Blog 6 Practical Considerations

Blog 6: Practical Consideration

According to Christiansen & Townsend (2004), practical considerations are objects and tools that are necessary to be able to perform and engage in occupations. This is very important to take into consideration because if necessary precautions are not taken into account than the final outcome that is desired could lead to disaster. 

I do shift work hence a work mate called me to ask if I could bring dessert over the weekend. A “potluck” dinner had been arranged for all staff working the afternoon shift. So the day before I decided to make pavlova to impress everyone at work because a few of them were really good cooks. I am very methodical when it comes to baking so I did my usual check to see if I had all the ingredients. I than made sure the kitchen was clean before I could start my baking. My flat mate had just arrived from work so I was multi-tasking by mixing the ingredients and catching up with her. Everything was going well and she decided to open a bottle of wine. I was in a happy mood because it was Friday, I was baking and now sharing a bottle of wine with my favorite flattie. 

After several checks I realized that the pavlova was not turning out how I wanted it to. I was quite stressed and frustrated. I knew that I had all the right ingredients and that I had followed the recipe step by step. After an hour an a half the pavlova was not flat and not crispy. I was so disappointed and very confused. It was only when my flattie asked where the yolk for the eggs was….it was than I realized that I had used the entire egg instead of the egg white. That was the reason why the pavlova was not crispy because I did not take the practical consideration of using egg yoke in the ingredients (possibly due to alcohol). I did discuss this error with my sister who is convinced that I did not stir the mixture long enough which could be another practical consideration to take into account. I was distracted due several “logical” reasons while performing this task but in the end I just took in plain simple muffins as my contribution for “potluck”.

References:

Christiansen, C. & Townsend, E. (2004). Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Blog 5 Ambience

Blog 5: Ambience

According to YourDictionary (2011), “ambience is a specific feeling or mood connected to a specific person, place, or thing”.

 

My understanding of ambiance in relation to my activity is that baking is not only about eating to satisfy hunger. Ambiance is about how a personal emotional feeling has an impact in terms of how individuals engage in their chosen activity. This emotional feeling can either have a positive or negative impact depending on the situation individuals are faced with for example a student who has failed an assignment will not be in the mood to go into a local pub to celebrate. Failure to pass an assignment has had a negative impact to go interact with friends. However had the student passed the assignment than this would have had a positive impact to celebrate in a local pub with friends. 

Since baking evokes fond memories of the past I like to bake to continue the feeling of euphoria especially on sunny days. I always feel cheery on a sunny day which motivates me to engage in more activities compared to a rainy day. After baking I usually like to store them away to share later with either my friends or flat mates.  It is nice to receive positive feedback about my baking which reinforces me repeat this activity again. My sister and I share new recipes all the time which gives us a common interest that we both discuss about via phone or internet. This in itself is satisfying because it strengthens sibling our relationship. When I went to visit my sister, her husband and two sons in Australia I baked nearly everyday. My two nephews age 3 and 6 were absolutely delighted because when they came home there was a yummy cookies waiting to be eaten (only two each as per my sister’s instructions). This meant they come home cheery which was a constant relieve for their parents hence creating a positive environment due to everyone happy mood.

Reference:

Retrieved October 20^th 2011 from : http://www.yourdictionary.com/ambience

Blog 4 Affordances

Blog 4: Affordances:

“Affordances are an examination of the actual potentialities within the activity for expressing beauty” (Butler, 2011). Communications, connections, ethics, aesthetics, spirituality, linking with history and physical are seven sub headings that fall under affordances which is what I learnt this week.

My understanding of affordances is looking at the attractive elements of an activity.

“It is through our activities that we are connected with life and with other human beings. Through the activities in which we engage, we learn about the world, test our knowledge, practice skills, express our feelings, experience pleasure, take care of our needs for survival, develop competence, and achieve mastery over our destinies” (Hopkins & Smith, 1983, p. 296).

The activity of baking enabled my mother, sister and I to share a mother, daughter and sibling relationship. My mother was able to practice her skills of teaching while her daughter’s knowledge skills were tested through learning. This exchange of demonstrating and learning to bake was not seen as a burden but as a shared moment of memory that is to be cherished forever. 

