- by Laura LaCara -
I am not a stranger to change. Some changes are small, and some changes catapult us into an entirely new trajectory. That is the kind of change I found myself making in 2020. Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, I spent a decade working as an actor and singer. It was a career that I loved and one that defined me. When the pandemic hit and the world paused, I was forced to reevaluate my life and career. As much as I loved performing, something was missing. I knew I wanted to make a change. I was craving a career with a greater sense of purpose; one that allowed me to be of service to others. I found that in occupational therapy. Occupational therapy enables individuals with illness, injury, or disability to engage more fully in their lives and participate in their daily activities. Occupational therapists often create adaptations that help clients live life in a way that is meaningful to them and that brings a sense of autonomy back to their lives. What attracts me to occupational therapy is the ability to generate creative solutions that make positive changes for clients. When I decided to make a career change to occupational therapy, I dove in headfirst. I was lucky to find an exceptional occupational therapy program right here in Rochester at Nazareth. I worked with the transfer admissions team and the Naz OT department to make my transition to Naz as a second degree student seamless.
The thing that attracted me most to Nazareth’s occupational therapy program is our on campus clinics. Our clinic provides wonderful learning opportunities to gain hands on experience working with real clients. In our Fall clinic, I was fortunate to work with an amazing gentleman who had gone through a tremendous, life-altering change that left him with quadriplegia. As part of our OT evaluation, we conduct an occupational profile. Basically, this is an interview method that allows us to learn about our client and generate goals that are most important to them. The goal my client and I chose to focus on was increasing his ability to take care of his oral hygiene. This is a task some may take for granted until you find you are no longer able to brush your own teeth. My client had to rely on his wife to brush and floss his teeth, which had led to decreased oral health. To tackle this, I conceived a small change. I found a long handled flosser and wrapped some foam tubing around the handle, which allowed my client to hold the flosser in his own hands and move it around his mouth to floss his own teeth. Suddenly, he was able to independently complete a task he had been dependent for since the onset of his illness. To me, it was just a small change; a little adaptation I had given him. To my client, it was enormous. It gave him back a piece of himself that his illness had taken from him. I was overjoyed at the beginning of Spring semester to receive a note from him saying his dentist was floored with the improvements he had made in his oral health. And that was, in part, because of me. What I take away from this experience is this: never discount your ability to make an impact. A small change can make all the difference.
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Laura LaCara is a senior occupational therapy major. She is excited to graduate with a 2nd bachelor’s degree this May and continue her studies in Naz’s graduate OT program. Her blog post was part of a Naz storytelling effort initiated by Steve Tolson, Naz Writing Center director. Students were asked to consider: How are you advocating, collaborating, or persevering? How are you having impact, embracing inclusivity, exploring culture, and becoming more self aware? What problem do you see and how are you working on addressing it? How are you engaging as a changemaker in your communities? From these questions came StoryLines@Naz, a new online Naz storytelling effort.
