: Life Course Health Development And Partial Hand Loss, Alison L. Johnson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Partial hand loss can be a profound source of disability with far-reaching economic and social consequences across the lifespan. Compared to other limb loss populations, perhaps surprisingly, the partial hand loss population experiences higher rates of whole-person impairment and disabling mental health conditions. Despite these known health disparities, the long-term health outcomes of the partial hand loss population are not adequately understood. Deepening understanding and preventing further disparity requires a multi-perspective approach examining factors contributing to health and well-being across the lifespan. This paper examines the partial hand loss population through two separate but overlapping lenses: population health and the …

Improving Mental Health After Sci: An Occupation-Based Program, Kerston Ring

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of occupational therapy in promoting positive mental health in those with SCI. Formal conversations related to mental health as well as various leisure activities took place throughout the program. The leisure activities were determined prior to initiating the program during the needs assessment. These were activities that the participants were either familiar with or novel. The activities were client-centered and modified as necessary to meet the client’s needs for full participation. The objectives of this capstone were to conduct a needs assessment to understand what factors could be changed to …

Addressing Als Caregiver Needs: An Occupation-Based Caregiver Education Program, Kylee Hall, Helen Carey, Lauren Webb, Lisa Griggs-Stapleton

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This program adds a new component to the Les Turner ALS Foundation’s already established online educational programs. The foundation had a program for people living with ALS but did not have a program for caregivers prior to this project.

A needs assessment was completed to determine caregiver needs and materials for caregivers were developed based on the needs found. The materials developed were implemented with ten caregivers to determine effectiveness and outcomes before launching the program to the general public.

Community Accessibility For Individuals With Disabilities, Marshall Dumas

OTD Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experience of individuals with disabilities and to identify what accessibility barriers may exist in community settings. Individuals with disabilities may face increased environmental barriers that influence their ability to successfully access and fully participate in community settings. This project attempts to provide community accessibility resources for individuals with disabilities in order to make community outings as successful as possible for all persons.

Using Creative Making To Redesign Life After Stroke, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Kate Davies, a knitwear designer and author based in Scotland, provided the cover art for the Winter 2022 edition of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. “Balance for Better” is a blanket made from wool and mohair. The blanket consists of 30 individual squares designed and knitted by KDD & Co. employees. The colors and pattern of each square reflect the work, achievements, and legacy of the inspirational women celebrated in the blanket. At age 36, Kate suffered a near-fatal stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side of her body. Forced to give up her career as …

An Occupation-Based Clinic Makeover: Perceptions And Experiences Of Occupational Therapists, Wendy B. Stav, Alison Herman

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Researchers sought to discover the experiences of occupational therapists transitioning from existing clinical practice to exclusively occupation-based approaches.

Method: This phenomenological study captured the experiences of clinicians as exercise-based equipment was temporarily removed from the rehabilitation gym and replaced with occupation-based kits. The therapists used the new occupation-based materials with all clients for 4 months and participated in interviews and a focus group.

Results: The study yielded a greater understanding therapists’ process and experiences through the themes: (a) challenges to occupation-based practice and (b) occupation-based metamorphosis.

Conclusions: The personal and contextual obstacles associated with implementing …

Chronic Shoulder Pain In Manual Wheelchair (Mwc) Users With Spinal Cord Injury (Sci): The Lived Experience, Jennifer L. Silvestri, Sonia Lawson, Cristina Sadowsky

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Existing research on the lived experience of those with spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting in paraplegia who use a manual wheelchair and experience shoulder pain is extremely limited. This research aimed to begin the process of understanding the lived experience of this population and to describe how chronic shoulder pain impacts occupational engagement and quality of life.

Method: A phenomenological approach using a constant comparative method was used to analyze data and to construct and redefine themes throughout the research process. The qualitative data obtained from two semi-structured interviews with the four study participants is presented below. …

Analysis Of Zero Balancing Case Studies Through An Occupational Therapy Lens, Deanna Waggy Otr, Msa, Czb, Csla

Journal of Transformative Touch

Does Zero Balancing positively impact occupational performance? This is a question many Occupational Therapists (OTs) ask when discerning if Zero Balancing (ZB) is an evidence-based treatment modality. Case studies from the book Experiencing the Power of Zero Balancing: Case Studies of Journeys to Health and Wholeness (Quarry & King, 2016) were reviewed and compared to the Occupational Therapy domain of practice to show clear evidence that each case study had a positive impact on occupational performance. A comparison chart shows a direct link between the occupational categories and documented evidence of improved occupational performance through practitioner observation and client feedback …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Healthcare Professionals' Occupational Lives, Javed A. Mohammed, Ronald Kevin Dela Cruz

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a period of instability for billions of people around the world. Healthcare systems have been severely strained by the influx of infected patients, placing much of that hardship on healthcare professionals (HCPs). Occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other essential personnel—individuals who will be inclusive of the term “HCPs”—continue to struggle with frequent occupational disruption. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occupational lives of HCPs at the national and international levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased work-related stress leading to anxiety, depression, burnout, and …