In what ways do occupational therapists educate family members after a spinal cord injury? - Katie Powell, OT

Making sure that the family is comfortable with the new cares and feels competent in what they’re doing with the patient is one of my utmost priorities when I’m working with somebody. Sometimes family members at first are a little taken aback saying, “Are you sure I can do this?” “Am I going to be able to do this?” And so my goals are to be there to be able to support them and teach them the skills that they need. So from early on in the rehab process we try to get the family members involved so they understand what their loved one is going through, and ultimately how they’re going to best help them. And I think the hardest thing for family members is sometimes we have family members who want to help too much. And as an occupational therapist, I’m trying to maximize people’s independence, and generally that’s what the patient wants too. They want to do as much as they can for themselves, they’ll say, “I don’t want to be a burden on my family.” And so it’s hard for family members. It’s a delicate balance of giving your loved one the support they need, and also letting them do everything they can for themselves so that they get that feeling of pride and self actualization.