Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Ergotherapy Department Students' 14th “Corona Diaries: Ergotherapy Interventions” program, organized under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova, was held. Ergotherapists who are experts in their field participated as speakers in the program, which was moderated by Berkay Karpuz. The program was held via Zoom webinar.
Erg. Sedanur Yılmaz: “Taking the client's history is very important”
Erg. Sedanur Yılmaz, who delivered her speech titled “Approaches to preventing falls in geriatric individuals with fibromyalgia during the Covid-19 process,” said: “As a first step, taking the client's history is very important. Ergotherapists need to allocate sufficient time for a detailed history. If we give enough time to the person in front of us, they feel important, a bit more understood. And in fact, this process becomes the first step in individuals' recovery. In the next step, obtaining detailed information is also very important. To obtain detailed information, current complaints, previous falls, current or previously used medications, vision problems, dizziness, sleep problems, memory and concentration difficulties, family, social, and professional roles, previous successful and unsuccessful treatment interventions must be learned. Taking the client's history is very important in ergotherapy interventions.”
Erg. Tayfun Zengin: “Substance addiction is a psychosocial problem”
Erg. Tayfun Zengin made evaluations on “The role of Ergotherapy in preventing relapse in individuals who have received substance addiction treatment,” stating: “There aren't many studies in Turkey in the field of Ergotherapy for substance addicts. But it is a subject we need to work on. Addiction is when a person continues to use a substance with an uncontrollable desire, despite its many negative effects on their life. Substance addiction is a psychosocial problem that negatively affects not only the individual but also those around them, causing significant harm. Here, it is especially necessary to highlight the family. The addicted individual greatly affects the family. Since the addicted individual dedicates time to the substance they are addicted to, they first start lying to the family. This situation can even lead to domestic violence in the later stages.”
Erg. Kadriye Yağmurcu: “Ergotherapists' personalized interventions make daily living activities more meaningful and planned”
Erg. Kadriye Yağmurcu, speaking on “Ergotherapy interventions including creative movement and dance for pregnant women at risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder during the pandemic period,” said: “Fetal alcohol syndrome refers to the risk of neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive problems in the baby and resulting developmental delays following the use of teratogenic substances, illicit drugs, and alcohol by expectant mothers during pregnancy. Ergotherapists' personalized interventions and the application of creative movement and dance-based activities make daily living activities more meaningful and planned. At the same time, filling the void within addicted individuals through movement also brings positive results.”
Erg. Engin Şahin: “As dopamine deficiency in the brain increases, Parkinson's also progresses”
Erg. Engin Şahin delivered his presentations on “The effect of Ergotherapy interventions on Parkinson's patients during the quarantine period.” Şahin stated: “Parkinson's disease occurs due to the degeneration and/or loss of dopamine-secreting cells as a result of damage to the gray matter nuclei in the region called the 'brainstem.' However, how this damage occurs and why the cells deplete is not yet known. Parkinson's disease develops with the damage to dopamine-synthesizing cells. The movement disorder caused by Parkinson's disease is progressive and chronic. As dopamine deficiency in the brain increases, the disease also progresses.”
Erg. Amine Kalkan: “Our main goal is for children to be able to eat independently”
Erg. Amine Kalkan made evaluations on “Ergotherapy interventions for sensory-based feeding and eating difficulties in children during the pandemic period.” Kalkan touched upon the role of Ergotherapy in participation in eating, feeding, and timing activities, stating: “As you know, eating is a fundamental daily activity. Eating has an important place in daily life to ensure children's participation. Our main goal here is actually for children to be able to eat independently. Emotional, cognitive, and physical problems that hinder this independence fall within our areas of work. Ergotherapists know how important it is for a person to be able to eat and feed themselves as a daily living activity. Nutrition is one of the developmental building blocks for children. It is a skill with medical, social, and emotional implications for children and families.”