Reflection on SIM encounter #1

    While taking a Neuro Aspects course in occupational therapy school, I was required to do a clinical simulation where I administered the SLUMS, which is a screening tool used to identify cognitive impairment. The client that I gave the cognitive screening to was a 61 year old female who had a recent stroke. The client also had COVID. When working as an occupational therapist, cognition is a big part of your practice. Cognition is considered to be the ability to perceive and organize information to enable the person to process, learn, and generalize information. It is how your brain thinks and processes things for them to make sense to you. The SLUMS assessment in which I delivered assessed cognition, and also memory which is a cognitive skill. Memory is the brain's ability to encode, store, and retrieve information. Occupational therapists have a big role in working with individuals who have a cognitive disorder. A big part of this is educating the client on the disorder and what they can expect. Occupational therapists also can help create a plan on how to navigate the disorder and provide the client with tools or tricks to help limit impairment or challenges that may arise. 

    My client scored a 21 on the SLUMS. This score indicates that the client has a mild cognitive impairment and could benefit from OT services. She is on the lower side of the range of scores that indicate a mild cognitive impairment, being only a few points away from indicating that the client has dementia. The client struggled when she had to recall things. This can be a challenge in any type of setting or situation. When you are struggling to remember things, people may get agitated with you or frustrated or even offended. Struggling with memory can cause social situations to be difficult or embarrassing. She also struggled when it came to having to draw and read a clock. This could affect her life by causing her to be too late or too early to events. 

    Since my client had not heard of occupational therapy, I explained to her what occupational therapy is and what an occupational therapist can do to help a client. Although occupational therapy consists of many different aspects, I did not give too much detail. I gave her a summarized version of what occupational therapy is. When talking about what an occupational therapist actually does, I gave her enough information so that she could see how a therapist could help her or fit into her life. 

    I felt that the whole encounter went very well. The client was very friendly which allowed me to feel at ease. The conversation flowed very well. I let the client explain things and asked the client questions when she would bring up something about her life. I also was able to adapt on the spot when the client did not like one of the questions. If I had an opportunity to redo, I would have put on hand sanitizer before I came near the client. Since the client has COVID, it is essential to put on hand sanitizer to avoid germs being spread. I put it on a little late in the encounter. The main thing that I took away from this encounter was that everyone is human and as long as you treat the client nicely and as someone you are interested in getting to know, the encounter should be successful. I was nervous before the encounter because I did not know what to expect, but the client made me feel comfortable as soon as I walked into the door and my nerves went away. In the future, I plan to use what I learned in this experience. I plan to greet the client happily and truly show interest in their life. I feel by doing this, it makes the client feel more comfortable and makes the encounter go smoothly. I feel it takes the pressure off of things and allows for a great experience for both me, as the therapist, and the client.