''I can explain it to you, Joey, but the understanding is up to you.'' - Dennis the Menace (by H. Ketcham), 11/23/09   What guidelines do you use when seeking informed consent from your clients? I have often thought about the challenges inherent in the concept of informed consent when interacting with and providing services for ...

Hey, all!  Here we are heading toward Thanksgiving and ''all you can eat Turkey Day!''  I crack up when people say, ''Gosh, I feel so tired after Thanksgiving dinner because of all those tryptophans!''  I can't imagine that it just might be from simply eating too much!  But who am I to judge, especially when I am ...

Based in Ann Arbor, MI, The Legacies Project archives self selected memories from the elderly population and categorizes it into videotaped histories.  It began as Jimmy Rhoades recounts a personal experience.  ''My dad was diagnosed with cancer and we were told he had six months to a year to live.  I was in my 20s and still ...

Back in August, I blogged about my mother and her attitudes about death. Recently, we had the opportunity – if you can call it that – to examine the subtleties of her perspective, and how it is reflected in her advanced directive. Mom was taken to the ER around 10 p.m. on Saturday night with severe back pain that turned out to be the symptom of ...

  Hi, again!  I'm afraid you caught me in another ''I wonder how people can BE that way'' mood!  I'll try to keep the frustration from weasling its way into my ''voice'' today; but it will be difficult.  So, let me tell you my story and get it over with. As an occupational therapist, I have had the distinct pleasure of ...

  Healthcare reform, the economic depression, reduced insurance reimbursements, Medicare and Medicaid cutbacks, how will this affect the future of the COTA?             Some people are quite nervous right now, thinking that Obama's healthcare reform will eliminate the COTA position. ...

  Well, I must admit that talking to others with different experiences and listening to the other side of the story is one good way to learn. This past weekend my thoughts were changed on the health care reform issues, and simply by listening to another opinion from someone who sees another side of the story. ...

  Changes in Medicare funding for skilled nursing facilities happened just a few days ago on October 1st. These changes will cut deeper into the budgets of all Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF's), but the impact will be felt more in smaller SNF's.  With strained budgets, it will more than likely affect the quality of care our senior ...

  Sometimes family members of some of my patients are so clueless it really makes me wonder what they are thinking. Some seem to think therapy is a magic bullet, and we can cure any problem. In the past, there have been a couple of real backward thinking people I've dealt with, but just recently there has been a couple people that have ...

  Probably one of the hardest things to learn as a therapist is writing progress notes. If you're involved in long term care, then you know these are a requirement from Medicare and insurance companies. Documentation of their patient's progress is normally required at specific time ...