fantasy football anyone?

FANTASY FOOTBALL (FF for this blog)

As I mentioned in last week's edition of the blog, football tends to consumer my fall semester and tends to make it hard for me to balance class and doing any homework on Sundays, Mondays and Thursday nights.  I have been doing FF with my in-laws for the past 3 seasons (and now this season).  I was the league champ last year, pretty much by luck and a certain DeSean Jackson returning a punt return against the Giants to seal the deal for me to win.

WHAT IS FF?
If you have never played fantasy football (FF), it brings in a new element to just having a favorite NFL team.  The gist of it, is that you 'draft' players at the beginning of the season, you are allowed to play a QB, Running backs, wide receivers, a tight end, a kicker, and special teams/defense and they each score points based on how well or not so well they play (my starting line up from last week is posted- left).

 Each league can set different rules for how to score points and how many players each team can have.  The nice part about FF is that it makes you tune in to many of the NFL teams across the league and the individual performances of selected players that add points based on the productivity for the day.  Even if my Bears go 0-16, I could still win the league in FF by drafting the best team and having FF team play well. 

 

LEISURE ACTIVITY

                 The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) defines leisure as "a                 

                 nonobligatory activity that is intrinsically motivated and engaged in during discretionary

                 time, that is, time not committed to obligatory occupations such as work, self-care, or 

                 sleep." 

 

Watching football and playing FF is an occupation that I enjoy because it is part of what OT's call 'leisure activities' (or a hobby).  When I used to watch football it was a good social event but we did not get into the logistics of who is doing what on the team as long as your favorite team won.  Now with the added dimension of being able to compete with other people and having to think of each individual match-up, there is more to think about in 'competing' week in and week out.  It is my 'break' from school work and the much needed element of competition in my life.

SO JOHN, WHAT'S YOUR POINT?... (OTS Thoughts)

My point is... I love fantasy football and my brain tends to look at every activity how an OT might view the activity.  An OT takes every situation and thinks of how it can be adapted, made relative, and be functional for our clients to keep them engaged in daily activities.  I think that FF is such a great idea for competition that puts people with all different abilities on the same playing field.  FF adds a level of competition as it has been doing for several years now and could be a functional yet fun activity to possibly work into therapy one day down the road.  

There is many executive functions (ie planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, inhibition, mental flexibility, multi-tasking, initiation and monitoring of actions) as well as social factors (sportsmanship, competition, dealing with stressful situations) at work here .  As an OT we must think of 'functional activities' to elicit the therapy that patients are in need of and helps meet our goals.  FF might not be that therapy for everyone, but I feel that it is thinking in the right direction to meet the client in the goal planning. As of now, it is just my leisure activity.

Good luck this season (if you have a team), and make sure to not let FF or football overrun the focus on the semester. Thanks again for reading. 

Assistive technology: OT

So to cover the ACOTE requisites we have to have a module on learning about 'assistive technology' as used in an OT setting.   We participated in a 2 day lab last weekend which was interesting, but tough because we gave up our precious Saturday.  I had pictures to post, but my phone has blown up (figuratively speaking) and now there are in some digital limbo.  So what is assistive technology?  It is hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or other information technologies.



Items Covered in lab: Ipad, headmouse, track ball, software, keyguards, specialized keyboards, ergonomic devices, short cuts and how to use them (ie on Microsoft Word or shortcut commands for your pc), and dynavox (or similar related communication devices).
Cost: $30 up to several thousand dollars.  (This includes any software, peripheral devices, or other specialized equipment used.)

It was interesting that after having this lab, and typing up this blog the AOTA 1-minute update came into my inbox.  (Again, if you aren't signed up to receive it, its worth the minute(s) of your life.)

