OTnews June 2011
Welcome to the June 2011 issue of OTnews
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60 per cent worldwide. It is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15 to 44 years in some countries, and the second leading cause of death in the 10 to 24 years age group. These figures do not include suicide attempts, which are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide.
WHO also suggests that when someone dies by suicide their death has a serious impact upon, on average, at least six other people. If the individual was known to health and/or social services before their death, the members of those care teams are likely to be among those affected, whether seriously or less so.
Service user suicide is not a topic that OTnews has featured before, but this month we look at the reflections of an occupational therapy support worker on the death of a service user, who committed suicide shortly after his intervention had ceased. The article, on page 28, reflects on the support worker’s experience and, in particular, identifies some factors that lessened the impact of the suicide on the support worker, both personally and professionally.
To avoid the service user being identified, the name of the support worker and the location and name of the service have been removed from the article, along with the names of the authors.
Also in this issue, and this month’s cover story, we look at an innovative initiative from City and Hackney Community Health Services, which saw the creation of ‘The Hit Squad’ – comprised of an OT, speech and language therapist, physiotherapist and clinical psychologist – to facilitate the access of children with disabilities to a variety of play and leisure activities (page 30).
Finally, COT’s annual conference and exhibition has come around again, and I hope to see some of you there again.
For those members that can’t get there, due to time and resource restrictions, we will be bringing you all the news and headlines via the BAOT/COT news pages of the website, Twitter and Facebook (see page 15).
- First steps to work - Why real work matters on a high dependency ward
- Injury prevention service for carers - Jenny McLeod looks at why the role is so suited to OTs
- Creativity through appreciative inquiry - The development of a new CPD model – the TRAMM model
- Service user suicide – a personal reflection - The personal and professional impact of service user suicide
- Facilitating short breaks for disabled children - The ‘Hit Squad’ – a ‘unique’ initiative in London
- Celebrate 25 years of COTEC - Tina Gericke looks at the development of the organisation
- Aardman, animation and a new approach to therapy - An award-winning OT on animation as an occupational tool
- How the Opal became the jewel of the West Midlands - Andrew Mickel pays a new assessment centre a visit
- Governing advanced practitioner roles in Wales - Welsh framework for advanced nursing, midwifery and AHPs
- All the world’s a stage… - Facilitating a theatrical activity in a private sector nursing home
