Participation In Occupation II Blog 14 Ambience in Work

Ambience:

The previous blogs concentrated on affordance in activity and ambience is one of the last frameworks I will write about. This is my last blog entry and will discuss the attributes I find important when doing Jewellery Making as an occupation.

External Environment – The setting must be appropriate and suited to the individual and the task/activity. I find that when performing jewellery making I like a consistent temperature that is comfortable, serene, it supports my needs well and plenty of room to spread out my tools. The physical component of my environment is very important as it relates to how long I will perform my chosen task. Location: It is important as to where I am doing my activity in the home, community group, Clinical Situation, lighting, temperature, mood, individual fit to the activity and vice versa. Location can determine whether or not I engage in my activity properly and don't get distracted by other people or goings on. But I also like to be social and possibly do a group activity and get ideas from others. Values: To put value on something is not any easy task, as every one values different things in life. My own values consist of time management while doing my Jewellery making, I also look at the energy I put into every peice, if it is not exactly how I want it I will breal it down and start again. I am pedantic to a degree, a perfectionist some might say.

Additional
References and Notes:

Arendt, H. (1958). The Human condition. New York, Doubleday Anchor Books. in Butler, M. 2011, lecture notes on Work, in Participation in Occupation 2 (BT238001)

Jonsson, H., & Josephsson, S. (2005). Occupation and meaning. In H. Christiansen, C. M. Baum, and J. Bass-Haugen (eds.) , Occupational therapy: Performance, participation, and wellbeing (3rd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

Geis, Karl E. (1987). A book of twelve winds. London: Paul H. Crompton Ltd. In Butler, M. 2011, readings book on Craft week 39, in Participation in Occupation 2 (BT238001)

Stone, G. V. M. (2005). Personal and environmental influences on occupations. In C.H. Christiansen, C. M. Baum, and J. Bass-Haugen (eds.), Occupational therapy: Performance, participation, and wellbeing (3rd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

Vaughn, Jone, S. (1999). Knitting. Occupation, 7(1). In Butler, M. 2011, readings book on Craft week 39, in Participation in Occupation 2 (BT238001)

The bone art place. (2008). Jade twist. Retrieved from http://www.boneart.co.nz/jadetwists.htm

Blog Comments on Student Blogs Record:

1. Izabela Circa, Affordance continued, Sunday 25th September 2011.

2. Heather Lowen, Affordance part 2, 18th October 2011.

3. Godhelp N , Aesthetics, with the guitar, Tuesday 27th September 2011

4. Claire Fitzpatrick, Affordance, Thursday 13th October 2011.

Participation In Occupation II Blog 13 Work vs Labour

Work Vs Labour:
The affordances material discussed in the previous blogs leads into "work" I believe personally that work is something we do that occupies our time. How I occupy my time with Jewellery Making is convenient and cost effective. I do not class it as Labour, as it is not labour intensive. Work to me means recognition of a culture and history of  which corresponds to working and workmanship. An outcome is formed from this work and the time that was invested.  I feel a sense of satisfaction in engagement and a connection to my chosen activity.

                                                        http://hr.ucsb.edu/worklife/

• "Work is the activity which corresponds to the unnaturalness of human existence, as compared to:
• Labour is the activity which corresponds to the biological process of the human body " (Arendt,1958).

                                                           www.leadtheteam.net

Craft and the workmanship of certainty and risk: I think this reading relates to how I see the world and it depicts a rhyme/reason scenario, and it evokes a sense of nostalgia, memories and personal meaning to the person doing the work. I find that doing is just as important as being shown how to do an activity, a flow of steps that leads into another step and links to a final product. My mind is clear and focused on the task at hand, I am not in a hurry to finish, but would rather take my time and enjoy the process. As mentioned by Geis, (1987).

Participation In Occupation II Blog 12 Affordance Continued

Asthetics- A peice of Jewellery must be pleasing to the eye, I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder (personal quote). Asthetics can mean different thing to individual's, for me it means looking at all of the aspects involved.

Practical Considerations- When I make my jewellery I find that a comfortable, quiet place is where and when I create well. Being practical and considering these common factors is important to me and my way of doing things. My jewellery is influenced by many areas, which include my friends, family, birthdays, and special events. Ambience plays a major part in practicality of an activity. I find my Jewellery turns out well if I have music playing in the background. Internal perception and values as mentioned in the following excerpt shows how meaning can be perceived: "The way to improve the quality of life is not primarily through thinking, but through doing. The issue is not to figure out how to be happy, satisfied, or contented; but to act in ways that will bring about those states of experiences directly" (Christiansen & Baum, 2005).