Its headlining story was about how Ipads are making it easier for patients with disabilities, (ie spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy (etc)) to participate in reading books easier, changing the channels on the tv, and communicating with simple commands than had been previously used.  There are pros and cons to any situation as well as the legalities behind creating new apps, but as a future therapist the Ipad and technology are making huge strides in the therapy and rehabilitation field.  I posted a 2 minute video (below) from CBS Miami news.  If you are interested in reading the story- (click onthe CBS Miami news hyperlink).  Very cool stuff.

In the lab we were shown how to use the software, hardware, and peripherals and we had to think about how they could be applied in the lab and to patients with different diagnoses'.  It was fun and interesting to learn the technologies and wrap our brain's around how they could be used.

**NOTE: I do not endorse any of the titles or brands above.  I highly encourage to research each of them and learn more about them and how they can be used in a therapy setting.  This is a point of reference blog of what we covered in our lab.

OTS Thoughts:  Technology is booming.  As if we haven't learned that fact.  In our lifetime we have had from the birth of the internet (for some of the readership) to the birth of the ipod/ipad.   In the economic situation that we are in, the use of technology is a huge step for us in the therapy field and rehabilitating patients to their prior level of function or to get them back to doing the things they love.  I am excited to be coming into the field and the possibilities of the newer technology helping out our patients.

YOUR INPUT: Let me know what you think of the Ipad and the apps, will it delete the need for other devices or drive competitors to decrease prices dramatically? Will the field work the apps into evidence based practice?  Will it drive companies like dynavox or other specialized companies out of the therapy realm? Post your thoughts/questions/discussion and see ya next week. Thanks for reading!

Summer time in KC

So here is another post about the heat. This summer (especially the past few weeks) have DRAINED the life out of me and decreased my desire to get things done. Here is a random shot that I took of the temperature in the middle of the day (left). I haven't said too much about the heat because honestly, what can we do about it and secondly I wasn't sure what to think of it myself. Yes- obviously it has been unusually warm in KC, but its summer. Yes- its hot, but posting all over fb or complaining about how hot it is does nothing more than to point out the obvious. Yes- I don't feel like going outside and the a/c doesn't seem to be able to run enough to keep up with it (not gonna lie, a little concerned about the a/c bill this month). HOWEVER, with all that being said I have to count my blessings and allow those people that have it worse off than me (especially those stricken by the heat, ie homeless/working poor) to do the complaining because they deserve to complain. I saw on fb how someone posted about the heat and followed it up with the temperatures in the middle east where our armed forces are deployed and followed it up by 'we really shouldn't be complaining.'

SOO whether you have vented it in some social realm or kept it to yourself about the heat, I hope that it relieved some of the pressure that the heat has caused on your life. My other hope is that you count the blessings you have in your life, the heat will subside (someday, I hope), the pressures of life will still need to be faced in the morning, and more troubles will always be knocking on your door waiting to see how you will face them when you are faced with adversity.

OTS thoughts: First, a side note: For all the first year OTS's, you will be fine, especially if/when you made it through this QUICK summer semester. OK, The heat has made me re-evaluate myself and life and what I bring into the day to day 'workplace' which I currently call school. I haven't complained much about it, or really brought it up at all because it only was negative commentaries that I would bring up. The heat is acts on us, just like a difficult/unmotivated patient that gets so down and focused on the problems instead of the solutions. I need to keep him driven to reach his goals, and let him communicate some of his worries/problems before we can start making gain in his treatment. Yes, the heat is a burden but as I dig deep to finish the semester I hope you dig deep and internalize some of the complaints to get the tasks done that you are working on. Also, as I have said throughout- take a moment and count your blessings, especially for ice water and a/c.

Back to school- Honeymoon Cook Islands

Here is a picture of our honeymoon destination. We were fortunate enough to go to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. There are several islands and we were told through tripadvisor.com that Aitutaki was the prettiest and least touristy of them. The lagoon surrounds the islands and its smaller islands (picture left) the dark spots are the reef and the island lived up to its expectations of being less touristy with great people and overall beautiful.






