2002 Fall

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who we are

Occupational Therapists For Christ is an association of occupational therapists, followers of Jesus Christ, organized for the purpose of glorifying God.

scripture

”So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it.”
Isaiah, 55: 11, NASB

2002 - Fall (Vol. 6, No. 2)

International Occupational Therapists For Christ

Newsletter: Volume 6, Number 2, Fall, 2002
A publication of International Occupational Therapists for Christ, PO Box 3291, Greenville, NC 27836
www.otforChrist.org, E-mail: otfc@otforChrist.org

IOTFC Update

OTFC Meeting 2002 November 1 & 2, 2002 at the Global Missions Health Conference at Southeastern Community Church Louisville, Kentucky

The 2002 meeting of Occupational Therapists For Christ is being held in conjunction with The Global Missions Health Conference held annually by Southeastern Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 1 & 2, 2002 (Friday & Saturday). IOTFC will meet Fri. Nov. 1, at 6:30-8:00 pm. An occupational therapist’s experiences in Russia will be highlighted as will fellowship among occupational therapy believers. Contact OTFC by mail or e-mail at otfc@otforChrist.org so we can expect you. To register and for more information visit medicalmissions.com. We pray God blesses you in your decision about coming and that He protects you and those you love in your travels. Plan now to meet with OTFC! November 1 in Louisville.

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IOTFC Web Site & E-mail otforChrist.org E-mail: otfc@otforChrist.org

Visit IOTFC’s new web site. It will contain information about our organization, mission & service opportunities, other interesting web sites, best practice & educational information and other timely topics. Click on “How You Can Help.” And share your interests.

Share your Expertise, Interests & Information

Do you desire to serve more effectively as a Christian occupational therapist but are not certain how your gifts might be used? Do you have a specific area of interest or knowledge that you keep current that might also interest other believing occupational therapists? Is there an issue of concern to you that Christian occupational therapists should know about? Have you reviewed an excellent article or several articles on a topic that might assist others to provide better quality occupational therapy services? Are you aware of a web site, or several sites, that can keep an occupational therapist on the cutting edge of effective service provision? Have you read an excellent book on a topic that might be of interest to others? Do you face or know of ethical issues that are seldom addressed? Are you aware of programs that serve individuals with seldom discussed problems that might be of interest to other OTs? Have you participated in a mission experience and would like to share how it went? Would you like to share what you have learned or are learning? Would you like to meet with local occupational therapists who are also followers of Jesus?

If you can answer “Yes” To any of those questions, or would like to share your knowledge with believing occupational therapists, please contact us via our contact or feedback page.

Other Ideas

	Are biblically based hospice services available?
	Investigate and report on programs or resources for families who know their unborn child is likely to die shortly after birth.
	Read and review a book that summarizes research on the effectiveness of various alternative medicine approaches and that was written by Christian authors.
	Are you serving as an occupational therapist in a mental health program that is based on biblical principles? If so, others would like to know about it.
	Are you assessing spiritual factors in working with your clients? Others are interested in knowing what resources and spiritual assessments you use and how you do it
	Describe the roles of OTs in crisis pregnancy situations.
	Do you know of specific web sites that stay current & are reliable resources? Others would like to know about them.
	Do you have web or computer skills? OTFC can use your help.
	Are you expected to participate in your facility’s program of safe sex instruction for clients? What does the research show are the results of such programs? Look into it and let others know the results.
	Review recent research on spirituality and health as they relate to OTs.
	Review recent research on family structure and child health.
	If you have an additional topic that would be of interest to believing occupational therapists, please contact Occupational Therapists For Christ.

If you have an additional topic that would be of interest to believing occupational therapists, please us.

Taking a Spiritual History
Summarized from a presentation made by Dana King MD, Department of Family Medicine of the Medical University of South Carolina at the 2001 IOTFC conference, Sept. 30, 2001 in Waxhaw, North Carolina

Dr. King presented this topic as the second part of his presentation on spirituality and health. It, like the first portion was thorough, meticulously accurate and thankfully received by conference participants. This summary is again in the question and outline format taken from the thorough notes that he provided.

The objectives of his presentation included enabling participants to determine:

When to assess patients' spirituality.
How to take a spiritual history.
How to integrate patients' spirituality into practice.

Patients want Spiritual Attention:

63% agreed that it is good for doctors to talk to patients about spiritual faith.
79% agreed that spiritual faith can heal.
56% said their faith had helped them recover from illness (National Survey of 1000 adults, ICR,1996).

Needs of Hospitalized Patients are Greater:

94% of inpatients surveyed said that spiritual health is as important as physical health.
77% wanted their physician to consider spiritual needs (KingDE, JFP,1994).
80% of psychiatric patients had 3 or more spiritual issues (FitchettG et al, 1997).

Religious Coping Mechanisms:

At least 21 different types of religious coping mechanisms have been identified (Koenig et al, 1998).
16 positive (i.e., loving God, personal God, helping others).
5 negative (punishing God, demonic forces).

Review: Why Assess Patients' Spirituality?

