Identity and sense of self: the significance of personhood in rehabilitation

Recovery from conditions leading to illness/disability is often defined in terms of physical improvement; however, people themselves describe their own recovery as more than this alone: it is a returning to the life they led before their illness. These two approaches highlight a potential mismatch between the way we as health care professionals perceive our world (the observable) and the way the people we are caring for perceive their world (often hidden from us). In this presentation I will explore how we can access the subjective world of those who use our services by exploring the role of life narratives within rehabilitation. I will share ideas from research linked to life changes, sense of self, and agency which we can use to inform our practice and support people in their recovery and rehabilitation

Cutting to the roots of a problem: HarborOne Multicultural Center

After Brockton immigrants were taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders, a credit union decided to tackle root causes. Its resulting learning center, profitable today, is a prime example of doing well by doing good.Immigrants - Massachusetts ; Credit unions - Massachusetts ; Unbanked

Thinking holistically: Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation

A new idea in affordable housing—in-home child-care businesses—exemplifies big-picture thinking in community revitalization.Community development corporations - Rhode Island ; Housing - Rhode Island ; Child care - Rhode Island

Fostering Hope Through Palliative Rehabilitation

Cancer patients’ need for rehabilitation is growing, as more and more people live with the long-term consequences of disease and its treatment due to early detection and improved treatment regimens. There are a number of people living with incurable cancer who have symptoms that need to be managed for many years, paralleling long-term conditions. Beyond clinical management, a sense of hope is vital in enhancing their quality of life

Impact of the DRA Citizenship and Identity Documentation Requirement on Medi-Cal: Findings From Site Visits to Six Counties

Evaluates how the 2006 requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries to present proof of citizenship affected the workloads of California counties and enrollees' and applicants' access to Medi-Cal. Examines stakeholders' views of the requirement

Exploring positive adjustment in people with spinal cord injury.

This study explored adjustment in people with spinal cord injury; data from four focus groups are presented. Thematic analysis revealed four themes, managing goals and expectations, comparison with others, feeling useful and acceptance, showing participants positively engaged in life, positively interpreted social comparison information and set realistic goals and expectations. These positive strategies show support for adjustment theories, such as the Cognitive Adaptation Theory, the Control Process Theory and Response Shift Theory. These results also provide insight into the adjustment process of a person with spinal cord injury and may be useful in tailoring support during rehabilitation

How do you exercise with epilepsy? Insights into the barriers and adaptations to successfully exercise with epilepsy.

Exercise has been shown to be a physiological and psychological benefit for people with epilepsy (PWE). However, barriers prevent many PWE from exercising safely and confidently. This research explored current perceived barriers to exercise and adaptation techniques used by PWE in order to maintain physical activity levels. Three focus groups (2-3 participants per group) and three semi-structured interviews were conducted (11 participants total). Constructive grounded theory was used to frame the study and analyse the findings, presenting new insight into the motivation, perceived barriers, and adaptation techniques used to exercise. The main motivator to maintain physical activity levels was the benefit of exercise on physical and mental health. This was shown in an increase in mood, higher social interaction, and perceived improvement in overall physical health as a result of exercise. Current barriers to exercise included a fear of injury, lack of social support, and exercise-induced seizures (e.g., through overheating and/or high exercise intensity level). Adaptation techniques used were self-monitoring through the use of technology, reducing exercise frequency and intensity level, and exercising at certain times of the day. The importance of social support was shown to provide increased confidence and positive encouragement to exercise, contrasting with family and friends worrying for his/her safety and medical professionals requesting termination of some physical activities. These findings provide new insight into current adaptation techniques that are used and developed by PWE to overcome common barriers to exercise. These new additions to the literature can lead to further development of such techniques as well as examine current medical professionals' knowledge of the benefits of exercise for PWE

Enhancing Conversations with English Language Learners in Communication Centers

Communication centers often focus on supporting students’ communicative competencies in public speaking but some centers have expanded this focus to include support for English language learners (ELLs). Armed with research on the value of conversation in language acquisition, the University Speaking Center has incorporated peer consulting of ELLs, known as conversation consultations, into its offered services and evolved over time through a collaborative process with student staff, English language instructors, and ELLs in efforts to be both effective and responsive to those who we seek to support. The motivation to support speakers in their ongoing process of becoming more confident and competent oral communicators has allowed for the development of a multifaceted model of service for ELLs at each level of language acquisition

Autoethnography in occupational science: me, we or they?

Studies of engagement in occupation have involved small group of individuals (Carin-Levy and Jones, 2007), ‘they’ or the occupational scientist/therapist themselves, (Taylor, 2008), ‘me’. My PhD research into “creative writing as an occupation” proposes an integrated approach combining autoethnography with collaborative group exploration of narratives to gain the perspective of the ‘we’. The exploration of an occupation by those who participate in it, including one who has a perspective as an occupational therapist will contribute to a deep understanding of the range of personal and sociocultural meanings (Creek, 2010) and will seek to frame the findings in occupational terms. This approach steps into a wider debate about ‘Heartful’ autoethnography, where evocative narratives ‘create the effect of reality’ (Ellis, 1999, p. 669) versus analytic autoethnography, where the researcher, a member of the research group has the specific aim of developing theoretical understanding (Anderson, 2006). Ellis and Bochner (2006) challenge the need for this analytical shift arguing that theorising or generalizing from autoethnography by using traditional analysis negates the way stories work. Through framing questions in occupational terms the narrative stories gathered will both speak for themselves and highlight occupational experience in a way that is immediately relatable to practising therapists. Anderson, L. 2006. Analytic Autoethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35(4), 373-395. Carin-Levy, G. and Jones, D., 2007. Psychosocial Aspects of Scuba Diving for People with Physical Disabilities: an occupational science perspective. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(1), 6-14. Creek, J., 2010. The Core Concepts of Occupational Therapy: a dynamic framework for practice. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Ellis, C. 1999. Heartful Autoethnography. Qualitative Health Research. 9(5), 669-683. Ellis, C.S. and Bochner, A.P. 2006. Analyzing Analytic Autoethnography: an autopsy. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35(4), 429-449. Taylor, J. 2008. An autoethnographic exploration of an occupation: doing a PhD. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(5), 176-184