We decided to roam around the island for a day as all of the island cruises were booked. So my wife and I tried to see all that the island had to offer via moped. The main road was one giant circle/oval with many roads intersecting it. The picture (left) is of myself enjoying some ice cream. The prices for food etc are a bit higher than the US, the NZD or New Zealand Dollar is a little bit less in exchange rate- but the island has to import many of its goods from New Zealand, Australia, and other locations.

We had a great time and I will be putting up more posts about the beautiful islands and our adventures.


OTS Thoughts: It was hard to leave such a beautiful place, but my wife and I did take note of the possibility of coming back to work with the local population. Their lives are much different from our in the states. They live very simplistically with tourism and local crafts being their main income. If I had more time I would have loved to see what the hospital had to offer as we heard that it was a pretty basic hospital (luckily we didn't need to visit it this trip for health reasons). OT on the island would be much different than what is needed in the states and I had not interviewed enough of the population to see how OT would be used. I would speculate from what I saw that we would deal with energy conservation, hand injuries, and some of the children in the school. The island more or less stabilizes a patient and then flies the patient to nearby New Zealand for more in-depth health coverage. We talked with a massage therapist that was trained in New Zealand for the purpose to come back to the island to work and we talked with our driver from the hotel that said she had never left the island.

SUMMER OT 2011

So it is summer time here in Kansas City. The weather has been rather HOT lately and summer session 1 is in full effect. There are a lot less cars on Rockhurst's campus and the new PT/OT class of 2013/2014 will be arriving soon. Below is a random shot I took on my way into school. It is one of those 'street view' cars from Google maps. (It was right out of a red light so I wasn't fumbling while taking a picture with my phone.)

This summer's curriculum is filled with a Neuromanagement lecture/lab and the second years are doing Neuroscience as well. I will keep the blog posted with new revelations this summer as the class unfolds.

OTS thoughts: 'Neuro' and 'Neuroscience' is the study of the central, autonomic, and peripheral nervous system and we are studying the disorders that go along with it. Thus far we have looked into how the working of this system effects many aspects of the patient. Some examples of persons with this type of disorder are stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury patients. The components of this class compiled with the musculoskeletal course that we will learn over the next couple of semesters will better prepare me for my Level 2 (3 month) fieldworks (to be completed at the end of the program.)

Have a great summer!

Fieldwork Level 1: Peds

This past week I did my Level 1 fieldwork. In the MOT course curriculum you are required to have a 'rounded' experience to give you the most exposure in different OT settings.


Here is a story from the week: A boy was doing an evaluation and he would randomly fart but stayed somewhat focused on his work. The evaluation was testing his executive functioning as well as several other areas in one evaluation. After completing most of the paperwork he had to do a gross motor evaluation which included balancing, dribbling, and jumping. He continued farting and then said "I guess I just have some of them broccoli farts again." Definitely the funniest moment of the week.

When I started the program I wasn't sure what area I really wanted to work in so I chose to have a peds (kids) and a geriatric (older adults) fieldwork for a week a piece. I have completed my geriatric fieldwork after my second semester and this past week I completed my week with peds. Children's therapy group is a sensory integration nonprofit organization located in Overland Park, KS. There are some OT's, PT's and SLP's that work here. All of the staff was very knowledgeable and helped me learn more about sensory integration, home health, iLs with headphones, and OT with pediatrics. This site was interesting because it was a non-profit and worked with the clients to get them coverage. Since some insurances are particular about different treatments- it is good to know that this nonprofit is focusing more on the therapy and the kids getting therapy instead of neglecting clients due to financial problems.


For Rockhurst students- you will need a rounded rotation and I enjoyed my time here at CTG. The staff was all helpful, willing to teach, and approachable.

For more information on sensory integration or on children's therapy group check out their website http://www.childrenstherapygroup.org/. They are working on vamping up the website but it is packed with information.

