Ergonomics

"Ergonomics can be explained as the fit between people, the things they do, the objects they use and the environments they work, travel and play in. If good fit is achieved, the stresses on people are reduced.  They are more comfortable, they can do things more quickly and easily, and they make fewer mistakes" (Humanics ErgoSystems, Inc, 2008). In our tutorial we looked at ergonomics under three sub headings, person, activity and environment we made lists of examples under each:

Person:

-          Preference

-          Age

-          Timeline

-          How it makes you feel?

-          Competence

-          Agency

-          Body deficits

-          Spirituality / connection

-          Time available

-          Skill level

-          Press (Keilhofner)

Activity:

-          Adapting the activity?

-          Adaptive equipment

-          Pacing (press)

-          Spatial organisation

-          Personal assistance (adapting the task)

Environment:

-          Physical environment (moving things, ramps, accessibility)

-          Social accessibility

-          Cultural accessibility (“how we do things in this house”)

-          Political environment

In relation to painting and drawing I was able to make my own lists and examples under the different headings. When looking at the person aspect of ergonomics I took notes on how since getting older and leaving school I have started to do less art. I looked at how painting and drawing makes me relaxed and I feel in control. It is an activity that can make me feel very competent at times but at others I can feel like I have no idea what I am doing. When looking at body deficits I am using mainly my right arm for the entire task and usually sitting on the floor. I usually do this task by myself and although I sometimes have trouble finding the time to do it once I start I am in no hurry.

When looking at ergonomics from the activity aspect I noted down things such as sometimes I choose to draw rather than paint as it is less time consuming and requires less time spent preparing and washing before and after the activity. I noted down how you can choose what you are drawing or painting and how far you want to go with it, whether it be easy or hard. You can choose things such as colour, size, what tools or brushes you’re going to use along with many other choices.

When focusing on the environment aspect of ergonomics I realized that I could do my art almost anywhere. I often do it at my house in my bedroom or lounge but if it is a good day I love to do my paintings and drawings outside in the sun. I like to have lots of space when I am painting so I usually will clear the floor for all of my things before I get started. I like to have a relaxing environment when I paint and draw so I always play my “chillen” playlist on my iPod and crank it right up to sing along to.

 References:

Humanics ErgoSystems, Inc. (2008). What is Ergonomics? Retrieved October 28, 2011, from Humanics Ergonomics: http://www.humanics-es.com/def-erg.htm

Painting and Drawing

This semester we have been asked to continue with our blogs from participation in occupation one into participation in occupation two. This semester me and my class mates have all chosen an activity that we are to do for at least two hours a week and blog about. The activity I have chosen I painting and drawing as it is something I love and will have no problem doing for two hours each weekJ. For my first blog post I have been asked to write about my involvement with my activity and what it means to me, so here we go. I have been painting and drawing since forever I have taken it as a subject all throughout school and NCEA. It was easily my favourite subject without a doubt. While doing art at school my teacher got me to enter a few competitions where I managed to get a placing for something but I can’t remember the details. Since leaving school I have continued to do a lot of painting for friends and family. I do a range of different paintings such as landscapes, portraits and just objects and designs.

 Since starting polytechnic I feel I have ran out of time to do painting and drawing like I used to so I love that this paper has given me the perfect excuse to start up with it again. When I do painting I find it so relaxing, I just crank the music up and paint away. I can waste hours. I like that painting lets you be completely creative and no-one can tell you that it is wrong.

I have seen art groups being run by occupational therapists before and i think they are great. These groups allow the participants to interact with each other, express themselves and promote their creativity. It’s a place where there are no rules that must be followed which allows the participant to make choices and do what they want, which could be a change from a busy structured ward where people are telling you what you’re eating, what pills your taking and who you will be meeting with that day.

