REHAB: VIRTUAL TOUR

My last post was a feeble attempt to describe a “day at the Rehab Institute.” The objective of this post is to give y’all a look around the Rehab Institute grounds. As such, it will be mostly comprised of photos. The Rehab Institute became my workspace, my safe haven, my musical playground, my landmark, my lunchroom, my battleground, and my victor’s podium. The last six weeks of my posting was spent at the Rehab Institute and it seemed that if I wasn’t asleep at home or out with friends, then I was here. Come to think of it, I was often meeting with friends at rehab. The rest of this post will be photos with captions. Enjoy the tour!

REHAB: THE DAILY SCHEDULE.... MORE OR LESS

I am writing this post, and those hereafter, from a very different place. Well, at least geographically speaking. My physical being is now stateside, but I’m afraid that large portions of my heart and mind are still lingering on the other side of the globe. Last Friday marked the one month anniversary of my return to Washington. I could try to explain why it has taken me over a month to finish out this blog, but frankly, the details are not really that important. What you need to know is that 1.) come hell or high water I will be completing this blog, 2.) it may take me a while and a few posts.

CATHETERIZING CUCUMBERS

After a small victory with designing a low cost sock aid, some of the PMR doctors asked me to help design some adaptive equipment to increase independence in bowel and bladder management for their tetraplegia patients. Right. “What have I gotten myself into?” was the first thought that ran through my head. I like a good challenge, especially one that promises increased independence for my patients. I was ready to tackle the project.

OTICON

I promised that I would write about the All India Occupational Therapy Association (AIOTA) annual conference that I was privileged to attend earlier this month. This is the fulfillment of that promise. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten all that transpired that week.

TRIVANDRUM

I have been in Trivandrum, Kerala, since last Sunday morning. For those of you just tuning in, I came here for the annual national All Indian Occupational Therapy Association conference. When I first learned that the national OT conference was going to be held at the end of February, I decided that I should go if all the right parties permitted. It was a chance in a lifetime to attend the national conference of another OT association. I will be dedicating a post to the conference at a later date for those interested in knowing more about the happenings there. This is about Trivandrum.

BEING BI-VOCATIONAL

I spent last summer working as an agricultural research assistant in Eastern Washington. I spent many hours sitting in solitude, ripping open plastic bags that contained soil samples from research projects conducted decades ago, and dumping them into a huge pit of organic matter. To liven things up I would occasionally be attacked by a flock of swallows who were none too pleased that I was hanging out and kicking up dust in their neighborhood. I had a lot of time to think while I was out dumping soil. Though it was not a job that I sought out to further my career in OT, it was a job that taught me a lot about life. It was at this job that I met Jason.

TO PATIENT ZERO FROM THE INFERNO

(This was written on February 25, 2013)

Last week I started my posting at the CMC Rehabilitation Institute. I am working on the first floor with mostly patients with spinal cord injuries. I was told that I would enjoy my posting at rehab, and so far this has proven to be the case. With the OT confidence and energy I gained while working in OPD the previous week, I was ready with plenty of vim and vigor to meet patients and get to work. I was briefly oriented to the facility and then left with one of the OTs on the first floor. She had been told that I was interested in working with patients with spinal cord injuries, and suggested that I spend the day observing and then begin the next day. Little did she know that “spend the day observing” is a phrase that I have come to loath here in India, and I intended to do some “hands-on observing.”

MELA

(Written on Sunday, February 24th)

The pace of life here in India is slower, but somehow that doesn’t translate into more free time for me to relax or keep up with my blog. Seems as though I am about a week behind on things. I’m going to try to do some catch up this week as I am not at CMC doing my typical routine. This morning I arrived in Trivandrum, Kerala, for the All India Occupational Therapy Association conference. More on this later, first I need to cover the events of last weekend and the past week.

A SISTER'S INSPIRATION. A THERAPIST'S PROVISION. A STUDENT'S INNOVATION. A PATIENT'S REHABILITATION

Last week I mixed things up. I left CHAD. This may or may not be a surprise to some. I loved my CHAD posting, but my love was fickle and conditional. I loved my days with Sam when we were out in the villages MacGyver-ing up treatment plans and adaptations for patients in the remote areas of Vellore. I struggled, a lot, through my days when I was simply an amateur photographer posing as an occupational therapist. Although I loved seeing the village life, and was challenged to capture it in time, I didn’t come here for that purpose. I once again felt the chains bind me. Last Friday I had had enough. I changed my posting to OPD (Out-Patient Department) back at the hospital. I had spent some time observing there, and this blog will give you a brief overview of life in OPD. My return to OPD was not just as an observer, but as a student therapist.