OTS thoughts: Sensory integration is interesting because most kids have a 'normal' functioning Central Nervous System and for some kids the sensory input can be too much or too little. This imbalance in sensory can make the children act out, shut down, or manifest itself in different behaviors. In the lab they talked about some of the kids 'internal motor' to acknowledge what the child is feeling and educate them on how to react when this is happening. Also at this site you saw OT at work because they took the therapy session and made it pertinent to the children (ie baseball sports teams, or sports they played daily). The kids helped pick out what to do in the therapy session by picking out puzzles versus light bright or what tasks should be in the obstacle course. I enjoyed my time with peds and think that working with kids would be an interesting route to pursue.

Wrapping up the semester

As the semester starts drawing to an end I appreciate the fact that mother nature has sprung with new life and I have made it through another semester. The OT class is getting ready to go on our next Level I fieldwork after finishing up some final projects and I am excited for summer to start appearing more and more. It has been an interesting semester and like the seasons - my attitude has changed over the semester.





When the stress was high and it was cold outside the end of the semester looked out of sight. Now that we are in finals week with our Fieldwork next week, I can see new life and we have some nice weather (every couple of days). The pictures (left) are of the St. Ignatius statue outside of the library. Since I spent much of my time on campus stopping into the library to study- I walk by this new statue daily. It has stayed the same while everything around it has changed.

As this semester wraps up I will continue to put thoughts on the blog. If you had ideas on how to improve it or subjects that an OTS should cover I welcome the opportunity. Enjoy the rest of spring and get excited for summer as it quickly approaches.

Winter 2011












Spring 2011

Getting back in the grad school groove

Well now that the blizzard has come and gone, we are back in the groove of classes again. The Capstone groups are working their project's by setting deadlines, meeting with their mentors, and balancing their capstone work with the other classes. Today we had our first Med Con II test, and the full time students have had their Kinesiology test with their movement lab checkouts coming up soon. Each week in my planner has been slammed full thus far- which is good and bad, but I am sure the whole class's planners are similarly slammed full.

The picture (left) is on Rockhurst's campus right outside of Van Ackeren (where PT/OT faculty's offices are). Since the snowman doesn't have legs- how do you think he got up on the bench? discuss.



Since we had a day off classes- during the snowmageddon- I decided to enjoy the lovely weather by reading, what else...but my Willard & Spackman book (on the back deck). (it's kind of a big deal in the RU OT curriculum)




OTS thoughts: Since I am not a qualified and registered Occupational Therapist or licensed (OTR/L), I thought I would change this section to OTS (OT student) thoughts. This is to both give credit where credit is due and also to show that my expertise is only to the extent of education that I have completed thus far.

My occupational balance has thus far in the semester has been doing pretty well. I have been exercising more, studying more, eating well, and getting more hours of sleep per night. My next post will hopefully include how I believe that 'shoveling snow' is an occupation- to show some of my facebook friends that live in warmer climates that we don't exactly get a 'day off' when a blizzard hits the midwest.

Baby it's cold outside

Welcome back- So KC got hit by 'Snowmageddon' or as others have deemed the blizzard of 2011 as the 'Snopocalypse' and RU closed the campus for 2 days. I snapped this picture in my car of a chilly temperature of -2 on my way heading into class. The cold makes it a little rougher to be a student and make the 40+ minute drive to campus from South KC.






This is the main entrance into RU- right off Troost. I was working late on a project after classes due to our snow days. Hence the large snow pile in front in the Rockhurst crest.










Here is another winter picture that was taken between the Library and Sedgwich Hall looking over the shoulder of St. Ignatius of Loyola (statue obviously) across from Massman Hall. I will be commenting on the library in later posts because it is one of my favorite spots to study on campus. The statue is a newer statue that has been put up within the past 6 months, but the picture shows the beauty of RU's campus at night (even when it is covered with snow).





OT Thoughts: Class is picking up with the first round of quizzes underway and each capstone group getting a better idea of what is in store over the next year. My OT thoughts for this blog is from the OT student perspective and my hopes are to cover more in future posts. Things to come in future blogs are my favorite study areas, how our KELS in St. LUCIA capstone project is going, and more 'snow occupations.'