Culture- As mentioned in Blog 11 Spirituality and culture are closely linked by traditional terms. The culture of Jewellery making has been around for centuries, the Eqyptians wore adornments not just in living but also in death. I find a link to my Maori culture and heritage as knecklaces were worn by the Chiefs to show their authority. In some instances, instead of beads the only accessible commodity was teeth, usually taken from their enemies. Greenstone or (Pounamu) holds significant meaning, especially the Twist as it symbolises eternal life.
Jade Twist
The double and triple twists have a similar meaning but refer more to the joining of two peoples or cultures rather than individuals. They also refer to the three baskets of knowledge http://www.boneart.co.nz/jadetwists.htm 

http://productsfromnz.com/browse2171

Participation In Occupation II Blog 11 Affordances

Affordances

The aim of using a framework such as affordance is to identify an individual’s personal needs and requirements while performing an activity or task analysis. What does my activity of jewellery making mean to me in terms of (needs) an exploration to test a framework in relation to occupation is as follows. 

 Communication – Relationships and interaction between people, places, and environment .  What type of communication is required? This particular activity does not require me to communicate in the verbal sense, for instance, if I was participating in a group situation it would allow me to display a visual/physical way of communicating, (smiling, hand gestures). I believe it is important to engage yourself to the task at hand and by loving what work you do this can create A Connection – Action properties and the relationship of doing, the actions that people do that lead into another action. For example:   This is the green bead that I will use on my earrings, leads and connects my thoughts of  that same bead was a favoured colour of my grandmother’s. As written in the article about Loving Work, it was the colours that she liked doing it for (Book of Readings Art/Craft - On Knitting). Spirituality - My memories are associations of a past event or more recent  participation in an activity. The memory holds a personal meaning to me as an individual. When I am involved in my jewellery making it connects me to a previous time, place, people, and era that gives my existence more meaning.  Ethics - Associated with my activity can be either good or bad, if I make a mistake ethically this is a setback, as I will need to redo it again. If I finish a peice on time this is good as it means I can move onto doing a different item in the time provided.

                                          http://youtu.be/hl3Y8SkafEc 

Participation in Occupation II Blog 10 Ergonomics

Analysis of Activity

                                                              Ergonomics

“Introduction to Ergonomics in the context of occupation”
So we must ask the question to what extent does the environment dictate an individuals choice in occupations?

Every day is different, we change our clothes, shoes, hairstyle, what we eat, what we think, what we do. One thing stays the same, our need to have order in our day and routines in our daily life. Our immediate environment percieves occupational choices, thus involving ourselves in meaningful occupation . Situations can be determined by our cultural beliefs, ability, motivation, and behaviours.

In the following five-blog posts, I will be covering aspects such as:

·         Ergonomics

·         Affordances

·         Ambience

·         Practical Considerations

The activity I have chosen to share is (Jewellery Making).

As explained by (Stone, 2005, p.95) "The extent to which individuals believe themselves to be capable in specific environmental situations influences occupational choice."
Ergonomics also involves the social environment. This can influence how we do our activity, how we enjoy our activity, and how well we do in our activity. For instance, if the environment supports our chosen activity it can determine whether we decide to continue participating. By looking at adaptation to your environment, activity or you can create how we as humans experience a positive outcome of our chosen activity. The physical environment and state can also impact on task involvement.

Our five senses attune us to our environment that we inhabit, what we:

·         Think

·         Feel

·         Touch

·         Taste

·         Hear

These senses are all important to consider when involving and immersing ourselves in occupation and activity. These five senses can create a good or bad experience of any given situation time or place. We may have a flash back of a past event that evokes a feeling of nostalgia, which in turn gives us a sense of belonging.

Participation in Occupation II Blog 9

Mindfulness in Activity

Crafts – Jewellery Making

Earrings

The purpose of this blog is to have chosen an activity that is near and dear to us personally, then to analyise what we as humans find so important about this particular activity. What significance it has to us and why we find it therapeutic or relaxing.

I enjoy the alone time, the feeling of making a peice of jewellery for that special occasion or that special somebody. It is not about receiving anything back, it is about creating and being creative. I love the fact that I can change an earing or add to it if I desire. I am able to undo it and start all over again if I may make a mistake or just plain and simple do not like what I have created.

