Webinar Review

Devon C. Wilson

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

OCT 650: Therapeutic Adaptations in Occupational Therapy

Amber L. Ward, MS, OTR/L, BCPR, ATP/SMS, FAOTA June 22, 2022

June 23, 2022

 Webinar Review

For this webinar review, I utilized our student access to occupaitonaltherapy.com

continuing education. I limited my search to video presentation under the topic of “assistive

technology and environmental modifications,” and utilized “cognition” as my primary search

term.

Course Selections

The first webinar I selected was course 5007, “Creating Functional Homes for Dementia,”

presented by Emily Reilly, DHSc, MSORT/L, ECHM. This webinar was one hour, nine minutes,

and fifty-one seconds long. The learning objectives were as follows: identify in-home functional

design concepts to improve quality of life for those living with dementia; list at least three

factors to consider when assessing a home for someone with dementia; recognize the value

occupational therapists offer in decreasing caregiver burden when designing for dementia in

the home (Reilly, 2021). I chose this webinar because working in home health, I see a significant

number of clients with dementia, and I am passionate about aging in place initiatives.

The second webinar I selected was course 3039, “Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for the

ATP Exam,” presented by Michelle Lange, OTR, ABDA, ATP/SMS. This webinar was one hour and

six seconds long. The learning objectives were as follows: the participant will be able to list

three functional areas which may be impacted by cognitive disabilities; the participant will be

able to list three strategies to assist with task completion and organization for clients with

cognitive disabilities; the participant will be able to list three general compensatory strategies

for people with learning disabilities (Lange, 2016). Even though I will not be taking the ATP

exam any time soon, based on the reviews and course description, I felt this course would be a
good overview of the use of assistive technology for cognitive function in a wide variety of

cases.

Creating Functional Homes for Dementia

Creating Functional Homes for Dementia was a great introductory course that was

engaging and easy to follow. The course started out with discussion on guiding principles for

practice that included consideration of the client before the diagnosis, incorporation of both

the physical and social environments, and prioritizing occupations living with dementia (Reilly,

2021). It included relevant case studies and examples throughout to facilitate meaning and

enhance learning.

As per Reilly (2021), dementia friendly spaces include accessible, sensory friendly design

with reduced clutter, removal of safety hazards, and monitoring devices if needed. With the

advent of smart technology and electrical timers, automation of tasks and smart home

technology is also a continually expanding tenant of dementia-friendly home design. Basic

design principles to support the adult with dementia included open floor plans, relevant color

palettes, external visual and audio cues (signs, labels, audio alarms/reminders), and the use of

technology. Some technological aspects that were discussed included the use of motion-sensor

lighting, temperature-controlled faucets, fall monitoring (available in smart watches and

medical alert systems via an accelerometer system), and tracking for individuals who are at risk

for wandering (Reilly, 2021).

This course was geared towards setting up homes for adults with dementia, but other

clinical populations with cognitive concerns could benefit from some of these suggestions as

well, such as some autistic adults, stroke survivors with cognitive involvement, or adults with
acquired brain injury. Overall, I felt this course was a good synthesis of general knowledge and

how to apply it to a specific population. I felt that I met the learning objectives as laid out and

that I will be able to implement the knowledge I gained from this course in my clinical practice. I

work a lot with my clients and their families on home modifications, and I am confident and

excited about some of the new recommendations I will be able to make to improve their ability

to stay home longer.

Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for the ATP Exam

Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for the ATP Exam was just as I thought it would be – a

great overall review of technology options for various cognitive concerns. This course began by

differentiating clinical disabilities from functional disabilities, noting that not all clinical

disabilities result in a functional cognitive disability (Lange, 2016). Some of the topics that were

covered include different domains of cognitive difficulties such as organization, memory, and

focus. There were significant suggestions for applications to facilitate organization, money and

health management, memory and reminders, and task breakdown/completion (Lange, 2016).

After the course, I searched some of the recommended apps and was highly impressed with the

different options. While a few of the suggested apps do not appear to be available on the Apple

App Store anymore, there were plenty of other options with similar aims. I was even able to

find some apps that I felt would assist with my own executive dysfunction issues.

Beyond smartphone apps, this course covered general suggestions for management of

cognition deficits to include the use of consistency and routine in daily life, task simplification,

reduction of choice fatigue, and home modifications such as reducing clutter (Lange, 2016).

Technology was discussed according to specific need or area of the home, like the kitchen,
bathroom, or wandering behavior. I was glad that external locks were not an option that was

discussed for wandering behavior. Lange (2016) instead suggested the use of door alarms and

bio-locks. Since this course was created and published, even more technology has been

developed to promote this aim as well.

Additionally, Lange (2016) also covered technology to assist with learning disabilities such as

applications and programs to assist with writing, reading, educational pursuits, and executive

function deficits. I was also very happy to see that the use of abbreviation enhancement was

discussed in the course as well. I personally use text-replacement and abbreviation

enhancement heavily in both my personal and professional life. The intervention was suggested

by my therapist and resulted in significant improvement in my performance at work and in

school that was limited by focus deficits. Having a personal connection to different technology

and recommendations allows me to connect more deeply with clients and share lived

experiences with different technologies.

Given that this course was designed as an overview for exam preparation, the

information within applies to a wide range of clinical populations. Some such populations

include autistic children and adults, people with down syndrome, traumatic brain injury,

dementia, learning disabilities, and attention disorders (Lange, 2016). I felt that this course gave

me a wonderful base for further exploration and implementation of different types of

technology with my clients and in my own life. I am very familiar with smart home technology

and still found myself learning about options that I had not yet considered. I would be thrilled

to see an update added to this course to address the significant advancements made in

technology in the past six years since it was created.

 Comparison of Both Courses

I felt that both courses were beneficial to my personal learning and practice. While

Creating Functional Homes for Dementia was more geared towards my personal clinical

practice, I felt like I learned more new information from Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for

the ATP Exam. Creating Homes for Dementia was more of a synthesis of known knowledge with

some new information throughout – that is not a negative about the webinar itself, but just a

result of my prior experience. Seeing all that information laid out in one place was highly

beneficial for me as a clinician. Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for the ATP Exam, was a more

general course that offered significant recommendations for a very wide range of clients.

Despite being somewhat dated compared to the rapidly expanding technology-market, all the

basic principles were solid. I felt like this course provided me with a good amount of insight to

cognitive adaptations and interventions that are occupational therapy specific as well, as

discussion of cognitive intervention is often heralded as the territory of speech therapy despite

its well-established functional purposes. I feel strongly that a good knowledge base of cognitive

technology within the scope of occupational therapy practice also promotes our unique

position of holistic providers.

 References

Lange, M. (2016, September 20). Creating Functional Homes for Dementia.

OccupationalTherapy.com.

https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/ot-ceus/course/creating-functional-homes-for-

dementia-5007

Reilly, E. (2021, February 8). Cognitive Technologies: Preparing for the ATP Exam.

OccupationalTherapy.com

https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/ot-ceus/course/cognitive-technologies-

preparing-for-atp-3039