In this blog I will look at how affordance is relevant to baking.

Baking an activity that brings personal satisfaction and I am able to express this by being creative with the size, shape and the icing decorations (communication). This activity has a connection to my mother, who taught me how to bake, and decorate cakes with icing sugar which makes the cake more appealing (aesthetics). I generally like to bake on a sunny day which makes me cheery hence perfect mood to bake. In my culture cooking is an activity performed by women (spirituality) hence the reason why baking creates a link to my mum and sister in the past (linking with history). Even though I enjoy baking one thing I don’t look forward to is the washing up of dishes (ethics). I need a clean kitchen to bake and I have a habit of leaving the kitchen tidy because I flat with other people. 

References:

Butler, M. (2011). Participation in Occupation 2: BT238001 [Lecture Notes]. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago Polytechnic, School of Occupational Therapy. 

Hopkins, H. L., & Smith, H. D. (1983). Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy. Philadelphia: Lippincott.

Blog 3 Food/Labor

Blog 3: Food/Labor

This week we looked at Food as a process of labor.

Labour is the activity which corresponds to the biological process of the human body, whose spontaneous growth, metabolism, and eventual decay are bound to the vital necessities produced and fed into the life process by labour. The human condition of labour is life itself” (Arendt, 1958, p. 7). 

Labor is an activity that is necessary to be performed repeatedly by human beings in order to stay alive. It is a continuous cycle that stops only during the time of death. The progression of labor can either be painful or pleasurable depending on how the individual perceives the meaning of the activity. For example I enjoy cooking because I can choose to create a variety of dishes that I enjoy to eat. On some days however I am exhausted and rather get takeaways however due to financial constraints have to resort to cooking. At this very moment the activity of cooking is considered by me as labor. It is an activity I have to do in order to reduce hunger pangs. 

The sole purpose of baking is for food consumption hence relevant link to labor which has been defined (in the reference above) as essential for human survival. However I don’t bake because I have to but only because I want to. Baking to me is labor of joy which I engage in either to bake a cake for a friend’s birthday, contribute as dessert towards flat dinner or store away as snack for afternoon tea. The activity of baking creates a connection to people during a social situation. It can be used as a conversation starter to discuss the ingredients used and the process involved. In my opinion the consumption of eating sweet baking products evokes the feeling of happiness which is a thoughtful offering during a sad period such as funerals, or relationship problems hence making the task of baking worth while. I am rewarded by positive feedbacks from friends and families with whom I share my baking with. This reinforces my behavior to bake again not only to receive more positive feedbacks but to fine tune my baking skills. I enjoy challenging myself by attempting new baking recipes without on most occasions thinking about the time and energy that is require of me to participate in this activity. 

References:

Arendt, H. (1958). The human condition. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Blog 2 Ergonomics

Blog 2 Ergonomics:

In Week 36, we learnt about ergonomics and its relevance to our chosen activity.  

Caulton and Dickson (2007) define the understanding of ergonomics as the ability to “constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose”. 

This blog will consider how ergonomics is linked to my chosen activity which is baking.

Baking is a leisure pursuit I like to engage in during my spare time. Today I made the decision to make bread using a bread maker machine. I chose to use this modern gadget instead of traditional oven due to convenience. I also flat with four other people hence the kitchen is a communal area in the house. I had to be mindful of how long I spent on this activity without taking over the entire kitchen space. I felt confident making bread in the bread maker machine which I have used several times in the past. As is with either a dishwasher or a washing machine all I had to do was turn the machine on and expect similar result to baking in an oven. I realized after glimpsing in my pantry, I would have to travel to the supermarket to purchase yeast which is the key ingredient. Once I had the necessary ingredients, I mixed them all and into the machine they went ready to be consumed in 45-50 minutes. 

My understanding of ergonomics (relates to paragraph above) is that it is about the fit, match or mismatch and the connection between the person, occupation (activity performed) and environment. It also considers how little shifts or adaptations are made to link the person, occupation and environment together. I was financially capable to buy ingredients and bake bread in a bread maker machine which I was comfortable to utilize (person). I drove to the supermarket instead of walking to purchase the ingredients required and I was aware that using an oven was another way to baking bread (activity). I had to perform this activity without restricting my flat mates access into the kitchen (environment).

