Connections In Healthcare

Here are nuggets of wisdom my patients have shared with me over the years. All quotes shared with permission. “Go with the flow in life.” -Dolores, 91 “Hard work is important.” -Richard 90 “Take it easy sometimes.” -Gladys 92 “Don’t ever stop.” -Ada 90 “Do right and you won’t go wrong.” -Carol 92 “Keep cooking for yourself as long as possible.” -Leona 89 “We need more people who are willing to help others. Be like that.” -Imogene 92 "Never stop reading." -Nancy 86 “Don’t ever quit.” -Ken 82 “Work hard and don’t retire early.” -Faye 97 “Be honest and help people.” -Patty 93 “Listen to your children.” -Mike 90 “Work in your yard until you can't anymore.” -Roxie 90 “Ive been married 72 years. The secret is L O V E.” -Boyd 91 “Live every day, don’t take any for granted.” -Doris 93 Honorary Comments: "Live one day at a time and trust God." -Ms. Clark 48 (survivor of cancer and wreck with 18-wheeler)

By David Garner MOT, OTR/L, AC As therapists (PT, OT, SLP) we wish the best life possible for our patients. Sometimes we see them making unhealthy decisions that may impede their recovery. How can we approach these topics with respect in a way that is educational without being judgemental? Topics I'm referring to including losing weight, quitting smoking or drinking, and other counterproductive lifestyle choices. For many people these behaviors may involve addiction or anxiety. They likely know they should change, but it's hard. Perhaps they have tried in the past and were met with poor results.  We are not generally experts in these areas, but we can educate our patients about healthy life choices as well as resources that may support their success. It can be awkward to bring up these topics with patients. So here is what I have found to help me approach the subject respectfully without any awkwardness.  Begin by ensuring the conversation takes place in a private setting. Som...

Journaling is a widespread practice, yet many people feel it is not for them. There is a stereotype, especially among adult men, that it is juvenal or feminine. Research has shown that it is an effective coping mechanism for people of every gender and at every stage of life. Additionally, it does not look the same for everyone. The classic trope that one needs a dedicated diary where they gush about there deepest feelings in paragraph after paragraph of vivid ink is untrue. There is no right way to journal. Let me repeat that, there is no correct way to journal. Each person does it their own way. Here is how I define journaling. The act of writing down things that clog or stick in your mind. The primary use for journaling in my view, is to help control and focus ones thoughts. Writing paragraphs is perfectly fine. Many people feel they do not have time for that. Here, I want to share a simple technique that is quick but impactful. It can be used in almost any location, private or publ...

Developed by David Garner OTR/L, MOT, AC with contribution by LaVoy Garner M. Div, CC See Also The Short Version of the SOSN . Description: The Survey of Spiritual Needs is a short, seven question survey to assess for spiritual distress, depression and patient needs and wishes related to these issues. This survey can be completed in two to five minutes. It is intended for adult and older teen populations with abstract reasoning skills. Purpose: Screening for spiritual needs can be conducted by any healthcare personnel including patient care technicians and certified nursing assistants. The SOSN is a brief survey that will enable any healthcare professional to assess for spiritual distress and disruptions in spiritual engagement thoroughly yet quickly. It will also enable the examiner to identify solutions to help their patient re-engage with this occupation and begin to resolve present distress. It will enable the examiner to connect the patient with other appropriate resources and de...

By David F. Garner OTR/L Nancy was a 74-year-old female who had a total left hip replacement. During the first few sessions of occupational therapy at the skilled nursing facility, her participation in therapy was greatly limited by 8-9 out of 10 pain. She refused sessions because of pain. She was taking the maximum doses of pain medicine and due to other issues, was unable to take muscle relaxers. After an assessment, I determined much of her pain was due to muscle tightness and cramps in her thigh and low back secondary to post-surgical guarding reaction.  In our third session, I tried our vibrating massager to see if that would relieve her pain. After 10 minutes of vibration set to 60 Hz, her pain decreased from 9/10 to 4/10. She then participated more easily in dressing tasks. For each subsequent session when her pain was high, she was brought to the gym a few minutes early and used the vibrating massager on herself. Sometimes, she would stay after and continue treating herself...

  Triangle Breathing for Relaxation Deep Breathing is a well-known tool that can help calm your mind, lower heart rate, and reduce stress. For a more in-depth article see this  link . A lot of research has been done around this psychobiological hack. Here is a brief review of some of the literature.  1. "Psychological/behavioral outputs related to the above mentioned [physiological] changes are increased comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion." - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137615/ 2. "Students reported having perceptions of decreased test anxiety, nervousness, self-doubt, and concentration loss..." - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10401330701366754   The problem with the term deep breathing is its ambiguity. The technique explained here attempts to rectify that. This method will provide a simple approach that is easy to remember, and e...

        Nature-based Therapeutic Media In Occupational Therapy David F. Garner Tennessee State University A Graduate Research Project                 Author’s Note David F. Garner, Department of Health Science, Tennessee State University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to David Garner, Department of Occupational Therapy, Tennessee State University,  3500 John A Merritt Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209. Contact: dgarnerotr@gmail.com Abstract This paper explores how a therapeutic task involving nature-based media will affect mood and compliance compared to a traditional occupational therapy treatment. Three separate groups of subjects completed a similar task that involved a therapeutic exercise. Subjects were adults of any sex, aged 50 or over. The first group completed a task that involved interacting with live nature-based medium in the form of plants. The second interacted with pictures of nature. Th...