Neal...what I think you did was not a professional act but a human act....you can call it PT or OT.....this is how I address my patients in the SNF I work at. Most times the OT is on top of the pt's life goals but, together we both address the life situation via our treatment (whether improvment in function or impairments). We have the ole' division of the body (if OT is seeing pt, I cannot address UE impairments/function, so, I relate it to LE impairments and overall function based on what the pt will be doing at discharge, whether staying in SNF or going home). I think we can all play the modern medical game to appease administration and insurance companies, but, knowing we are all actually looking our for the life improvement outcomes.
Peace, David David A. Lehman, PhD, PT Associate Professor Tennessee State University Department of Physical Therapy 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd. Nashville, TN 37209 615-963-5946 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit my website: http://www.tnstate.edu/interior.asp?mid=2410&ptid=1 This email and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential information and is intended solely for use by the individual to whom it is addressed. If you receive this correspondence in error, please notify the sender and delete the email from your system. Do not disclose its contents with others. ________________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Neal Luther [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:51 AM To: OTlist@OTnow.com Subject: Re: [OTlist] I still can't explain OT I have one for you, Ron. I do some PRN work at a small community hospital that also has it's own SNF. Routinely, they will "eval" pt's who are being transferred to the SNF in the hospital before they leave. In addition, they are in the habit of telling pt's/families the pt. has to stay a minimum of 21 days for the insurance to pay. Under this working model I saw a pt. last weekend who was admitted with respiratory failure thru their ED--went to the floor for a few days--xfered to the SNF. When I saw her she had been in the SNF for three days. She was completely I with all BADL albeit she needed to tale rest breaks. Tx. plan involved IADL home mgmt. tasks. As is my habit when I do weekend work I asked the pt. what she does for fun (I usually get some very strange looks, but have found it to be a great way to build quick repoire). As it turns out the pt. had no interest at all in "meal planning/prep". What was important to her was relationships and socializing with friends/family. So, I re-directed her tx. that day to simply walking through the entire SNF looking for people she had played bingo with and talking/socializing. She even pushed another pt. to the dining room in their w/c. Was I right in my choice? Was what I did really PT? Neal C. Luther,OTR/L Rehab Program Coordinator Advanced Home Care 1-336-878-8824 xt 3205 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home Care is our Business...Caring is our Specialty The information contained in this electronic document from Advanced Home Care is privileged and confidential information intended for the sole use of [EMAIL PROTECTED] If the reader of this communication is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the person listed above and discard the original.-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Carson Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 7:07 AM To: OTlist@OTnow.com Subject: [OTlist] I still can't explain OT I've been an OT for a long time and I still can NOT explain my profession in a way that is: * Concise * CLEARLY differentiates OT from other professions * Makes sense to other people (i.e. patients, MD's, nurses, etc) * Consistent: - With others - Across patient populations - Supported by practice - Supported by documentation * Satisfies me Yesterday, I evaled a patient s/p shoulder replacement. PT was already on the case. I struggled understanding my OT role with this patient and how it might be different if PT wasn't already seeing the patient. I wondered how other OT's would approach the patient. The patient is a retired nurse and her daughter is a retired "special needs" kids. Both of them had knowledge of OT, which sometimes is a bad thing. The patient was recently d/c'd from rehab for her shoulder surgery. The shoulder became dislocated while in rehab and when I asked the daughter if OT or PT worked on the shoulder, she said OT. When I asked her what they did once the shoulder was dislocated, she said they had her mom sitting at a table doing pegs, cards, etc with her unaffected arm to "keep it strong". I love being an OT but it is such a confusing profession. When I evaluate people, the only thing that really makes sense is occupation. But, that often leads to mobility issues, and if PT is on the case, they already address this, so there's nothing for me to do. I'll never understand how OT has become so pigeonholed into UE treatment. I can find no good logic or reason why OT as a profession focuses on the UE but it seems to be the predominate pattern. Ron -- Ron Carson MHS, OT -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com
