William L. Dawson Nursing Center

Margo Strotter, OTR/L, started out wanting to go to Med School

when she was a studentat U of I in Champain. But "reality set in" when taking some course requirements. Another student told her about the occupational therapy program "which still involved helping people". Margo became interested in how it "deals with the whole person, rather than just parts when illness, injury or disease affects a person". The following interview was conducted with Margo who has been an occupational therapist for the past 26 years and is currently Rehab Director at William L. Dawson Nursing Center.

What do you mean by the" whole person"?
For instance, a woman has had a stroke that has affected her ability to move her arm. How will she prepare dinner? How will she make the bed? She's a housekeeper. She's at home taking care of the kids. How will she prepare lunch?

We're talking about how it affects her whole environment. Is she's going to be able to drive the car to go to the grocery store? What's her vision like? What's her coordination like? How is it impacting on her family? What can the family do to assist her since she doesn't have the use of one side of her body? So that's how we deal with the whole person: the mental component, the emotional component…the entire environment.

What are some the changes you've seen in occupational therapy over the past 26 years and where do you think it's going in the future?
Before in treating anybody you saw people based on the fact that they needed therapy. Now we have a system that tells us what diagnosis we will treat, how long we're going to treat, and what kind of documentation is needed. They've really regulated the field, which I think is detrimental because it cuts out a lot of people who need therapy but don't have the insurance to pay for it.

The balanced budget act drastically cut our reimbursement rate. It shook up our field so that we've had to get creative to find other ways to provide services. Now we've reintegrated in the community providing occupational therapy in non-traditional areas.

Is there a resident that stands out in your mind or a case that really impressed you?
Ruth A. was one of my special cases. She came in here with a tear of the rotator cuff in her shoulder, but as you know there were a lot of things going on with Ruth. She could become very agitated and her attitude could be inappropriate. I incorporated a lot of behavior modification into my treatment plan for her such as, modifying her behavior to respond to people differently and communicate her needs. She also had a little problem picking up things that didn't belong to her…It took about a year, but I saw a big difference in Ruth in how she responded to other people.

We've had cases where people have worked very hard, left here, gone home and they're doing fine. They even call back up here. We get thank you cards letting us know they're doing well.

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