At first I forgot to pat dry instead of rubbing, but then stopped and wrapped up in a robe so I could dry the rest of the way while completing my other routines before dressing. I sat while brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts by opening the bottom cabinet doors of my vanity to give clearance for my knees and found this more comfortable than I expected. I was also able to rest my elbows on the counter while completing these tasks. I brought all my clothes into the bathroom before showering, so after I sat to brush my teeth, put on lotion, etc., I could take a break to do pursed lip breathing and then have them within reach to get dressed while sitting. 

Overall, I felt like I would be able to comfortably incorporate most of the techniques, but I would be resistant if I was told to consider cutting my hair or having someone help. Being independent is important to me, so any loss of independence or having to admit that I couldn’t take care of my long hair anymore would be an adjustment.   

When getting out of the shower I used a terry cloth robe to wrap into to avoid drying off and using energy and sat on the toilet seat until I completely dried off. Once I dried off I was able to reach up and grab my clothes to put on. To avoid excessive bending and raising my arms up, I put on a long gown that zips in the front. After I finished getting dressed I brushed my teeth while sitting on the wide edge of my tub to avoid standing. 

Even though it took a lot of reminders to perform these techniques during my routine, I found it helpful to conserve energy. I can see how it would be difficult for someone to have to learn new principals to apply to their routines, but I also think the benefits outweigh the difficulties. 

When I know that I need to wake up very early in the morning or that I will not have a long night sleep I try to set up my clothes and objects that I know I would need the night before, just to have it all together in the morning. I usually do this as a safety measure because I know that in the morning I might not be cleaver enough, so I do not need to think much or I do not waste time and stress myself trying to find something that I need within a time constrain. In this case I used this technique to be more relax and conserve my morning energy. Other technique that I used was to plan my grooming, showering, dressing, and having breakfast. The whole ideas was to have the less amount of trips back and forth between bed, bathroom, kitchen and out of home. At the bathroom I used the toilet to sit and from there try to do my toothbrush and also get shaved with my wireless electrical shaver. The shower space is big enough so the night before I left a plastic chair in there, so I showered from there (I leave my wife's comments about this chair in the bathtub for another post). I do not have a towel robe so I tried to let myself dry with the air and then while still seated I used a towel to pat dry instead of rubbing. Then I moved to the chair where I left my clothes the night before and got dressed almost seated. When I got to the kitchen I realized that cereals, milk,  coffee, microwave, etc are not placed following an energy saving plan (of course with 2 kids my energy saving is not the priority on a daily basis). I got seated while waiting for the microwave. Following these techniques I figured out how low into my regular priorities is energy saving. I think that if the objects needed are organized with this priority in mind it might be much easier to do it on a daly basis.

This morning I incorporated the energy conservation strategies as indicated in this unit. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would when incorporating it into completing my daily activities. The hardest aspects of the conservation strategy for me was planning and pacing. Today when I began my morning routine for cleaning the house I had to plan out the chores I wanted to complete for the day. This was a change for me because I normally just begin and have no rhyme or reason to the order or what tasks I would like to complete. I decided that I wanted to clean the sink, tub, toilet and do one load of laundry for the day. Planning I feel helped me manage my time better and I was able to complete my chores in a more timely manner. 

Pacing has always been something I have struggled with and this energy conservation model was no different. I always have just wanted to get all of my chores done and out of the way but I was always tired by the time I finished. With the pacing strategies I learned in this unit I found that not rushing and taking breaks helped to conserve my energy and I didn’t feel as tired as I normally do (Smith, 2011). When cleaning the sink, tub and toilet I tried to consistently take breaks between each of these chores. I found that sitting on a short stepping stool when cleaning the tub help elevate back pain which I normally have once I am done. I also used the stepping stool when taking the clothes out of the drier before I folded them. I found that using this helped with back pain and allowed me to better conserve my energy. Another aspect of pacing that I included into my routine was breaking up my chores throughout the week (Smith, 2011). Not having to finish cleaning the house all in one day was a way I was able to have more energy and complete other things in the day as well. Ultimately I have tried to organize my chores so that I am able to space them out throughout the week. This has been a tough task but I have had more energy so far by doing that this week. This was a challenging exercise but I feel that planning, pacing and prioritizing are all components that would be useful in my life to help conserve my energy allowing me to complete my schoolwork and weekly cleaning chores (Smith, 2011). 

Resources:

Smith-Gabai, H. (2011). Occupational therapy in acute care. Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. 

 

 

 

Overall, this experience taught me how important routines are.  I have a set routine based on my current abilities when it comes to my morning ADL routine.  It took a lot of forethought and planning to try to create a different routine than I am used to, and I still forgot things!  I forgot to place my clothes in the bathroom the night before, so I had to walk around the bedroom to my drawer and then the closet to pick my clothes out.  I also forgot to bring a chair into the bathroom to sit at while I brushed my teeth and hair and shaved.  This, along with the bending and carrying that the task required certainly took a lot more energy than if I had prepared better.  Also, while in the shower and while brushing my hair, I had to keep my arms up for long time because I have a decent amount of hair to wash and brush.  Maybe considering a shorter more manageable haircut would be a good idea to consider.  The shoulders seem to tire out very quickly compared to other muscles.  I also did not have any long handled shower tools, so I had to do a lot of reaching and bending in the shower to wash my whole body.   

 

For people that are dealing with cardiac conditions, I can see how important our job as an occupational therapist is to them.  Helping them create brand new habits and routines and making sure they have the proper equipment to use good energy conservation tasks is of utmost importance for these clients.  I definitely have a greater appreciation now for this aspect of occupational therapy. 

 

I was a little surprised to see, even though I woke up 45 minutes early, I didn’t have much time between when my routine was completed and when I needed to leave the house. Thankfully my husband was home for the day and everyone was still asleep. This allowed my to eliminate feeding and taking the dog on the walk as well as getting my son ready.  If I had to complete the full morning routine with pacing and rest breaks it might require me to get up much earlier. Additionally, I should have put more time into the organization and preparing of my needed items. I would imagine a list would have been a better approach to ensure I had everything I would need the next morning. I can also see how the cooporation of those living with you would be important to successfully conserving energy. Overall the strategies required much more effort and planning than I initially thought they would and I can see how patients may face challenges and frustration in implementing energy conservation especially if they have a schedule to keep and no caregiver present to assist them.