Rough Week- First FULL WEEK of class

HERE WE GO...

This blog will include 3 reasons of why my week was/is going to be a little rough.

(Reason # 1) Chicago Bears lost--

That means no Super Bowl shuffle this year... BOO! On the positive side, I can now focus better over the next two weeks on OT work and not planning a Super Bowl party. (Not sure what the Super Bowl Shuffle is? Click the picture- [left])

(Reason #2) KU lost...

After blowing a lead, they never recovered.

Here's the story from espn.com. (KU is my Alma Mater)

(Reason #3) CLASS STARTED...

...OK, ok. So it isn't that bad- but any type of schooling has its stressful moments. Last week we had a short week due to a dumping of snow in the KC area (which happened to include RU closing). I am excited to get back into the groove of school/work/schedule but also am getting a better idea of the work that will be necessary over the next 5 months. Our research group is starting to plan and I appreciate their open communication and planning work ethic. The research should be interesting but there is a lot of work to do. (More on the Capstone Project to follow in later posts).

OT Thoughts: Balance is hard to find in any setting and stage in life. Eat. Sleep. Exercise. Work. Study. Family time. Fun time. Hobbies. Relationships. Etc. OT's try to help their patients/clients find a balance in life while achieving independence in their day to day life. My goal (as it is every semester) is to plan well and balance my life between school, work, studying, wedding planning, and leisure time- on top of my hierarchy of needs to eat well, exercise, sleep, and not be a bear when stress starts to rise. Have a good week.

Christmas Break 2010 ending

Winter Park, CO-

To finish off Christmas Break, my fiance's family and myself went into the mountains for a few days (Denver, CO- Winter Park). The picture (left) is my last run for the day before we started heading back to Kansas. I only went up for a day because I got some kind of 24 hr flu or altitude sickness, but it was fun nonetheless. I took this opportunity to enjoy Mother Nature's beauty, think about my plans for the new semester and enjoy the snow since KC has been lacking all winter in this department.


Personal Review: Winter Park is a nice ski town- we went on priceline to get a hotel which saved some money (not to mention paid for breakfast as it was included). The girls did some shopping and we tried an Indian restaurant at the strip mall right off the main drag.


OT Thoughts: There were some people talking on the lifts about 'people with disabilities that were skiing'. Several skiers were talking about how a'guide' would tell blind skiers when to turn and others were talking about some of the adaptive skis the skiers used (there was a part of the mountain designated the week before, I believe, for adaptive skiing). (Here is an article on what the one experience is from a blind skiier- not from this particular ski resort.) Even though I have not experienced much adaptive skiing (except via youtube) I find these individuals pretty amazing to continue practicing this hobby. As a future OT, I think its pretty awesome that technology has advanced and that people are still living life to the fullest while participating in such hobbies like skiing. I know that Rockhurst has been in contact with Snow Creek (Weston, MO) for opportunities to volunteer to help in some camps similar to the ones offered in Colorado. For this opportunity or other opportunities you can contact the NSCD.org.

Christmas Break/Welcome

Welcome. This is my first blog entry so I thought I would take it as an opportunity to say 'hello', 'Merry Christmas' (as I am on break), and 'Welcome' to my blog.

I am a new blogger to this forum and have been chosen to give you a tour into the Masters Program of Occupational Therapy at Rockhurst. I am a part-time student, I have worked for 2 years in public health before going back to school, I am a male (obviously) in a mostly female field (OT), I am originally from Illinois and am a resident of Kansas. If any of these seem interesting or as though we relate, PLEASE follow the blog. My goals and objectives for this blog are to inform you (the reader) of what RU OT Masters program looks like, what OT is, and how I am working to find a balance in life between school, work, and my personal life.

Thanks for checking out the blog and feel free to post comments, questions, or suggestions as this blog will be a learning progress through the semester and my career at RU.

-John