References:

Caulton, R.& Dickson, R. (2007).  What's going on? Finding an explanation for what we do. In Creek, J., & Lawson- Porter, A. (Eds.) Contemporary issues in occupational therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd

PIO 2 - Blog 1 Mindfulness

Baking is an activity that my sister and I shared with mom every Sunday when we both lived in Fiji. Personally, I enjoy baking. It is the pleasure of creating something that is pleasant to the palate from raw ingredients. In my opinion baking adds a personal touch (e.g. birthday parties or weddings) reminding “loved ones” to appreciate the time and effort that has been invested. 

While doing this activity, I was determined to be mindful of the color, consistency, taste and smell as I mixed all the ingredients together.  I was conscious of how familiar this kitchen was to me for example I knew where items were kept in the pantry, baking utensils in the cupboard and how to operate the oven. I also took notice of the lovely aroma that took me on a journey back to my childhood….reminding me of mom and my sister. 

I remember doing baking sessions with clients in my first fieldwork placement in the mental health setting. At that stage, I couldn’t understand how baking contributed to a client’s recovery journey. However this year I am able to appreciate how baking can be used as a therapeutic tool with clients.

Baking is an excellent therapeutic intervention strategy to use when observing a client's ability to :

• Make a decision as to what they want to bake
• Make a list of ingredients required
• Budgeting skills
• Ability to purchase items at the supermarket
• Follow instructions in a recipe book
• Ability to task sequence, problem solve, and multi task
• Ability to perform task independently and safely

I would definitely consider baking as a intervention tool if applicable during my OT practice in the future keeping in mind what response this activity has on the client i.e. either positive or negative.

Tutorial 8: Assistive Technology

Definition of Assistive Technology?
"any item of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (Cook & Hussey, 2000)


This is a YouTube clip that provides a excellent explanation of assistive technology:



During one of our lectures we had two guest speakers who spoke to us regarding assistive technology. I found this lecture very interesting which has made me aware that with advancing technology there are many options available to individuals with mental and physical disabilities to continue to engage in meaningful and purposeful occupations.

Speech Recognition Technology which is a computer software that enables individuals with disabilities to operate computers and navigate the internet simply by speaking into a headset microphone (without the use of a keyboard) which converts spoken words into typed text. This software has been of particular interest because I think the features that are available is very convenient and is a universal software not just limited to disable consumers.

I was kindly given consent and shown by a friend who has a C5-C6 spinal cord injury how this software works. He has a very active lifestyle and this software has enabled him to keep in touch with families/friends via internet use and simply compose documents with accuracy. I have received emails from him on several occasions and the content of his emails are professional without any spelling or grammatical errors.

The speech recognition software is sound sensitive and requires a high quality microphone headset to filter out background noise. The accuracy of the typed text (converted from spoken speech) depends on the sound input. A sound card is also required which is already built in the new computers that are currently available in the market. A powerful computer is also required that has a large memory storage with at least a  minimum 2 gigabyte RAM. I have been told that the new versions can be used straight out of the box however it is recommended to train the software after installation to recognize the speaking style of the consumer.

The cost of the speech recognition software called Dragon Naturally Speaking 11 Premium (sorry John, i informed you of the wrong version :] )  is $399.99 at Noel Leeming and Bond & Bond.

This YouTube clip gives a demonstration how this software works:




References:
Cook, A. M., & Hussey, A. M. (2000). Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice. Sacramento: California, Mosby

Tutorial 7: Linking to blogs of interest and exchanging comments

The 5 blogs that I have chosen which relate to OT practice are as follows:

• Participation 2011 

http://moodle.op.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=440

• Moodle:

http://moodle.op.ac.nz

• NZAOT:

http://www.nzaot.com/

2 Fellow OT students:
Claire
http://clairepo1.blogspot.com/
Gemma
http://gemmapo1.blogspot.com/
This blog was interesting to put together because I am now able to make links to other websites from my profile page. This is so convenient because I can just click on the website link within my blog page inside of typing in the URL in the address tab.