Innovation and invention: the role of virtual occupational therapy in the management of motor neurone disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 241-246
Author(s):  
Malabika Ghosh ◽  
Diane Cox
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Multidisciplinary Team ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Motor Neurone ◽  
Motor Neurone Disease ◽  
Virtual Technology ◽  
Neurological Condition ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural

Background: Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive neurological condition with no known cure. Supportive management and symptom control by a multidisciplinary team forms the mainstay of treatment. Caring for patients with MND throughout the COVID-19 required service providers to think of ways to adapt the service in order to meet the acute and constantly changing needs of their service users within pandemic guidelines. Aims: This paper explores innovative changes within the occupational therapy service provision during the pandemic and how it supports the multidisciplinary team (MDT) working. It also evaluates the merits and disadvantages of using virtual technology in specific areas of occupational therapy intervention. Methods: A set of prioritisation criteria was developed to understand the rationale for virtual versus face-to-face input. A reflective process has been used to identify and evaluate innovative service provision in occupational therapy in the management of motor neurone disease. Findings: Virtual consultations were an effective way of providing certain aspects of occupational therapy input. Virtual consultations were found to be less effective during moving and handling assessments, complex environmental adaptations assessment and when managing complex cognitive presentations. During the pandemic there was a rise in referrals for cognitive behavioural management, a specialist area of expertise for occupational therapy in this clinical area. A holistic approach was paramount in meeting the evolving needs of patients across functional domains. Occupational therapy complemented the caring and supportive role of nurses and other members of the MDT in the management of MND. Conclusions: Occupational therapy input can support an MDT by providing valuable assessment of functional decline, specialist equipment, supporting cognitive-behavioural performance, restoring life roles and minimising the challenges imposed by the environment. Using virtual technology discernibly can be an invaluable approach to occupational therapy practice within an MDT setting for managing a progressive neurological condition, such as MND, during a pandemic.

Legal, Regulatory, and Institutional Framework of Water and Sanitation Services in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Magawa
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Regulatory Cooperation ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa

Deteriorating quality of service provision and disease outbreaks (such as cholera) led to the institution of water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector reforms in Eastern and Southern Africa region in the 1990s. The realization of the urgent need to improve the performance of the sector, especially as related to health impacts, resulted in the formulation of new policy and legal and institutional frameworks to reorganize the sector and establish regulators who could address networked and nonnetworked WSS systems. Regulators as policy implementers have the delicate role of balancing the interests of government, service providers, and consumers. Decision- makers continue to design, implement, and evaluate the outcomes associated with new frameworks. Regional regulatory cooperation can accelerate improvements in service provision to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through development of common frameworks and approaches for WSS that can be adapted to unique country situations.

Memorialization Practices Are Changing: An Industry Perspective on Improving Service Outcomes for the Bereaved

2019 ◽  
pp. 003022281987376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Lowe ◽  
Bruce Rumbold ◽  
Samar M. Aoun
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Formal Service ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Two Phases

Although considerable research efforts have focused on bereavement outcomes following loss, there are few studies which address the role of memorialization, particularly as it relates to formal service provision. Currently the funeral, cemetery, and crematorium industries are observing a steady decline in traditional and formal memorialization practices. This study aims to identify current memorialization practices and emerging trends, highlight key priorities for improving service outcomes for the bereaved, and understand the implications of changing consumer preferences for service provision. The study’s qualitative research design incorporates two phases, a scoping literature review followed by in-depth interviews with eight service providers from the funeral, cemetery, and crematorium industries. A key finding is that the trend toward contemporary and informal memorialization practices blurs the lines between the role of consumers and service providers. There is a clear opportunity for service providers to engage in community education as a means of building supportive relationships with and improving service outcomes for the bereaved.

