Running head: ASSIGNMENT ONE PAPER

Assignment One Paper

Bryan Blattert
Fq1975
SW 4810
October 23, 2015

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Assignment One
The agency setting takes place in a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital.
The rehabilitation hospital provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy,
psychotherapy, and recreational therapy. The facility provides patients with the experience
necessary to return home to a moderately independent lifestyle. Patients come to the
rehabilitation center after they are discharged from their initial hospitalization following their
injury. Patients are released from the trauma hospital and placed into the rehabilitation facility to
ready themselves for the transition back home. The client population consists of a diverse group
of patients. Patients range in all ages, races, and are male and female. However, an
overwhelming majority of the patients that transition through the hospital are young, nonHispanic white, and male. This can impact measurement because answers may be biased to the
population majority. Patients living areas are similar to the hospital setting but has a more long
term design. Therapy consumes a patients day in the facility; from 8-5 they attend numerous
rigorous therapy sessions, touching on all aspects of life to give them a well-rounded experience.
From the start, patients learn to ready themselves for an average day. Patients start their day
learning the best techniques to shower, use the restroom, and dress themselves. From there they
attend therapy until lunch at noon, shortly after their lunch therapy sessions begin until they are
released for dinner at 5pm. The services provided at the facility are not tailored to any specific
age, gender, or race.
Services offered to patients consist of occupational, physical, recreational, speech, and
psycho therapies. All of the therapies offered are services that will promote independence, health,
healing, happiness, and success. Occupational therapy is utilized to assist the places in learning
every day skills such as getting dressed, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and other facets of

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daily life a person will be exposed to once returning home. Physical therapy is offered to patients
to help gain mobility, reduce pain, expedite healing, gain strength, and using any adaptive or
assistive equipment that a patient may need to live a more independent lifestyle. Recreational
therapy offered at the center is just that, recreation. Recreational therapy can consist of many
different activities, and can be tailored to the patients likes, wants, needs, and interests.
Activities such as cycling, swimming, kayaking, darts, and even pool can be considered as
recreational therapy. Speech therapy offered in the hospital typical consists of tasks to improve
memory and speech; the major areas offered are to improve cognitive abilities. The hospital has a
licensed psychologist on staff in which each patients is mandated to meet with once a week. The
psycho-therapy is offered to help alleviate any psychological symptoms a patient might be
suffering from as a result of their injury and dramatic change in life.
The hospital strives to achieve the highest level of independence each patient is capable
of. The mission is to assist each patient in gaining independence and as a result lead a happy and
fulfilling life. The goal is to empower and inspire the patients, promoting a successful future with
their life post-injury. Independence is relative to each person and their level of independence is
relative to the severity of their disability. People living with minor disabilities may only need to
learn how to adapt to reach independence, while severely disabled people may need assistive
technology and might even require hiring an assistant or caregiver to reach independence.
According to Townsend and Ryan (1991), hiring and training personal care attendants and use of
electronic technical aids are two options for severely disabled people to gain more independence
in their lives (pp. 53). For others, home improvements and utilizing resources can provide a great
deal of independence. People living with disabilities can be taxing on their support systems and
families, reaching independence is a way to alleviate some of the pressure placed on those

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helping an individual. Reaching independence also promotes happiness and a sense of fulfillment
in a disabled persons life.

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References
Townsend, E., & Ryan, B. (1991). Assessing Independence in Community Living. Canadian
Journal of Public Health, 82(1), 52-57. Retrieved October 21, 2015, from JSTOR.