Working as a COTA I have noticed more and more people of larger size on my caseload recently. I tend to note that as much as their admitting diagnosis can vary, many have similar health issues. Working with people of size is no different than working with any other patient, but it will require good strength and body ...

  Working as a COTA in a prn status has its advantages, but it also has it disadvantages too. As much as the flexibility of setting your own schedule is nice, some days there is no need for extra help.   So working prn status you can set the hours and days you prefer to work. That is nice for times when you need a day off for a ...

  I really have to say the new computer system is really affecting my productivity. It is terrible, but lately all I do during a treatment is check minutes. In the many buildings I travel to therapists are dealing with the issue in different ways, and for the most part I don't like it.   So our daily log is now one page with a list ...

  So at work this week one of my schedules had five patients on it. Four of these were in the facilities locked unit, meaning their major diagnosis was Alzheimer's or dementia. Three of the four refused to do any therapy without a lot of coaxing and encouragement. Spending the time to talk them into doing any therapy wasted so much time ...

  Just this week I had a patient who made my day. This person was very friendly, willing to participate addressing all of their goals, and had some great stories. It made the entire treatment pass so quickly I went way over the scheduled time.   But this got me thinking about patients I've worked with over the years, especially some ...

  What type of clothing do you wear to work in a long term care setting? Over my years I have seen everything from a dress shirt/tie and three piece pant suits to scrubs and jeans. With the different activities we address as COTAs in LTC there are different opinions as to what is appropriate.   As I said the different clothing I've ...

 At work today another staff member cautioned me to wash my hands often, as there seemed to be a bug in the building. Back in school I remember the importance that was stressed with proper hand washing techniques, before and after treatment with each patient, before and after eating, and after any ADL's. As a teacher I remember teaching the ...

  Some time ago I wrote a blog about COTA salaries, and in it I mentioned that with the increased cost of schooling and decrease in salaries that soon we may see a shortage of people seeking to enter the field. Was that a bad prediction?   The cost of the two required years of OTA school can vary greatly. At the local community ...

  How big is your rehab gym? Is it big enough to hold all the walkers, wheelchairs, parallel bars and other equipment needed in the gym? Are you able to comfortably seat 20% of the therapy caseload in the gym at the same time without having to jump over objects or step on toes?   Over the years I have found that the size of the gym ...

  You might have seen this in the news, but the presidents federal Health Care Fraud and Abuse Program are hard at work uncovering scams in the system. In 2012 alone they were able to recover $4.2 billion from both companies and individuals who were trying to cheat the system. This was the highest three year total recovered since the ...