In today's class, we talked about health promotion and health literacy and what an OT's role looks like in these. I was unaware of how prevalent health literacy was in our society. This session opened my eyes to how important it is to make sure clients fully understand every aspect of any medical experience. We watched a few videos about how health literacy looks in different settings and it can greatly effect a client's healthcare experience, which is part of the IHI Triple AIM. A really interesting thing we talked about was the growing role of occupational therapy in primary care. Family physicians are often jam packed with business and OTs can share the role of provide developmental screenings and spend more time with clients to make them feel valued. This is something I find very interesting and hope there is future job opportunity in this setting.
" The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. " - Mark Twain People with disabilities are just like every other human being. Person-first language puts focus on the individual and not the disability. We should not identify individuals based on their functional or mental limitations. For example, a practitioner should refer to someone as "a man who had a stroke" instead of a "stroke patient." I believe it is important to understand and practice person-first language to be an effective practitioner. First, it allows the client to feel more comfortable, and you will make more progress together if the client feels like an individual and not a disability. Second, occupational therapists are trained to help people as a whole, not just the disability, so it is important for us to look past the disability and focus on the client, as well. There are countless mo...
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