Skip to main content

Appreciating the Little Things

Last week our school had a "Student Appreciation Day" where there was an abundance of food trucks, music and fun for the students and faculty.  I had a fantastic time eating wings, talking with classmates, and enjoying the day (it was a Monday and those days are typically difficult to enjoy!).  Truly, it was a fun time and a great break from the chaos of school.  While some people might have just looked at this as an opportunity for yummy free food, it reminded me of the great things in life I tend to forget!  So often I get wound up on little assignments or tests and quizzes that I forget to enjoy life and appreciate the opportunities before me.  In all honesty it really is the little things in life that can make a big difference, and how much more so do these things affect someone who cannot go out and experience them for themselves?  This got me to thinking -- how do people who are in a hospital enjoy their time?  I know that some places offer community services and activities where the occupants have opportunities to socialize and play games, but what about those places that don't offer these opportunities?  What about hospitals that offer no escape from the beeping of monitors, pacing of family members and talking of the practitioners.  One comment that I heard about hospitals is the lack of any type of setting where it remotely resembles the outside world such as a coffee shop.  Honestly, anything other than the fluorescent lighting and bland walls usually encountered in medical settings could provide a haven for occupants and their loved ones.  Even though it may seem trivial to some, I think that giving people the opportunity to get out and away from their rooms to at least have the feeling of being away from the hospital gives people the opportunity to remember the outside world and appreciate life.  I think there is a huge need for proactive thinking in the medical field when it comes to addressing people's needs from an emotional and social aspect.  Yes, health professionals should focus on physical stabilization and the hospital is not a place primarily focused on entertainment, but perhaps there is more to recovery than a discharge note saying that the client completed goals and is ready to go home.  Occupational therapists can play a role in development of programs that are meaningful to clients in more than just re-integration to previous life but also enjoying the time of life presently experienced as well, even if the current life isn't the ideal one.  After all, if something like the option to enjoy free food at school can provide me a much needed break from the chaos of school, how much more can a resource aimed at providing a reminder of the fun and enjoyable parts in life be for someone who has no ability to escape the frustrations and boredom so often encountered in the hospital?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adapting the Practice of OT

The beautiful thing about occupational therapy as a profession is its adaptability.  It thrives in an environment that is multi-dimensional where the profession morphs according to the client.  "Client-centered" and "top-down approach" are all key terms when describing OT.  Instead of being a rigid process with little adaptation, the profession molds into the best fit for each specific client. Occupational therapists are more than just practitioners.  In a way, OTs are detectives, teachers, and companions.  One theory that capitalizes on the adaptability of OT is Frame of Reference (FoR).  FoR implements the strengths of OT by allowing the practitioner's roles to adapt to each individual client. Using the client's FoR aids the therapist to develop an intervention that best suites his specific needs.  This is where solving mysteries and applying reasoning to the situation is useful.  Deducing the client's motivations and context are key in the deve...
1 comment
Read more

Group Facilitation Reflection #1

Based off Worksheet 3-1, I would say our building empathy group did well on the introduction portion of the group.  The main place I could see improvement would be that we could have outlined the time frame of the group a little better to the group, but I think overall we did well with our warm-up and introductions.  As for the activity portion, I believe we did well.  We had appropriate timing and directions were clearly given on how to complete the activity.  Sharing went even better than I anticipated because everyone was willing to read their scenarios and opinions.  We also had great processing time as well because group members were willing to share their thoughts on other individual scenarios as well as provide feedback about their own perspectives.  Generalizing and group motivation were also evident as everyone was willing to encourage one another and apply their thoughts to their own experiences.  I think everyone had sufficient time to share...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Changing Faces of Dementia

If you have not read Kathy Ritchie's blog on her experience coping with her mother's declining health after her diagnosis in 2010 with frontotemporal dementia, you should!  It is a riveting example of the difficulties encountered when a relative forgets those closest to their heart.  Kathy talks about the shock of learning about her mother's diagnosis and the decline in her memory and outbursts in church.  For Kathy, her mother's death in 2014 felt swift and yet drawn out.  All she wanted for her mother was peace, but yet it was a hard realization to let go.  In a sense, death was the right answer, because her mother was not the same person Kathy had known, yet Kathy talks about how she misses her previous mother.  The mother that bore her.  The mother that raised her.  The mother that loved her.  However, the loss of the mother she spent those four years feeding, bathing, and dressing was not difficult. After reading about the frustrations...
Post a Comment
Read more