Patients are religious and have spiritual and religious views that affect health.
Many patients want to have their spiritual needs addressed in the medical setting.
Patients use religious coping in different ways when facing serious illness.

When to Address Spiritual Issues?

Whenever mentioned by the patient.
Routinely as part of the social history.
Whenever patients are admitted to the hospital.
When patients face serious or terminal illness.

Terminal Patients Have Many Spiritual Concerns:

3 of the top 10 concerns of dying patients are spiritual (among medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical)(Gallup 1997).
Top issues include: Forgiveness from God, reconciling with others, cut off from God.
Discussion of resuscitation status is more likely if believe in God's forgiveness (Kaldjian 1998).

How to Take a Spiritual History?

Use open ended questions or use special tools developed to take spiritual histories.
Acronyms of specific approaches include: FICA, SPIRIT, MERIT, FAITH, & HOPE.

The Spiritual History

Open Questions:

What does your spirituality/religion mean to you?
What aspects of your R/S would you like me to keep in mind as I care for you?
Would you like to discuss the R/S implications of your health care?
How does your faith impact end-of-life decisions?
How close do you feel to God or a higher power?
Have you had any experience that convinced you God exists?
How strong are your R/S beliefs?
Has your R/S belief or faith been helpful in coping with your illness?

Quick Spiritual Histories:

FICA (Puchalski, 1999)

F--What is your Faith or religion?
I--How Important is your faith or religion to you?
C--What is your Church or faith Community?
A--How do your beliefs Apply to your health? How would you like me to Address your spiritual needs?

SPIRIT (Maugans, 1996)

Spiritual belief system (Formal affiliation?)
Personal spirituality (Specific practices?)
Integration with a spiritual community?
Rituals and Restrictions.
Implications?
Terminal care?

MERIT (Thomas-Patterson, 1998)

Member of church or faith community?
Existence of a Higher Being?
Religious denomination?
Importance of religion in your life?
Talk about it further?

FAITH (King 2000)

Do you have a Faith or religion that is important to you?
How do your beliefs Apply to your health?
Involved in a church or faith community?
Beliefs affect your Treatment?
How can I Help with spiritual concerns?

HOPE (Anadarajah and Hight, JFP 2001)

H--source of Hope, peace, comfort?
O--Organized religion?
P--Personal spirituality?
E--What Effect will this have on your medical treatment and End-of life planning?

How to Respond to Questions

Q: Why are you asking these questions (Beliefs related to health)?
A: To know more about you and your medical decisions and to better address your concerns.
Q: Why did you write this (Info about the patients spirituality) in the chart?
A: It’s important to patient’s health.
Q: Are you trying to influence patients beliefs?
A: No, I am taking a patient's history.

New Expanded Model - A New Biopsychospiritual Model:

Koenig et al (1989, 1992,1998)--Influence of spirituality on coping, anxiety, and depression among the elderly.
Pressman(1990)--Study of religious belief, depression, and physical health after hip fx.
Oman and Reed(1999)--lower mortality with frequent attendance at religious services.

Conclusions and Implications for Clinical Practice.

Patients want their spiritual concerns addressed.
Inquiry (taking a spiritual history) is basic.
A Biopsychospiritual Model allows us to more easily incorporate spirituality into the care of patients.

Integrating into Practice.

Inclusion of spiritual history is time-efficient (using the history tools).
When should a spiritual history be used?

1) When a patient requests;

2) During routine history and physical;

3) Serious illness; 4) Near end of life.
Refer patients to chaplains, ministers, others.
Encourage coping in pt's religious/spiritual tradition.
Recognize the challenge the new expanded biopsychospiritual model represents to our previously-held views, training, and patterns of dealing with patients.
Further research is needed on usefulness of spiritual history, and development of spiritual interventions.

Teach Therapy & Rehab in a Children’s Program in Mongolia

OT, PT & rehab. Related content is needed for an educational program in a center serving children in Mongolia. If you are interested in teaching basics, intervention theory or techniques in a rewarding and challenging setting (workshop or course format, on a few weeks or longer term basis) E-mail us at otfc@otforChrist.org. We will forward it to the requesting agency.

Editor’s Apology

The term “leper” was used in the last newsletter. The term is no longer used because of accompanying stigma and absence of clear medical definition. We apologize for any discomfort or offense that may have resulted.

Hansen’s Disease or Leprosy?

Linda Faye Lehman, OTR, MPH, C.Ped

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil

lehman@uai.com.br

Thank you for the opportunity to share. My journey in Brazil since 1983 has taken me from direct patient contact in old leprosariums and general health clinics to being part of the national technical advisory team for the National Hansen’s Disease Control Program of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. I currently am the Regional Prevention of Impairment and Disability Consultant for the Americas and Africa for American Leprosy Missions (ALM). My home base continues to be in Brazil and the mission leads my technical skills / consultancy to government and NGO programs and projects. I’ve had the privilege to both work with the disease as a professional as well as being a consumer who has had the disease and been successfully treated. It is a disease today which is treatable and the impairments and disability once associated with the disease can be prevented or minimized.