One reason I love my job...

One of my favorite (and I have many) reasons I love my job is because I get to go on home assessments. I get to take my patient to their home, in their own environment and assess accessibility, functionality, and patient independence within the space. I love the challenge of a home assessment because no two are never the same and you never know what you might find. The main purpose of a home assessment is to determine if the person will be able to function safely in their environment at their level of independence. This involves analyzing the entryway, all main living spaces including kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc. There are many aspects to a home assessment. For example, is the person able to get in/out of bed? is there enough space to maneuver with a cane/walker/wheelchair? can they can in/out of the bathtub or do they need adaptive equipment to complete the task safely? This often involves re-arranging furniture, recommending grab bars be installed or changing the way a task was completed in the past. Home assessments include a lot of education for the patient and the family to ensure that the patient will be able to return home safely. This can sometimes pose as a problem, because not everyone likes to be told they have to move a dresser or remove the throw rugs that they have had in the same spot for many years. Home assessments can also be a eye opener for both the patient and the family. Doing something simulated in the therapy gym is not the same as doing it at home and those 13 steps may be more of a challenge than the patient realized when completing them in the gym. I, however, love home assessments because I feel like I am able to provide people with the information and resources that they need to be able to age in place safely and make educated decisions on care for family members. I love the critical thinking aspect of my job that allows me to problem solve how to make a space accessible for a person so they will be able to return home safely.

Our Garden

This year is my last chance! According to my husband, if my plants die and my garden is flop he is refusing to spend another dime on it! So, I have been faithfully watering and grooming it to make sure that does not happen. This is what my garden looks like:

Patrick made the garden bed and I planted the plants and I am now head gardener of our little estate.

We have:

4 tomato plants

6 pepper plants (3 red/green, 2 yellow, and 1 orange)

1 zucchini

1 squash

1 eggplant

2 strawberry plants

I am hoping to have enough tomatoes to can homemade tomato sauce! I will keep you posted on the progress. I currently have 13 tomatoes growing, with one harvested and eaten already, 3 peppers, 1 zucchini and 1 squash in the works!

What is occupational therapy?

I have decide to try and do a post every week about various aspects of my occupation and what it entails. Not very many people are familiar with occupational therapy and what exactly I do. So here goes.

What is occupational therapy? Most people often confuse Occupational Therapy (OT) with Physical Therapy (PT). They are NOT synonymous. PT, in the skilled nursing setting, focuses on gross motor movements including (but not limited to) ambulation and gait, lower extremity strengthening, stairs, transfers, bed mobility. OT focuses on Activities of daily livings (ADLs) including bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, self-feeding, and ADL transfers; instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) including home management, and meal prep, along with strengthening of the upper extremities and safety awareness.

My perspective comes from a skilled nursing facility(SNF) perspective, meaning I typically work in a rehab facility with the 55+ population who either were living independently prior, or were living in assisted living, Independent living or in long term care.

The role of OT in SNF's is primarily to teach and facilitate maximum independence with ADLs and IADLs in order to allow the patient to return to their prior level of functioning. That does not always happen but it is the ultimate goal. This often requires getting into the nitty gritty of daily life to ensure the patient is able to function as independently and safely as possible. The motto of OT is to allow people to "live life to the fullest."

This is a broad overview but OT has many relams and areas including hand therapy, outpatient clinics, pediatrics, acute care, school based therapy, and home health. I love what I do and look forward to opening your eyes to a marvelous profession.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday: tortellini's, cresant rolls, and brocoli

Tuesday: CrockPot pot roast with potatoes and green beans

Wednesday: Stuffed shells

Thursday: breakfast for dinner

Friday: spaghetti and meatballs

Saturday: grilled chicken and veggies

If you would like more info on menu plan and/or better ideas then I have this week head over to organizing junkie

Mia's life these days...

So Mia has been growing like a weed and learning lots of new things and getting into lots of things! She recently completed her first swim class (tiny tots) which she loved! The slide was her favorite. She just loves the water and had such a fun time in the pool!

She has also started eating with a utensil. She mostly just holds onto it but if food is placed on it she will put it in her mouth. It is a work in progress.

She has accrued her first walking injury. She got it while at church in the nursery and it appears to be a rug burn. It looks worse then it really is.

For Memorial Day, Mia had the standard hamburger with a side of tomato and potato salad. She also had some watermelon but appeared to have a allergic skin reaction to it. The skin rash went away after awhile and only appeared after she ate the watermelon. In the evening we went to the park with Grandma to play.

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Meal Plan Monday

Only a day late!

Monday: Memorial day hot dogs and hamburgers

Tuesday: Spaghetti Warehouse for our friend Sherri's birthday

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: chicken Parmesan

Friday: stuffed shells (my mom made them while she was here this weekend and I froze them!)

Saturday: grilled chicken and grilled potato

If you would like more info on Menu planning head over here.

Meal Plan Monday

Well I have to admit that the last 2 weeks we have stuck to the meal plan almost to a tee! Let me tell you, not only is this good for our finances but I am finding that it is also good for my waistline! Hmm imagine that! We have really been trying to pear down our spending including groceries and eating out, so I apologize if our menu doesn't sound super appetizing but it meets our needs with the goals we have set.

Sunday: Cookout at the Miller's for small group

Monday: Grilled white roughy with corn

Tuesday: Chick-fil-a (this is Mia's last swimming lesson so we are having a scaled down celebartory dinner! plus it makes me feel like I am eating out and gives me something to look forward to!)

Wednesday: breakfast for dinner (my favorite!)

Thursday: grilled hot dogs, potato wedges

Friday: Spagetti warehouse to celbrate a friends birthday (plus we have a BOGO coupon!)

Saturday: Chicken brocoli alfredo

Hope you guys have a fantastic week! If you would like more ideas on menu planning just head over I'm an organizing junkie