Uskudar University Institute of Health Sciences Ergotherapy Master's Students, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova, organized the 13th “Corona Diaries: Ergotherapy Interventions” program. In the program, moderated by Berkay Karpuz, a student from Uskudar University's Ergotherapy Department, presentations were made in five different areas of Ergotherapy Interventions.
“The positive effects of sleep on the immune system have gained even more importance”
Erg. Özgenur Vural spoke under the title “Activities that an Ergotherapist Should Implement for Individuals with Adhesive Capsulitis during the Covid-19 Process.” Vural: “In these days when we are fighting the coronavirus epidemic, the positive effects of sleep on the immune system have gained even more importance. The cells of the immune system have the ability to multiply, renew, and heal during sleep.
The best time for these cells to renew is during night sleep. Our body, getting enough sleep, has sufficient resistance to protect against many microorganisms, including coronavirus. In addition, melatonin secreted during sleep helps fight free radicals and toxins. If you don't get enough sleep, the immune system can weaken because cells don't renew, which can invite diseases." she stated.
“The need for telehealth and telerehabilitation services has significantly increased”
Erg. Serenay Şengül addressed the topic of adult education during the Covid-19 process with Ergotherapy and NPL approaches. Şengül: “The reason I chose this topic is, as you know, we have been struggling with the pandemic process in our country and around the world for approximately 8-9 months. And this process has disrupted healthcare professionals and patients who need health programs from benefiting from services. The need for telehealth and telerehabilitation services has also significantly increased. While providing these services, I wanted to provide information on how communication should be when working with adults, and topics and models to consider in adult education. Neuro-linguistic programming is actually the art and science of personal excellence. It deals with how we filter experiences gained from the outside world through our five senses and how we use them to achieve our desired results." she said.
Premature birth in newborns is a situation that has greatly increased in recent years
Addressing the issue of prevention in Ergotherapy interventions for newborns during the pandemic, Erg. Mustafa Karaaslan said: “Premature birth in newborns is a situation that has greatly increased in recent years. For ergotherapists working in the field of pediatrics, fine motor and gross motor skills appear as the biggest problems we face in later stages. Premature babies is a term used for babies born before 37 weeks; premature babies are at greater risk for short-term and long-term complications, including obstacles in growth and cognitive development. Ergotherapists, physiotherapists, and neurologists need to work in a disciplined manner to identify this child's problems by the age of two and focus on their treatment in the later stages." he stated.
Activity suggestions for geriatric individuals
Erg. Gülin Gürsel addressed the topic of activity suggestions for geriatric individuals staying at home during the pandemic. Gürsel: “What we call activity is the performance of a movement or task by an individual and the individual aspect of functionality. When we talk about activity, we cannot not mention participation, because these are actually one and cannot be separated. Participation refers to taking part in a life situation, that is, social life. Since we are also social beings, these two definitions are really very important. Every situation that prevents us from performing our activities in our lives negatively affects our quality of life. For this reason, engaging in meaningful activities during these difficult times is very important for our quality of life. And it brings us to very good places." she said.
“Interactive metronome is both an assessment and treatment tool”
Speaking about interactive metronome therapy in rehabilitation during the quarantine period, Erg. Asiye Gacav said: “Interactive metronome is a proven therapeutic method that improves cognition, attention, focus, language, executive functions, motor, and sensory skills. Interactive metronome allows clients to synchronize their entire body movements according to a training. It is both an assessment and treatment tool. The components of the interactive metronome consist of three parts: first, a computer with the interactive metronome software; second, headphones for auditory feedback; and third, the triggering device.