Fauquier Health hosts Pediatric Social Skills Camp

Thank you to everyone who participated in our week-long Pediatric Social Skills Camp! There were 21 participants in two groups, each participating one hour daily, Monday through Friday. The program was planned and supervised by Fauquier Health Rehabilitation Services personnel:

• Heather Smith, Speech Language Pathologist
• Alicia Lutman, Occupational Therapist
• Sherrie Beres, Occupational Therapist
• Kristine Trimble, Physical Therapist
  

Activities included:

• Introductions
• Taking turns
• Asking for what you need
• Sharing
• Measuring your feelings
• Following instructions and schedules
• Working together as a team
• Show and Tell
• Recognizing others for their accomplishments
  

The children had a great time and made new friends while learning appropriate social interaction skills. Information was shared with parents on the last day of camp to assist children in carryover of these skills at home and in the community.
Thanks again to all our participants. We hope you had fun while learning some useful new skills!

April is Occupational Therapy Month

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HELPS INDIVIDUALS
LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

Occupational therapy enables people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy’s purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.

When working with an occupational therapy practitioner, strategies and modifications are customized for each individual to resolve problems, improve function, and support everyday living activities. The goal is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic approaches, occupational therapy helps individuals design their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will allow them to thrive.

By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:

· Achieve goals
· Function at the highest possible level
· Concentrate on what matters most to them
· Maintain or rebuild their independence
· Participate in daily activities that they need or want to do.

Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to http://www.aota.org/.


If you feel you or someone you know may benefit from occupational therapy services please call us at (540) 316-2680 to learn more. Or click on the button below to ask a question.

Do you suffer from dizziness?

You are not alone. Did you know that symptoms of dizziness are the third most frequent reason people over the age of 65 seek medical attention? Dizziness is the number one reason people over the age of 70 seek medical attention.

Fifty percent of individuals over the age of 65 who suffer from dizziness will develop a particular form of vertigo that can be alleviated with one simple physical therapy treatment. The most common form of vertigo is Benign Paroxsymal Positioning Vertigo (BPPV).

Symptoms include:

• Sudden onset
• Brief episodes of dizziness, typically lasting less than one minute
• A sense of imbalance or motion sensitivity brought on by changes in head position relative to gravity by activities such as:
  o Lying down
  o Rolling over in bed
  o Bending over
  o Looking up

BPPV is caused by tiny crystals being dislodged in the inner ear causing changes in the movement of lymph fluid, giving you the sensation you are losing your balance.

Fortunately, this problem is easily detected and can be treated with a few different repositioning techniques to move the crystals through the ear canal and “dump” them into an area that no longer causes vertigo. This treatment is usually very successful, with resolution of all symptoms within 1 or 2 therapy sessions.

A Vestibular Rehabilitation course was recently held at Fauquier Hospital and was attended by some of our therapists. They received training in these vestibular techniques and are ready to help alleviate your dizziness. If you feel you may benefit from this service and would like to hear more, please call us at 540-316-2680. Or click on the button below to ask a question.

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