Theories give OT practitioners a way of knowing why they are using a specific intervention. What I admire about the occupational therapy profession is how clients are always viewed in a holistic way, looking at their individual environment, occupational performance, and personal interests. One model I particularly like is the Kawa Model. The Kawa Model gives the occupational therapist a more concrete way of looking at each individual's life, and the factors that play a role in it. Therapists need to be able to explain why they are doing a certain treatment so that the clients can also have a clear understanding of the intervention. The Kawa Model looks more at the cultural context, making it useful for any client. It makes clear occupational therapy's overall purpose, ways of understanding a client's circumstances, and explaining why a particular intervention will be helpful within their personal context. This model compares life to being a river, flowing through time and space, while being affected by factors such as barriers, relationships, and personal characteristics. I think this is a great way of clarifying how OT works. The implementation of OT theory is vital in carrying out a valid intervention that will hopefully provide a more meaningful, independent life for every client.
For this assignment, I decided to watch a movie called The Fundamentals of Caring. The title of this movie had caught my eye while scrolling through Netflix a few times before, but I had never taken the time to watch it. This movie is about a retired author named Ben who decides to enroll in a class and become a caregiver. He takes on a full time job caring for a boy named Trevor who has muscular dystrophy. Although Ben has no previous experience as a caregiver, it does not take long for him to gain the respect of Trevor. He decides to get Trevor out of the house and away from his dull daily routine to embark on a road trip together. Trevor saw and experienced things that he would never have had the chance to do before Ben came into his life. Ben made sure that Trevor could check things off of his bucket list without solely focusing on the worry of medicines and treatments for a week. My main takeaway from this movie was how Ben did not treat Trevor differently...
"The implementation of OT theory is vital in carrying out a valid intervention that will hopefully provide a more meaningful, independent life for every client. " YES!! Very well articulated, Camille.
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