Compassion is an Active Word

This is one of the most important ingredients as we weave ourselves in and out of peoples lives each day. Whether working in the community or working in the hospital or in the clinic and that is compassion. Quite frankly I dont see too much of it going on within the caring professions although the occupational therapists seem to activate the principle the most by making it active. Throughout the various environments I have worked whether psychotherapy, community mental health, social services or hospital I have heard other professionals speak about their clients as if they were wooden dolls being acted upon; the lack of respect, dignity has not always been forthcoming and alas it is a shameful thing to hear and view when other people, especially those who are there to care for others lack the one quality you would expect the most and that is; compassion.

Reminiscience Therapy

A unique experience in a vintage tearoom in west yorkshire transported me back to an age of what it must have been like in england during the 1920-1950's. I witnessed how the customers felt at ease when they walked in almost as though it was a meeting place of those who appreciated the vintage time capsule that this space offered. We started talking about the idea of for the vintage cafe but also went on to talk about the importance of people of older generations being able to return to familiarity; a time of great class, elegance which is often a therapeutic tool we use in occupational therapy for people who memory is impaired and struggle with orientating themselves in a world they find doesnt synchronise with their perception. Its a great place to come to absorb the energetic patterns of that period of time and to enjoy the music, food, vintage items and a period of history that sometimes seems long lost out of the popular imagination. This is also a shared experience for those in a group but its a venue for poetry readings and creative outlets for those who feel comfortable with the surroundings. Its exactly the context in which we often work with people of that era and to be able to experience it without going to having to set it up clinically is a great bonus.

What is Occupational Therapy?

What is Occupational Therapy? Is this a question we always get asked throughout our career? We all have different ways of expressing what we do but one holding principle out of all the descriptions is that we come from an holistic approach. This is a rarety within the medical model approach and increasingly more and more peiple are realising that you cannot isolate just one aspect of a persons life and treat that. You have to look at the whole situation in its entirety - not that we can solve eveything but we know environments impacts upon the social, health and aspirational. We have the ability as practitioners to improvise and think outside the box. We cannot always depend upon technology and in many cases WE the therapist are often the therapeutic tool in which we use to problem solve. Would be interesting to hear how other people have worked by improvising, thinking outside the box because they were forced to i.e. could not afford equipment, environment did not facilitate the expected treatment so you had to think of something more inventive?