I will be able to do this activity for two hours plus a week as its the perfect way to procrastinate and avoid readings ;) . It has been 3 weeks since starting my painting and drawing. I decided if i was going to do this properly I would need some new supplies so i brought paints and an art book where i will be able to keep all of my pictures together, these things were quite cheap and hopefully will last for the rest of this semester but if I run out a notepad and pencil will do the trick.

Oh well that’s all for now but i will keep you posted on my art adventures.

Bye bye blog

So i have finally finished the last of my technical description blog post's so all that's left to say is peace out and thanks for reading :)

Technical Description Eight: Assistive technology

Assistive technology can be defined as products devices and equipment which are used to help people who are having trouble functioning increase or improve their capabilities. Products of assistive technology can enable people to carry out their activities of daily living and increase independence (Gerad, 2001). To me this means equipment that makes people with disabilities lives easier as well as allowing them to do tasks without help from others. It can make everyday tasks much more simple and let them focus on more important things. This can be done with the use of a range of technologies whether it be electric wheelchairs  or communication devices which allow people to talk to others.

One item that was introduced to us in our assistive technology tutorial was an apple Ipad. This device was a very interesting piece of equipment and the way it was explained to be used in practice was very cool. Ipads with wi fi cost anywhere from $799 to $1099, depending on how many GB’s you want and need, its size is 241.2 mm in length and 185.7 in width. The Ipad has many functions as it allows you to download all different kind of applications, in total it has 65,000 applications made just for the Ipad and the range is huge. With this huge range of applications you would be sure to find one that would suit almost anyone and it can be a great way to help people interact. There are many built in features the Ipad had such as camera, music, internet and emailing as well as much more. It is very light which would make it appropriate for a range of different users whether they be children or adults as well as appropriate functions for all ages.

The Ipad can the very helpful to increase the occupational capacity for the user as it is a very interactive piece of equipment within the applications it comes with things such as children’s games, help with children’s education as well as helping children interact whether it be with music pictures or words, here i have found a few videos on youtube which show how children with disabilities are able to communicate with the help of an ipad.

here is a video of a nonverbal boy who is able to communicate and play games with the use of an ipad

and finally this video shows how a mother is able to communicate with her nonverbal daughter via the Ipad

Technical Description Seven:

For this blog post we were asked to search for 5 online blogs that relate to OT practice and make links to them so here we are J

http://bloggingot.wordpress.com/ this site is a general site for occupational therapist to discuss issue and things involved when practicing.

http://otstudents.blogspot.com/ this blog is by a practicing OT that captures her journey from beginning to now.

http://wiihabtherapy.blogspot.com/ a blog about how Wii is used in rehab settings

http://karajojo.blogspot.com/ a blog capturing the events of a traveling OT

http://jonesfr1.blogspot.com/ a class mates blog J where I posted a comment on her class video

Technical Description Six: The internet and online communities

Tutorial Six:  The internet and online communities

“An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual” (Wikipedia, 2011) so under this topic I decided to look more closely at social networks. I am a huge fan of art and photography so each social network site I have chosen gives you the chance to share your pictures online with people from all over the world. Here are links to the sites I have chosen.

www.deviantArt.com

www.facebook.com

www.flickr.com

DeviantArt is the first online community I have listed; it is a website which allows anyone wherever they are in the world to share their art publically online. There is no limit to what people can put up it can be anything from sketches, photos and paintings to murals and sculptures the list is endless. One thing I really like about this site is that it allows any other members of the site to view and comment their opinions on your work. I think that the purpose of this site is to get peoples work out and seen by others, it gives them a chance to share their creations with millions of others and see what they think. The second community I found is the common facebook, I chose Facebook not only because I am a frequent user but because it also has some of the same aspects as deviantArt like the sharing of photos. Although this may not be Facebooks main feature and what it is known for I still think it is a very good feature as it too allows people to share with people pictures as well as allowing them to leave their comments I think the purpose of this website is to share your feeling and opinions as well as keeping in contact. Flickr.com, like DeviantArt focuses its website around photographs. Just like Facebook and DeviantArt Flickr allows you to share your photos with people all over the world and receive comments as well. All of these sites give people means of communication through pictures and art.

