Dawn’s Job Blog

hello!

so now i’m 3 weeks into my job, and i was very concerned at the start, but i’ve settled in and am excited to share what i’ve been up to.
now, it’s important to note that i am one of only 3 occupational therapists in the country of Guyana (the other 2 are also VSO volunteers). there is really no awareness in the country for rehab in general, but there is really no knowledge of OT. even the rehab assistants who have had specialized training in OT do VERY basic physio exercises with most patients and rarely ever link any activities to function.

i’ve had a part in deciding what my role is here in the next 5 months. the difficult thing is that it would be really easy to start treating individual clients and make a difference that way, but we’re looking for sustainable development.

so, i have 3 main roles while here:
1. i am trying to set up group rehab programs for:
a) patients in the hospital wards (who currently receive no rehab and no discharge planning)
b) clients in a public geriatric home
c) clients in a private geriatric home
2. inservicing with rehab assistants in different areas, including patient lift and transfer techniques and arthritis: joint protection
3. trying to enhance the use of OT intervention and adaptive equipment with 2 stroke clinics

you may read these objectives and think they sound pretty manageable, but the Guyanese culture is very limiting. the wards have anywhere from 30-40 people in them, who lay in bed 24 hours a day (there aren’t even chairs beside the beds). the nurses and rehab assistants don’t get paid very much, and so many of them work more than one job or go to school full time in addition to working, so it’s really common to come to work and sleep, or not even come to work at all. the facilities and equipment are unbelievable – no accessibility, no maintenance or repairs. i have seen some things here that i never would have imagined actually go on in a health care system anywhere. i don’t really want this to be sensational and depressing, so i’ll stop here.

i have some big plans, and feel like i’ve made some headway in a few areas. i’m going to be inservicing doctors and nurses at the hospital and trying to set up a cardiac rehab group there. i went to the private geriatric home (where there are 52 residents and ONE staff member) and did some interventions that i feel have made an impact already. i will also be training rehab assistants to run and continue these groups after we leave.

i’ll keep you updated on my progress. Until then, send positive OT vibes my way, and if you have any great ideas or motivational messages, send them along!