scholarly journals Traumatised, angry, abandoned but some empowered: a national survey of experiences of family caregivers bereaved by motor neurone disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 263235242110385
Author(s):  
Samar M. Aoun ◽  
Kerrie Noonan ◽  
Geoff Thomas ◽  
Bruce Rumbold
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Complicated Grief ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Motor Neurone ◽  
Motor Neurone Disease ◽  
Clinical Narrative

Background: There are few illnesses as disruptive as motor neurone disease, a fatal neurodegenerative condition, where diagnosis introduces a clinical narrative of inevitable decline through progressive immobilisation into death. Recent evidence suggests that bereaved motor neurone disease family caregivers are more likely to be at moderate or high risk of complicated grief. Methods: Qualitative data from an anonymous national survey of bereaved motor neurone disease caregivers ( n = 393) was examined through thematic analysis to explore the experiences of people who are at low, moderate, and high risk of complicated grief. Up to 40% responded to three open-ended questions: How caregivers viewed their coping strategies; the advice they had for others and what had been positive about their experience. Results: Ten themes informed the narratives of illness and loss. All three groups shared similar experiences but differed in their capacity to address them. The low-risk group seemed to recognise the uncertainty of life and that meaning needed to be created by them. For the moderate-risk group, while motor neurone disease was a major disruption, they could with support, regroup and plan in different ways. The high-risk group did not have many resources, external or internal. They felt let down when professionals did not have answers and could not see or did not know how to change their ways of responding to this unwanted situation. Conclusion: The differences in these three profiles and their narratives of loss should alert health and community service providers to identify and address the caregivers’ support needs early and throughout the caregiving journey. Motor Neurone Disease Associations are involved throughout the illness journey and need to invest in a continuum of care incorporating end-of-life care and bereavement support. Community grief literacy and enhancement of social networks are keys to improved support from families and friends that can enable the focus to be on feelings of empowerment rather than abandonment.

scholarly journals Supports for migrant farmworkers: tensions in (in)access and (in)action

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-571
Author(s):  
Susana Caxaj ◽  
Amy Cohen ◽  
Sarah Marsden
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Migrant Farmworkers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinical Encounters ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose This study aims to examine the role of support actors in promoting or hindering access to public services/spaces for migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) and to determine the factors that influence adequate support for this population. Design/methodology/approach Using a situational analysis methodology, the authors carried out focus groups and interviews with 40 support actors complimented by a community scan (n = 28) with public-facing support persons and a community consultation with migrant farmworkers (MFWs) (n = 235). Findings Two major themes were revealed: (In)access and (In)action and Blurred Lines in Service Provision. The first illustrated how support actors could both reinforce or challenge barriers for this population through tensions of “Coping or Pushing Back on Constraints” and “Need to find them first!” Justification or Preparation? Blurred lines in Service Provision encompassed organizational/staff’s behaviors and contradictions that could hinder meaningful support for MFWs revealing two key tensions: “Protection or performance?” and “Contradicting or reconciling priorities? Our findings revealed a support system for MAWs still in its infancy, contending with difficult political and economic conditions. Social implications Service providers can use research findings to improve supports for MAWs. For example, addressing conflicts of interests in clinical encounters and identification of farms to inform adequate outreach strategies can contribute to more effective support for MAWs. Originality/value This research is novel in its examination of multiple sectors as well as its inclusion of both formal and informal actors involved in supporting MAWs. Our findings have the potential to inform more comprehensive readings of the health and social care resources available to MAWs.

Distribution of Motor Neurone Disease Patients in Occupational Therapy Departments

1986 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 260-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Langford Jones ◽  
R S Ramaiah
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Motor Neurone ◽  
Motor Neurone Disease ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Community Based Services

In a study to ascertain the distribution of motor neurone disease patients in occupational therapy departments, it was found that care takes place in a variety of settings. Although occupational therapists based in the specialist units were seeing a comparatively larger number of patients, care was also provided in the nonspecialist units as well as in the community-based services. It is suggested that this finding illustrates the need for training occupational therapists in the management of motor neurone disease patients.

