Mary,
Your comments are well spoken. They actually lead me to ask you and any
others willing to chime in a question. How would you suggest starting a
program to train home health PT's or OT's to perform power
mobility/seating assessments? Our company is a large, not-for-profit
company with ~ 160 therapists across three states. We currently have an
underdeveloped power w-c/specialty seating service line. They are
however, distinctly separate from the home health side of our business.
I want them to work together. Any thoughts.
Neal C. Luther,OTR/L
Rehab Program Coordinator
Advanced Home Care
1-336-878-8824 xt 3205
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Home Care is our Business...Caring is our Specialty
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Mary Alice Cafiero
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:19 PM
To: OTlist@OTnow.com
Subject: [OTlist] OT/PT perspective
I first must start my comment by saying that many of my dear friends
are Physical Therapists. I love them and learn from the constantly. I
also continually learn the differences in our approaches to
situations. The example coming to mind is when I am doing a wheelchair
clinic at a teaching hospital with a PMR doctor, patient and patient
family, and wheelchair supplier. My role was previously done by a PT
who is now doing research full time. I have not met her directly but
have heard wonderful things about her. I do know that her approach to
a seating assessment and my approach to the same assessment are very
different.
For instance, she measured every joint angle upper and lower extremity
with a goniometer. I want to know what is limited and what that
limitation hinders. I also want to know the mechanism for why it is
limited, and if it is fixed or flexible. I want a lot more information
in question and answer format or in patient giving me a narrative
format about how they use their chair, what they can and cannot do in
their chair, and what needs to be different next time around. I think
much of the most valuable information I get comes from that type of
conversation. BUT I don't get a goniometer out of my briefcase. I'll
tell the supplier that we need to have a specific type of footplate
because their knees can't come to 90 degrees, but I'm not going to
measure it.
So, is that a huge difference? Not in and of itself. My focus is on
getting the client the best equipment possible so that mobility is
easy and they can go do what they want to do. I wish it was simple to
do that. It's very complex and is what consumes my life these days.
The above comments are not a knock on PT. I work with some amazing PTs
who do wonderful seating and mobility evaluations. Conversely, I work
with some OTs who totally miss the point and should not be doing a
mobility evaluation.
PTs and OTs alike need to be willing to admit that Seating and
Mobility is another specialty area. Not every new graduate from every
program has the skills to walk in and start doing evaluations for
complex rehab equipment. Until our national organizations agree with
this, we are fighting a seriously uphill battle!
That was a little rantish. And a bit oddball and tangential because I
am very tired. If it doesn't make sense, just ask me!
Mary Alice
Mary Alice Cafiero
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972-757-3733
Fax 888-708-8683
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