Although having something’s in common all of these sites also offer some very different services. DeviantArt for example is solely based around art; it has online forums and chat rooms where you can discuss topics with any other members of the site as well as having the availability to purchase peoples prints. Facebook offers a huge base around keeping in contact with people by being able to leave them messages on their pages, post status updates as well as keeping up to date with everyone and their lives. Flickr is another website based around art but more specifically photographs it allows you to share photographs and videos with people you know.

The reason to why I think people contribute to the site deviantArt is it is a way to express yourself as well as a way to get other people’s views on your works. With Facebook I think the reason people contribute to it is it is a very good way to keep in contact with people no matter where in the world you are. With flickr I think that people like having the chance to show their pictures and videos with all their friends to share fun times like holidays or trips they may have had.

Here are some topics discussed on these sites:

Deviant art has many different forums that anyone can comment on like this topic for example “What do you spend most of your money on”. Facebook has many pages and groups that people can discuss such as this topic for example: When someone says "stop" my brain says "Hammertime!”  Flickr has groups similar such as “The world through photography”. Each site has a huge range of topics that are discussed; each site gives peoples to express their own opinions.There could be many problems that arise from these sites such as lack of identity and accountability. With all of these sites it would be very simple for individuals to create fake accounts as well as the details that go with it. Because of this it protects the identity of the user which is good in general but it could have some implications with fraud and people saying they are someone who they are not. These sites can be very time consuming as I have found especially around assessment time and can be a huge distraction. When having and involving yourself in these sites it would be important to not get too caught up in it as it could become quite over ruling.The benefits these online communities have over traditional geographical communities are that no matter where you are in the world you are able to communicate. With these online communities it makes taking to someone on the other side of the world so simple. You no longer need to see people if you want to talk to them or catch up on their lives. Along with this it makes it a lot cheaper than having to phone someone when they are halfway around the world as we know how expensive this can be. These communities provide a cheap and easy way to communicate with any one no matter where they are as long as they have access to the internet.Although this community has many positives it also has some negatives when comparing to traditional forms of communication. Traditionally if you wanted to talk to people you had to do it face to face or over the phone. Because of these online social networks we lose a lot of personal conversations as well as personal interactions. By being online and talking to loved ones overseas it can also take the meaning away from getting to see someone you haven’t for a long time.

Technical Description Five: Video Production Sessions

YouTube can offer many services to us whether this is for work or play. For example YouTube has a huge amount of educational videos and explanations of many different topics. It can be a great place to learn a new skill for example, dances moves, photography tricks and almost anything you could think of. From YouTube we are able to gain video resources which we can then use to help further explain examples like I have been doing within this blog.  YouTube can provide people with music and videos which can be very meaningful to individuals as well as giving them a chance to express their own opinions.

I was asked to introduce a topic of interest which I have drawn on from fieldwork placements so I decide to do relaxation. Relaxation is a broad topic to explain but in general it is a release of tension. On my fieldwork placement we had night sessions once a week where the occupational therapist took a relaxation class with the clients on the ward. People who attended expressed how much they enjoyed these classes and I must admit they worked very well. At the end of my placement I was lucky enough to be allowed to give it a go and found it a very cool exercise to run. So with this topic I have been asked to find five different sources of online video content that help explain or demonstrate this topic so sit back and enjoy.

Firstly I have an example of guided relaxation.

This video focuses mostly on relaxing your muscles and has a really helpful explanation at the beginning.

This explains some techniques to help relaxing and also mentions alternatives you could do if this kind of relaxation is not for you.

This movie I found really good as the instructor talks you through how to get relaxed when experiencing a phobia. I found it very helpful as she uses herself to demonstrate.

There are many relaxation tracks on YouTube that are all kinds of noises that individuals may find relaxing such as waves crashing and birds singing. Here I found a video which is the sound of rain.