Woman with glasses looking over her shoulder and smiling . |
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HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE OT PROFESSION ?
I had been interested in occupational therapy ( OT ) since I was in high school . I have an aunt who was a pediatric OT , working in both homes and schools . I got the chance to shadow her , and I knew that I was interested in a healthcare position . Every step along the way I continued to learn more about OT as a profession and was influenced by professors and found this love for emerging settings , community , and preventative care and was impassioned by it .
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A COMMUNITY BASED SETTING ?
I currently work at Sertoma Center , a community mental health center in the southern suburbs , with myself as the first and only OT . The CCMTP , previously called Williams
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and Colbert Consent decree , is a program funded by a state grant requiring an OT to be on staff to meet clients ’ needs who are transitioning out into the community from a nursing facility . OT in this setting focuses on connecting individuals with resources that are long-term and ongoing to decrease the institutional population and promote community integration . I am an OT doing skillstraining in a nursing home or in a community , but I am also a little bit of a social worker and care coordinator . Part of what I am doing is connecting individuals to community resources , providing reintegration strategies , and facilitating life skills .
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM ?
There seems to be a large population of people getting stuck in nursing facilities . For example
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, someone unhoused who has a stroke and is in the ER , and the social worker realizes there is no place to discharge and they cannot discharge to the street or homeless shelter because now they have a higher need . The answer is usually a nursing facility ; they are unable to live independently and have no family support . A lot of discharges to nursing facilities are for short term rehab stays , but sometimes it takes longer , and after the 30 day period , for billing purposes , those who need to stay longer or can ’ t find another spot to discharge to , sign over social security checks to the nursing facility . Individuals receive 30 dollars per month as a stipend which financially can ' t pay for a housing application , rent , or even a phone bill . These individuals don ' t have access to communication or social support ; they get stuck and |
become a resident of this nursing facility . They lose money , some people lose important documents such as their SSN card , ID , and license . They don ’ t know what the resources are to get out of the nursing facility , and just have no choice . Some nursing facility residents are under 40 , unhoused or with a serious mental illness . Someone has a psychiatric break and ends up in an ER , which then leads to a nursing facility .
The staff at the hospital are overwhelmed and don ' t have the time to make those connections with the community . Nursing facilities are not equipped with resources to handle the level of population with 2-5 people in a room . They are understaffed , burnt out , and don ' t have the ability to really work with each individual on improving and becoming stronger . It
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