Spring Service Learning

This blog I chose to talk about our 'service learning' for our fieldwork class. There were several sites selected for the class to choose from and I chose to volunteer with Hippotherapy at Midnight Farms (outside Baldwin KS). I have volunteered with another Hippotherapy group in the KC area named HORSE (Helping Others Rehabilitate from Service Equine)- I Google'd it again to see if they were still operating and did not come across their group. The trek out to Midnight farms is a bit of a drive from KC (especially with the gas price fluctuations) but the experience and volunteering is worth the drive.

What is Hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy is not therapy with Hippos as it you might believe after breaking the word down. The word "hippos" in Greek actually means 'Horse' so it naturally termed 'horse therapy'.

Why did I chose Hippotherapy for service learning?
There are a couple reasons for why I chose this service learning site. First off, I am in awe of the power of the Horse and of the therapy process between the rider and the horse. The effect of hippotherapy is powerful in treatment as well. There are physiology studies of the rhythm of the horse that help with the physical healing through using the horse and then there are the social skills and ADL*'s that kids learn through working with the horse that is not always possible in different setting. These two factors alone intrigue me to learn more about the how and why such therapy is so powerful for the participants.

*ADL- Activity of Daily Living

VIDEOS: Here are some youtube videos of hippotherapy
3 min video- double amputee little girl that was never supposed to walk again and is taking steps

2 min video on soldier that lost her left leg when her humvee ran over an IEP


OTS THOUGHTS:
Since I volunteered prior to entering the program and now am volunteering again within the same role (a sidewalker) I have made it a priority to grow professionally through this experience. OT's help with building adaptive equipment and working on ADL's that include your basic living skills ie brush your teeth, comb your hair, get dressed as well as IADL's that include things like housework, meal preparation, and caring for pets. Hippotherapy has challenged me to think of adaptive equipment that would help the rider as well as think of reasons why animal (including horse) therapy is beneficial to the patient. Whether the participant has a physical or mental disability, the interaction between the horse and the participant creates a bond that is different between two humans. The bond is also different between a dog (for instance) and a human since you are physically riding the horse and relying on him not to buck you off through the therapy process. The therapeutic effect of therapy helps increase the participants ADL's, IADL's and social skills by interacting with another human as well as an animal to seek an end result or to take care of the animal.

CLO seems to be short on volunteers (as many not-for-profits are). If you would like more information on Hippotherapy visit the American Equestrian Alliance at http://www.americanequestrian.com/hippotherapy.htm or youtube it. For more information on volunteering with CLO and Hippotherapy at the Farm check out their website at http://www.clokansas.org/

School

Well as you have seen from my lack of posts that school, capstone project planning, wedding planning, and life have all filled my planner pretty full. I have just received the 1-minute AOTA update which gives OT's (and OTA's) and students some insight into what is going on with AOTA, politics, and new/best practices. I will read through it and type up some thoughts/ ideas from what I received. The one minute update is for AOTA members and I would highly recommend signing up for it (especially if you are busy like myself but want to stay in the loop of what is going on with OT as a profession.)

We defended our proposal to continue research in St. Lucia over spring break (and some of the researchers are collecting data right now.) The process of doing research has been interesting and complex at times. My group is doing amazing work and it will be interesting to see what data comes back from St. Lucia.

Our research group successfully navigated through an IRB proposal which is part of the research project to get approved to do research. I feel as though we presented to information clearly and as a group, we handled the questions that the review board had to ask.

This week I am in Pascagoula, MS for a baptism and although I would enjoy some time on the beach I have been studying in the hotel room for our upcoming tests and quizzes.

More pictures to come. Thanks for reading. Sorry for the long time between posts.

OT thoughts: Research is one area of OT that has had mixed reviews in talking with my classmates, but going through the process makes you appreciate what our profession is working on to create best practices. I have grown quite a bit since entering the program and have grown through the process of doing research.

Earlier this week I attended a support group for TBI - traumatic brain injury, as part of an assignment. The set up was interesting and I took some notes from some of the individuals on what they hoped to receive from their doctor and other practitioners.

We have been talking about the Denver assessment that we will be performing over the next several weeks. It will be interesting to see a child assessment in action.

-John

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.

Break (post Christmas/pre New Years)

Now that the Christmas holiday and events are over I am starting to look into how I am going to spent the rest of my break. I am setting my game plan to enjoy the rest of break while staying on top of my assignments for our Capstone group (more info in future blogs). This is difficult to find the balance between doing things that I enjoy and doing things that I need to stay on top of so that our capstone is on pace for the research and development portion that will take place over the next couple of months. I am hoping to 'recharge my battery' by getting out of KC for a few days to central Kansas and then onto Denver. The weather has been pretty crazy in Kansas City- there has been minimal snow and the temperature today has gotten up to around 59 degrees. Happy New Year.