OT in the Media

Today I was on a hunt to find material in mainstream media involving occupational therapy. I searched through post and articles, then I stumbled upon an article from ScienceDaily that stood out to me. The article, In the Eye of the Beholder: First-of-its-kind tool measures caregiver's perception of capabilities of person with dementia, is a perfect reflection of occupational therapy. 

Occupational therapy requires a family/client centered approach. An example of this is treating a person with dementia, as well as educating their caregiver. Occupational therapist researchers at the Jefferson College of Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University created a tool that determines if a caregiver overestimates or underestimates the abilities of the person they are caring for. This is an important tool because if caregivers overestimate the ability, they may allow the person to cook or drive even though it is unsafe. If a caregiver underestimates, then they may do everyday task for the client creating unnecessary dependence, we all know the saying, "if you don't use it you loose it." 

Dr. Piersol noticed this issue and created the Functional Capacity Card Sort, which assesses the caregivers perception of the client. The occupational therapist has six cards, each describing different levels of ability to complete everyday activities. The occupational therapist instructs the caregiver to pick the card that best describes the persons ability. The occupational therapist then compares the card selected with their assessment of the client to see if they match. This gives a credible description if the caregiver is over or underestimating the clients abilities. With this information, the occupational therapist will educate the caregiver on proper intervention techniques. The Card Sort is an effective tool that can be widely used in the field of occupational therapy.

I love this article because it gives a clear example of occupational therapy. It also stood out to me because the author of the article uses the correct person-first concept. This concept is extremely important not only occupational therapist to use, but everyone in society. Overall, I would say this article is an accurate reflection of occupational therapy in mainstream media. 

 Resource

Thomas Jefferson University. (2016, September 28). In the eye of the beholder: First-of-its-kind tool measures caregiver's perception of capabilities of person with dementia. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 28, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160928153725.htm