HIV/AIDS: A New Service Continuum for Occupational Therapy

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 194-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Molineux
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Hiv Aids

The first cases of what is now known as AIDS were reported in the USA in June 1981. The first article on occupational therapy for people with HIV/AIDS was published 6 years later in July 1987. Since that time, much has been written about the work of occupational therapists with people affected by HIV or AIDS. This article presents some of the material published on this area of work, and suggests that occupational therapy has much more to offer this group of people than is described in the literature. A new continuum of service provision is outlined and discussed. This includes practice that falls outside what might be considered the traditional role of occupational therapists. Although this article is specific to HIV/AIDS, many of the issues raised are applicable to other areas of practice.

scholarly journals The Role of Health Extension Workers in Primary Health Care in AsgedeTsi'mbla District: A Case of Lim'at T'abya Health Post

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seare Hadush Desta ◽  
Shaik Yousuf Basha
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Health Post ◽  
Health Extension Workers ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

Health Extension Workers are the health service providers to the community in delivering integrated preventive, promotive and basic curative health services. Hitherto no studies have been carried out in Lim ‘at T’abya health post focusing on the role of health extension workers. Thus the researcher has randomly selected 263 participants in order to achieve the intended objectives of the study. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The result of the study identified the major Health Extension Program services which are delivered by Health Extension Workers in the health post to seek malaria treatment, child immunization and Antenatal Care followed by Postnatal Care, family planning, referral for delivery, diarrhea treatment and health education. The challenges of Health Extension Workers hindering their performance for the unsuccessful health service provision identified as strong societal cultural beliefs, remoteness, poor relation with supervisors, communication system and road construction, low remuneration, lack of refresher courses and improper attention by Qebelle administrators to health agendas. Attitude of community towards Health Extension Workers communication skill, quality of service provision and social behaviors is over all positive but the following up of referred patients and the skill to diagnosing community health problems that Health Extension Workers need to work sensitively which are answered negatively by the respondents. To increase community’s health post utilization, health posts should be equipped with minimum essential medical equipment with particular focus on malaria treatments, family planning, deliver, treatment of common illnesses and immunization services in the study area.Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 4, Issue-4: 248-266

scholarly journals The Intersectional Integration: Examining The Integration Experiences Of Middle Eastern LGBTQ+ Refugees In Canada And Service Providers Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yazan Alhajali
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Guidance Services ◽  
Safe Spaces ◽  
Mental Health Service Provision

The intersectional identities of Middle Eastern LGBTQ+ (ME-LGBTQ+) refugees expose them to different forms of discrimination and persecution throughout the asylum experience, whether in their home countries, proxy countries or even in Canada, which results in increased difficulties and challenges in integration. By interviewing six ME-LGBTQ+ refugees and conducting a content analysis on 27 websites of refugee-serving organizations, this study explores how the intersectional identities of ME-LGBTQ+ refugees have shaped their integration, and examines the role of the services providers in response to their intersectional integration. The findings revealed that ME-LGBTQ+ refugees suffered intersectional forms of discrimination at the intersection of nationality with gender and sexuality, which resulted on aggravated mental stresses, in addition to gaps in access to services which ME-LGBTQ+ refugees mitigated through their personal solidarity networks. The content analysis revealed gaps in mental health service provision and representation of LGBTQ+ refugees coupled with a complex and overlapping structure of services that hindered the ability of ME-LGBTQ+ refugees to leverage these services. Recommendations include allocating more efforts to understanding the intersectional backgrounds of ME-LGBTQ+ refugees, providing tailored orientation and guidance services in their native language and creating LGBTQ+ friendly housing communities and safe spaces that would allow ME-LGBTQ+ refugees to socialize, express their identities and feel safe, and, therefore, facilitating their successful integration in Canada. Keywords LGBTQ+, Refugees, Immigrants, Canada, Toronto, Middle Eastern, Service providers, Resettlement organizations, Refugee organizations, intersectionality.

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