Empathy and Perspective as an OT

At the end of the last class on Wednesday, we watched a video on empathy and perspective. The video was only a few minutes long, but it was filled with several scenarios that really made me think. The video took place in a hospital, and it panned over several different people going through different circumstances. Some people were looking sad because they had family members that were dying or terminally ill; some looked scared as they awaited a diagnosis or treatment. There was a little girl that was entering the hospital to say goodbye to her father, a man struggling to move around on crutches, and a nurse who had worked a long, 12-hour shift.

The purpose of the video was to really make the viewer consider what other people are going through. As a healthcare professional, I am going to be in contact with a lot of people who may not be very nice to me or have the best attitude about a treatment. There may be some days that clients refuse to participate, and that can be frustrating as an OT. It may be easy to judge them at first, but it's important to take into consideration that I do not know what is going on in their lives or in the head. They could be having a bad day because of a dying family member or new medication they are on. Looking at things from different perspective can help me get a sense of what someone else is feeling. Being empathetic as an occupational therapist a quality that is 100% necessary in the profession to be successful and client-centered.

PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games

T H E  O L Y M P I C S - something I look forward to every two years. I've always been a huge Olympics fanatic. My absolute favorite is the Summer Olympics- I can remember back when I was 4 years old being mesmerized by the gymnasts and track and field stars on TV. The winter olympics didn't grab my attention until I was a teenager, and then I realized how cool snowboarding and alpine skiing are. For the longest time, I figured that the Olympics only consisted of summer and winter games, and it wasn't until the past few Olympic Games or so when I heard about the Paralympics.

The Paralympics have been around since the 1960s, and debuted because the number of physically impaired athletes increased dramatically after WWII. This year, there were over 650 athletes who competed in the Paralympics in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, hockey, snowboarding, and curling. The categories of athletes fall under either vision or physically impaired, and most events are divided into sitting, standing, and vision categories.

I think the Paralympic Games is an incredible way to show that just because someone is impaired or disabled, it doesn't mean they are a failure or broken. Occupational therapy relates to the Paralympic Games because just like OT, the games promote equality and individuality through the adaptability of equipment. When people watch the Paralympic Games, it makes them challenge their perspective on disability. I also think the athletes who participate in the Paralympic Games are HUGE role models for adults and children everywhere who are have physical and visual impairments. Through this, everyone can be inspired to be the best version of their self- regardless of disability.