SAM'S JOB

Have you ever had days, or even moments, when you are engaged in an activity, task, or job and you find yourself thinking “Eureka! This is what I want to do when I grow up!”? I have. Today. It was wonderful. Epic even. Until I realized that a.) at twenty-eight I should really be grown up by now, and b.) I think my dream job is nearly impossible for me to do. Before I go on, I should mention that if you haven’t read this post yet, you should probably stop reading this now and read that post first. This one might make more sense if you take my advice. Or not. This whole post may be hard to understand. But I digress.

THE CAPTIVATED HELD CAPTIVE

As mentioned in previous posts, I am now at CHAD (Community Health and Development). I will be here for about three weeks. I will be honest. This has not been my favorite post. I was excited about it because I knew it would be an opportunity to see what OT in the community looks like through the Indian perspective. After hearing stories like my young patient in Q3 with the spinal cord injury, I was interested in seeing how others like him were doing and what was CMC doing for them. I started the week with great expectations.

HEARTACHE

I met him during his initial occupational therapy assessment. He had been admitted to CMC after spending a month in a local hospital. He is eighteen years old and his spine was injured in a wrestling accident in the middle of last November. He has a C4 complete spinal cord injury leaving him with the ability to shrug his shoulders and there is a mild flicker of biceps muscle activation on his right arm. He is the youngest of four children. His father is a farmer and his mother a housewife. He lives in a village house with a mud floor and asbestos sheet roof. There is no toilet in the house. The front door is too narrow for a wheelchair to fit through, and it is likely that if a wheelchair could fit through the door, there would be little room for it once it made it past the threshold.

CMC- Q3

Last week I finished my posting in the Q3 Ward of the hospital. The patient population is similar to that of A2 (primarily spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries) only this is the general ward, meaning that patients don’t have the resources to pay for health care. The services they receive on Q3 are the same as A2, only in a more… economical fashion. There are four to seven beds per “room” and all the beds share one bathroom. The spaces are smaller and medical supplies used are less fancy, though they get the job done.

CMC- A2

I spent the entirety of last week as an occupational therapy elective student in the acute care unit of the CMC hospital. I was in A Block. A Block is the area of the hospital that provides healthcare for the patient population that can afford to pay, thus the hospital rooms and staff to patient ratio is a little more pleasant than the general ward. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I was working with two other occupational therapists, Paul and Elizabeth. You have met them before (if you have been following along with this blog).

OUT-PATIENT OT at CMC

I have delayed in writing and posting the blogs on occupational therapy in India. I’m not really sure why, other than I’ve had so many thoughts whirling around in my head that I can’t seem to organize them all. Last week I spent each day in a different unit of occupational therapy at the CMC, thus getting a broad overview of each area. I was then allowed to choose which area I wanted to be “posted” in. I spent time in the OPD ward (Out Patient Department), A2 (basically acute care for those who can pay), Q3 (acute care for those who cannot pay), Psychiatry, Rehabilitation Institute, and CHAD (Community Health and Development). I plan on taking a post for each area. Today I will attempt to tackle Out Patient OT. Disclaimer: All photos were taken with permission from patients and OT staff. No real patient names will be used.

OT in INDIA

I’m going to attempt to describe OT in the out-patient unit of the hospital. In a word; chaotic. From what I have seen, therapy in general relies heavily upon family. Family training is a huge part of treatment. Keep that in mind.

GETTING STRONGER

Day Two start with me waking up to my alarm which means that although I didn't feel like it, I did actually sleep. I readied myself and headed over to College. I didn't feel much like eating, so I decided to skip breakfast for now and catch the 7:30 bus to the Hospital. There is a CMC bus that runs a few times in the morning and evening between College and the Hospital. It is free and quick. It will be my commute if I am placed at the Hospital. I met Bridget at the bus stop and she rode with me to the Hospital. I had intended to take care of some administration details, but after questioning Bridget about them, she told me to take care of it later and since she wasn't able to find what she needed when she arrived, she advised me to take care of it with my original contact at the College. I may try again on Monday, but it is likely that I will take her advice.