Monday 18 April 2011

Tutorial Eight: Assistive Technology

This week we had two speakers come in to teach us about assistive technology. These workshops were VERY interesting and will be helpful for the future when I am a working Occupational Therapist.
Cook & Hussey (1995) define assistive technology as "any item, piece of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (pg 5).
I interpreted this as a device whether it be changed to suit an individual or straight off the shelf, which assists people to do things they may not be able to do otherwise.

One device that i found really interesting out of these sessions were the "talking tins." They are round pieces of equipment (about the size of the circumference of a H2g0 bottle) which sit on top of tins that talk. People talk into them and state what is being stored in that can/ jar. This increases occupational capacity for a user who may be blind and cannot read the label on the can/jar. They can simple press a button which will then play back to them the content of that jar. The client can either record this message themselves, or have someone else do it for them. It increases independance when cooking simple food.
This website goes more in depth about what talking tins exactly do for those who are interested :)

http://www.talkingproducts.co.uk/talking_tins_education.htm

Well this comes to the end of my blog postings. Hope you have enjoyed them, see ya round
:)
Gemma

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Tutorial Seven- Linking to blogs of interest and exchanging comments

This week we looked at linking to other peoples pages. In specific other useful blogs that were to do with OT.
I have linked to 2 people studying OT blogs, the participation in OT blog, NZAOT, OT Blog, google, moodle and facebook :)
I then posted on Claires video about a father who done an iron man with his son- his son being in a wheelchair. I thought it was so inspirational. I also commented on one of her blog entries. I thought she had some good comments.

We also looked at the snipping tool. It is a tool which allows you to "snip" (copy) an image on a website/ microsoft word etc. Here is an example of what I snipped. It is the comment i left on Claire's page.
To do this you click the start menu and click on snipping tool. You then drag cursor around the area you wish to "snip". You then save the image and upload on blog as an image.

End of tutorial 7
:)

Sunday 3 April 2011

Tutorial 6: The internet and online communities

What is an online community?
An online community is similar to a community in the real world. It is a group of people that contact using the internet. It is a form of communication between people, but over the internet rather than face to face (Wikipedia, 2011).

I have chosen to carry on my theme of total hip joint replacements.
The first online community I have found is from farm orthopedics. This website has a forum where people can discuss hip replacement surgery and recovery with other patients. This is the hyperlink to the webpage:
http://bonesmart.org/public_forum/hip-replacement-f21.html?gclid=CPDfmf3s_6cCFUmDpAodiTxTqg

The site has different topics/ sub topics where anyone can go in and share their stories or ask questions. I find this very interactive as it allows anyone to voice their opinion, and has the ability to give a wide variety of opinions.

People contribute by clicking on the topic at which they want to read/ add an opinion to. They then click on "new thread" and add their part. You then click on submit and VWALA you have contributed to this forum.
People who use this site contribute things around THR, or any other surgery. Such as their experiences, the good things, the bad, facts, etc etc. They contribute to these because they want to get a varied response on specific topics. They are seeking to find answers about what to expect, or compare their experiences with others. Information isn't shared one way. Its reciprocal.

Examples of topics are:
Noise Issues
articles by the experts on noises in hip replacement
The "other side" - for post-operative hip patients: also Noise Issues

Ethical issues around this online community?
The people can never be sure where the information is truly coming from. They can never be sure if the informaton provided is true, they may just be making it up.

The benefits of this community include a wide variety of comments from a wide variety of people.
Patients can share their opinion without being judged.
It may help people to be more honest about their experience.
Can talk anytime.

This community lacks/ isn's as good as geographical community because:
You can never fully trust the information provided.
Inability to really get to know the person you are conversing with.

The second community I have looked up is article city. This is the hyperlink to the website: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8029.shtml
This is where authors can submit an article they have written, and people can comment about it. The article example is around why online communities are helpful for people who have had total hip joint replacements (hitting two birds with one stone here).
The purpose of this site (in my opinion) is to voice peoples using article form, and recieve feedback from others.
The site isn't tooo interactive. Pretty much a person submits an article, and others can choose whether they want to comment back or not.
People contribute by clicking in the comment box, writing the comment, then pressing submit.
People contribute their opinion of the article written, give praise/ feedback.
I think people choose to contribute to this community as they may feel strong about some of the issues/ information brought up in the articles. They may also feel that the writer needs to be given praise for there good work. Asking for more information around the information may also be a reason.
I do not think people really seek anything from this community. However, they may want clarification around information provided, or just want to show their appraisal of the work.
The information is reciprocal.

