Sunday 25 March 2012

Occupational Engagement

This powerpoint had to link people playing games through doing, being, belonging and becoming in an occupation. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my chosen occupation which is Games. My fieldwork two placement was in a facility where service users had mental and physical disabilities. Whilst on my placement I participated and organised games for the service users at the facility. Some examples of the games I organised were the parachute game, housie, a series of ball and co-ordination games. With these games I would try to motivate and involve all the service users by getting them participating and socialising with other service users and enjoying themselves.

One concept is doing which includes "purposeful, goal orientated activities, doing has been the traditional pre occupation of occupational therapy" (Hammell, 2004, p. 301). In my powerpoint I have used images which represent this concept are 3, 4, 13 and 16. Many people find games purposeful, meaningful and people set out goals they want to achieve whilst playing them. Many find games fun, challenging, enjoyable and being valued by your peers, well I personally do. Games also express meaning through 'doing' and you can explore new opportunities.

The next concept is Being this is "time taken to reflect be introspective or meditative" (Hammell, 2004, p. 301). Being can also take place in the form of arts, music, nature and being valued by people. Images I have chosen represent this concept are 1, 5, 11 and 12. People love feeling involved and participating in activities. Being is also a time for people to reflect and be themselves as they experience life by getting amongst the games and have fun.

The next concept is Become this is "envisioning a future self, who or what a person wishes to become through development of self and learning" (Hammell, 2004, p. 302). Images that I have chosen that represent this concept well are 4, 9, 10, 13 and 19. People engage themselves in various activities in this case games so they can gain new experiences, learn new skills and discover more about themselves.

The last concept I will discuss is Belonging this is "social interaction, mutual support and friendship, sense of being included to occupational performance and life satisfaction" (Hammell, 2004, p. 302). Images that I have used to represent this concept include 1, 5, 6, 8, 14, 15 and 18. I personally believe that belonging is the most important concept as through interaction with other people you learn and develop new skills, friendships, memories and you have a great time. Also brings people together and opportunities given.

The ethical considerations I have made in relation to the images I have chosen include, I have gained informed consent from all people pictured in my images. I have referenced any online sources that I have used and have remained fully confidential to the mental health setting I had placement as I have provided no names or places. Another issue is the limited control over who sees and uses photographs once they have been placed on the internet. This raises concerning issues who do we have responsibility to and who is accountable. 




References

Hammell, K. (2004). Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 300 - 302. 


Tuesday 13 March 2012

Technology!

Kiaora campers!

Welcome to my blog...

Technology...it's surrounding us! Upon looking up definitions for technology (there were quite a few) I settled on this one Information Technology, or IT as it is more commonly known, refers to “anything related to computing technology” (Techterms.com, 2012). This is a broad definition in which it could come under the 'umbrella term', under this heading includes networking, hardware, software and the internet, or even the people that work with these technologies. I see technology being a fantastic way for people to communicate with another. 
 
Technology is prevalent in our society as it's surrounding us in our daily lives from a persons work to their home lifestyles. Technology is becoming such an important part of everyday life as we rely on it more and more, however when it fails on us we don't know what to do and become frustrated at technology. I am one to admit that technology has a big influence on my life as I do rely on it and personally I would be lost without it. Society has become dependent on technology. Cellphones are great for staying in contact, internet communication sites to connect with others worldwide, watching movies online, photo sharing and much more. It depends what way you look at technology it either may be of help or be a hinderence for people. Basically it comes down to technology having a significant impact on my daily life as technology is surrounding our lives and is hard to escape from.


Here is a Youtube clip of how our world is ever changing with technology...enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuKu6PZXCIY

I am reasonably comfortable and competent using technology as I have a in-depth understanding and knowledge of how most technology works. However I do find with technology it is like anything the more you use it the better you become and I am constantly learning new things. IT has become the 'norm' for western society as all countries rely on it and so does our generation. Technology is vital for societies to function for example schools, hospitals, factories and many more depend on technology. I am amazed how advanced technology has become and is still changing. Some examples that come to my mind where IT has been purposeful to engage in is lecturers teaching students. The use of powerpoints which help students learn and using the internet whether it be showing a clip on you tube to further educate students to get a point across and it also accommodates for all learning styles.

Whilst on my FW1 placement I had the opportunity to see occupational therapists at work using computers to record clients notes and share and access other information files from other therapists. I was fortunate on my placement that there were no issues with the computer systems. However I can imagine if a computer failed to work the therapist would be unable to access clients notes and therefore delay their day with client appointments. Technology has it’s place in just about any aspect of life. Occupational Therapists are able to use such devices to enhance quality of both clients and their own practice. Personally in today's society as OT's we cannot ignore the technology that could be yet another effective tool or an enabling agent in the problem solving process. However at the same time we must be mindful that not everyone is technologically aware or comfortable enough to use the equipment, thus education or alternative methods would be appropriate. Also technology is to improve a persons functional independence and therapeutic tool to improve occupational performance.


The final question I will address is ethical issues and the implications that arise from capturing, sharing and transferring information. Illegal downloading is targeted by the media as copyright and intellectual property of one should be respected and used appropriately when accessing information from the internet. Being OT students any photos we take we are aware of clients confidentiality and seek permission from an organization as to where and when photos can be used.


TechTerms.com (2012). IT (information technology) definition. Retrieved 14th March 2012 from http://www.techterms.com/definition/it