They are a congenial and caring group; I highly recommend them! Patient Success Spotlight
Our Occupational Therapists
Shellie Taylor, OTR/L Shellie is a 1998 graduate of Utica College with a BS in Occupational Therapy. She has experience in school and preschool based pediatrics, short term rehabilitation, and home care. Shellie also trained under a Developmental Optometrist and provides OT services for visual deficits impacting concussion rehabilitation. When not working, Michelle King, MS, OTR/L FCE Michele is a 2004 graduate of Russell Sage College with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. Over 15 years of education with a specialty in hand and stroke treatment. Michele is a resident of Oswego, NY, soccer mom to 2 boys and enjoys fishing with her husband on Lake Ontario. Clark Wolf, OTR/L Clark is a 2001 graduate from Dominican College, New York with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. Over 16 years of experience in the field. Clark enjoys hunting, hiking and chasing around his 3 children.
Shellie enjoys hiking and biking local trails with her family.
“ The entire staff is professional and extremely competent. The therapists make you a partner in your recovery while guiding you back to health. They are a congenial and caring group; I highly recommend them!” – Macklin M.
www.adirondacktherapy.com
THE ROLE OF OT IN MANAGING POST-CONCUSSION SYNDROME
Evaluation Vision evaluation: Following an accident, the patient had difficulty following moving objects with her eyes, difficulty shifting her focus from one distance to another, burning eyes, difficulty seeing clearly without squinting, difficulty concentrating, daily eyestrain and headaches, and dizziness that worsened when in crowded, visually stimulating environments. She also displayed difficulty with saccadic eye movement, and initially she was only able to focus (converge) at 10 inches from her nose (normal is 2 to 4 inches). The DEM findings indicated a horizontal score of 45.28 seconds (below norm), with complaints of nausea, dizziness, and eyestrain after performing. Sensory evaluation: The patient’s primary sensory issues included increased sensitivity to noise, light, and movement, specifically when riding the subway, walking on a crowded sidewalk, or being in crowded or loud spaces. She also noted difficulty concentrating when talking on the phone, sorting mail, and listening to voicemail. Subjective symptoms: She reported nausea, dizziness, headache, fatigue, tearfulness, and occasional outbursts of anger. Functional evaluation: She performed all self-care activities with minimal difficulty and increased time. Interventions Occupational therapy intervention focused on improving the patient’s pursuits, saccades, accommodation, and functional convergence.
Treatments began with basic visual scanning activities with simple information and were eventually graded up to be more complex, where she was required to scan in multiple directions and integrate more complex visual information. Scanning activities included word searches, copying phone numbers, and doing word cancellation worksheets At the time of the occupational therapy evaluation, she avoided reading and computer use as they made her nauseous and dizzy, and increased the frequency of her headaches. Conclusion Concussion management and rehabilitation are gaining increased attention and focus in the medical community. Referrals to occupational therapy will increase as more people with concussion and mild traumatic brain injury are identified. There is also a growing need for further education on preventing concussion, as well as managing symptoms following concussion. Occupational therapists are instrumental in providing holistic rehabilitation and facilitating return to routine self-care, work, and leisure activities for clients who have sustained a concussion. They play an important role on the interdisciplinary team in the comprehensive management of clients following concussion, and they can facilitate improved functional and cognitive outcomes in this population.
https://www.nyit.edu/files/box/profile_images/SoHP_AOTASpecialInterestSectionQuarterly
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