 

Sparkle, Enjoyment, Creating, Interesting, Gift, Wearable, Feeling of accomplishment, Group work.
Breakdown of the Activity!

This activity has clear steps that can be taught and followed with reasonable ease.   Purchase of materials, hooks, o-rings, a cutting tool, shaping tool.  Decide what sort of earrings you want to make, for example beads, wire or other media.  Make sure you have a tray with compartments and a flat surface to work on, so that the beads do not roll everywhere.  Have a nice environment, plenty of fresh air and good lighting.   Set out the pieces that you want to work with, keep separate from all the other bits. This way you can concentrate on your two earrings.    Have in mind who you want to make them for, this can make creating fun for you. Open an o-ring with fingers or tool, thread through the ring on the earring hook. Thread on beads to your piece of wire, use your shaping tool to make a loop at the end. Thread the loop onto your o-ring.  You can repeat this step 2-3 times depending on how many threads you want hanging from the earring.   Close the o-ring again.   Repeat this process for the second earring. If you are not happy with the result, you can pull apart and start again.

How would you use this activity in an OT setting! This activity could be suitable for any OT intervention, most likely this activity would suit a mental health setting, it provides a chance for those who might not deal well with large groups to have a one on one session if required. The chance for a client to experience a group activity, lead by a therapist who shows them the steps to make an item and then over sees the clients own progress. This activity gives clients freedom to create and focus on a task and has an incentive to make something that comes from the heart. Start with small steps that lead to accomplishing a greater long term.
What it means to me personally! Jewellery making is important to me as it is an outlet for me to create items that I envision in my head. There are no limitations on what you can create, it all depends on what you feel like making at the time. I enjoy the freedom of choice, and using my hands to create something unique. I make an assortment of items which include earings, knecklaces, and the odd ring.

TUTORIAL EIGHT: Assistive Technology

So What is Assistive Technology?
Is classed as  a product, item, tool or peice of equipment that assists an individual with a disability to perform functional tasks.
According to Vanderheiden, (1987) as cited in (Cook & Hussey, 2005), "a device provides benefits to the individual independant of the individual's skill level"
Assistive Technology covers

• Assistive vs Rehabilitative or educational
• Low to high technology
• Hard and soft technology devices
• Appliances vs tools
• Minimal to maximal
• General vs specific
• Commercial to custom

Cook, A. M., & Hussey, S. M, (2005). Assistive technologies: Principles and practice. Sacramento, California: Mosby.

One item that was introduced in a recent tutorial on Assistive Technology:
I though that this was a wonderful peice of equipment.

                                     "The Jellybean Switch"

• Available in different Sizes - Jelly Bean is a robust switch, with 4 interchangable colour tops. Red, blue, green and yellow. The base plate can easily be mounted to many structures. Diameter: 63 mm Activating force: centre 100g, outside edges 50g Connector: 3.5 mm mono plug Lead: 1.8M
• The cost of this product is - $107.65
• The functions it performs - It performs patient interface devices that can be used with many existing nurse and emergency call systems and SENSOTROL controllers.

It increases the users capacity to be able to operate devices such as computers, light switches, mouse control- touch switches the You-tube clip shows how this product can be used in numerous ways.

Online sources such as:

1. http://tat.clairvoy.com/tiki-index.php?page=It's+Just+a+Click+of+a+Switch
2. http://www.sensomat.co.nz/switches-and-pendants/jelly-bean-switch-twist.html
3. http://www.spectronics.co.nz/product/big-buddy

Hi everyone, this is my last blog post until further notice so take care out there and think carefully about what you write, what your purpose is when writing them, and select your words well..... Peace out Lisa

TUTORIAL SEVEN: Linking to blogs of interest and exchanging comments

Task One: This is about making a blog feed and choosing 5 blog sites. I have decided to use Google Reader to do this. Occupational Therapy Student blogs were chosen to do this task.


Task Two: The following is a posted comment on a fellow students blog, along with a reply from them.

Task Three: The following is a blog communication from a blog post of mine.
My intent was to show a post from Izabela a fellow student but I had trouble with downloading the snippet tool as I did not have it on my laptop. Technophobe not Technogeek obviously.

References:
Circa, I. (2011). Retreived April 20, 2011. from:
http://iulianaiza.blogspot.com/2011/04/tutorial-7-linking-to-blogs-of-interest.html