It's been about three weeks since we went on our observation "placements" to various settings. I went to Veterans Care Program at Parkwood Hospital during this time. Since then, I kept thinking about pressure sores that many of the clients were susceptible to having. I think the idea of pressure sores is interesting to me, because before my visit to Parkwood, I had no idea pressure sores were even a problem to wellness and health. My occupational therapist told me that it could lead to infections, skin grafts, amputations, and in serious cases, death. I was very surprised that what seems to be nothing more than a blister could lead to such serious implications. I was even more shocked to find out that it could cost as much as $9,000 a month to treat one of these sores. So much of the tax payer's money were being spent on such a preventable ailment!
Before my visit to Parkwood, I actually didn't even have previous knowledge about the term "pressure sores". When I saw one on a client's hand, I thought it was nothing more than a blister and didn't understand why the occupational therapist took so much time to look after such a little sore. Another client had some redness on his backside for lying down for too long, but to me, it didn't seem nothing out of the norm.
It wasn't until I really thought about why redness and blisters could be a problem for these clients that I realized its importance. Sure it's easy for me to roll over to the other side when one side of my body gets numb, but a lot of these clients cannot perform voluntary movement. It seems like such a simple thing we take for granted, and this experience was definitely a much needed reality check for me. I shouldn't assume that just because something such as a blister is a minuscule annoyance to an individual such as myself, it doesn't mean it will be the same to other individuals such as those in long-term care.
If I was to pick one thing I learned most about pressure sores is not about the wound itself, but it would be the importance of looking at the problem or injury from the perspective of the person. I feel by understanding this importance, it will help me to become a more efficient occupational therapist by truly enabling client-centred practice. In order to optimize my future practice as an occupational therapist, I will work hard to overcome my own assumptions about the severity of an injury (eg. blisters, redness, etc). To do so, I will take the time to assess and deduce my client's abilities to determine the implications and severity of the injury to the individual.
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