Ashlyn's all about OT

Here are some consideration when performing a transfer with a patient: It is important to consider proper positioning when performing transfers with patients. You do not want the patient to have their arms around your neck when you're helping to transfer them. This is also important for the therapist so they do not get injured or they do not injure the patient. The patient should place their arms around the therapists' hips to ensure safety.  It is important that the therapist does not lift the patient when performing a transfer. It is important that the patient uses their own strength to do the transfer. The use of a gait belt would ensure the safety of the patient if the therapist needed to catch them from falling.  Understanding what devices are needed for the transfer is important to consider. That could be a sliding board, a walker, wheelchair, or gait belts. To ensure safety of the patient, make sure the brakes on wheelchairs are locked, caster wheels on the wheelchair a...

 In class this week, we were assigned to read two chapters from the book "50 Abilities, Unlimited Possibilities: Wheeling Through 50 States From Jackson to the Boston Marathon Bombing" by Paul Erway. Each chapter in the book is about a marathon in a different state that Paul Erway participated in. The two states I chose to read and reflect on were Florida and Louisiana.  Florida: Miami, Florida was the 4th race Erway competed in. When Erway and others arrived in Miami, he had arranged for a wheelchair-accessible rental van for the weekend. It turned out that the van was not wheelchair-accessible, but the company said it was accommodating, meaning that the driver was strong enough to lift them into the van. They were later able to secure a wheelchair-accessible Caravan for the weekend through the help of the National Mobility Dealers Association. Their mission is to "unify and improve mobility equipment industry and help people with disabilities lead happy; healthy and mo...