Occupational Therapy Assistant with Lindsey Mong

>> There's always a way.

There's always a way to
improve a person's condition.

[ Music ]

>> Everything that I've ever
really been interested it's all

here and that's one
reason why I love OT

so much is it's not boring.

There's so much going on here.

>> Occupational Therapy is

about helping people do
what they want to do.

That would be my definition

and so the preparation is
a combination of classes,

lectures, laboratories,
and fieldwork.

>> So they get their real
first-hand field experience

in addition to the
classroom experience

that allows them the hands-on
learning, which is so essential.

>> You are expected to pretty
much do everything hands-on just

like you were if you were
graduated and working.

>> And then we would then take
this and put it on the foot...

>> Riverwoods is a
fantastic facility.

What I do here is
mostly acute care,

which means that residents might
only stay for a week to a month.

We work on strengthening
or kitchen mobility,

getting around the
kitchen, teaching them how

to use adaptive equipment, such
as sock donners or reachers.

>> Mary has degenerative
joint disease

and basically her hip was
worn down to the point

that it was bone against
bone, so she went in

and had a total hip replacement.

>> Compared to some people's
conditions this is nothing,

To me it's very important
to learn

to take care of myself again.

>> Most of our goals had to do
with ADLs is what we call them,

activities of daily living. She
really was feeling helpless

and at that point
in time she was.

And then as we worked on it

and as the wound
healed a little bit,

she gained a little
bit more function

and as she got more
comfortable with the equipment

and with herself, she made
improvements very fast.

>> You look for that little
light behind their eyes

and know it's there and that's
what you are looking for

and that's what you're really
trying to find and light

that fire so that they
can then understand,

"I can do this myself."

>> Lindsey has really built up
my morale and my confidence too

that I can handle
this when I go home.

>> I read a bulletin board

and it had stated everything
that occupational therapy does.

And they talked about the
psychology that goes into it,

the teaching, the one-on-one
working, helping people get back

to you know independent
and it is everything

that I would want
to do with somebody.

So, I made an appointment with
Barbara Natell and she sold me.

>> In healthcare so much of
the work is about getting --

about curing the illness, about
remediating the dysfunction,

fixing the part that's broken.

In occupational therapy it's
about bringing people back

to their participation in life.

>> The occupational
therapist goes in

and evaluates the
patient and finds

out what their abilities are and
what they would hope to achieve

and what's important to them.

From that they then write up
a treatment plan and the goals

and then the occupational
therapist assistant will then go

in and implement
the treatment plan

and help them to
achieve the goals.

>> I have to know
specifically who that person is

and what are their occupations

and what makes them
an individual and I do

that with this client-centered
kind of exchange.

I'm more of a consultant
to their process of healing

than the director
of their healing.

>> We do not pity our clients.

We really see them as a
whole person who has value,

who has work, and
we respect them,

we respect what they
bring to this table.

>> You know I like the spices.

>> You like the spices.

>> Yeah.

>> I knew that I would
enjoy working with people,

but I had no clue how
attached I would, you know get

to the people I was
working with.

And you know and I almost wish
I could call her up in a week

and see how she is doing, but I
don't think that's professional.

>> I am going to
be thanking Lindsey

under my breath a good bit.

She has really done wonders.

>> Just to know how
much she appreciates me

and how much I have done for her
I don't know what else I would

do beside this.

I mean, it really let
me know that I am --

this is the career for me
and I am very happy with it.

I am very excited to go out
and explore the real world.