Other subjects/ topics on this online community include things such as:  marketing, children. parenting etc.

The potential ethical issues around this may be:
people stealing one others work
lack of identity
lack of accountability
social justice

The beneftis of this online community:
people can get feedback around their articles
others can read the articles and give comments on the ideas addressed
true feelings can be shared
can share feelings any time
This community lacks/ isn't as good as geographical communities because:
You are not assured that you will definately get a response on your comment
Inability to build rapport with who you are talking to
Can not fully trust the information being shared
Takes longer to communicate

The third online community I have looked at is blogspot.com (this website)
Here is a link to the page that I have looked at specifically: http://www.francine-hipreplacement.blogspot.com/
This blog allows people to share their experiences of hip replacements.
I think the intensions of this blog is to help those out there who are about to undergo a hip replacement. It allows people to read stories, and comment on them, asking questions or just give a general comment. This makes it a rather interactive web page. People can contribute by either sharing their story in the "tell your story" box. Or.. you can contribute by writing comments about other peoples blog entries, e.g. what they like about their entry, can ask questions etc.
People contribute to these because of their general interest around hip replacements. They wish to share their experiences, or find out more around what happens when you get a hip replacement. It is a reciprocal way of sharing.
Some examples of topics shared in this webpage is: Scoliosis, Now I'm a Health Maven:-)

Ethical issues around this website include:
People may take the information given in this website without permission
The information given may not be legitimate
Can be bias

Benefits of this online community:
Can have a range of opinions
Can be accessed whenever someone wishes
Easy to use
Not very time consuming
There is not a certain time you have to access it

This community lacks/ is not as good as geographical community because:
True feelings can not be shown over the internet
It is very bias
Takes longer to communicate
Cannot fulyl trust the person sharing information

This comes to the end of this blog entry
'Til later
Gemma :)


Reference List:
Wikipedia. (2011). Online Communities. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_communities

Saturday 2 April 2011

Tutorial Five: Video Productions Sessions

Youtube. Oh how I love you!
This week we learnt all about this wonderful site. We made our own logins to Youtube, so that from now on we can add videos to it.
So the services provided by youtube:
Youtube allows us as individuals to upload movie clips, music, home videos and TV clips RIGHT from your computer at home (Wikipedia, 2011). Youtube also allows corporations and businesses to advertise for example BBC. And why wouldn't you, registration is FREE!
Not only can you add photos, you can also rate others videos, comment on them and "subscribe" to certain producers who's videos you enjoy watching (Karch, 2011).

From my fieldwork experience, I have chosen to look further into the net around Total Hip Replacements, and their precautions. Within my feildwork last year I worked on the orthopedic ward with clients who were experiencing total hip replacements. My supervisor and I would converse with them, and prepare them with the precautions they need to make after their surgery, e.g. your hips should never go below your knees.

This link here shares some information around what precautions you should take.


This youtube clip gives you a brief overview of what happens in a THR.



In this youtube clip an 84 year old lady shares her story with everyone about her two experiences with her THR.


This youtube clip shows the rehab side to a THR.



This youtube video shares someones experience two weeks post surgery.


 
Reference List:
ArthritisMD. (2008). Post surgery precautions. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYk1NVB8KE
ArthritisMD. (2008). Post surgery precautions. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYk1NVB8KE
Lee, S. (2008). Total Hip Replacement Patient Story. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/orthosportsalabama
Medicine Net. (2011). Total Hip Replacement. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Medicinenet: http://www.medicinenet.com/total_hip_replacement/article.htm
nucleusanimation. (2008). Hip Surgery. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DosqbEy8ecY
Pao2ndchance. (2009). Hip Replacement Surgery Recovery. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNnYOQJ6Kak