ABOVE: Julie Kraska works with a child at her practice in Lexington. BELOW: EKU OT graduate student Corey Wible works with a child on dynamic balance.
well-rounded in the amount of community involvement and extracurricular activities they are engaged in,” Kraska explained. For examples, you wouldn’t have to look any further than the Dizney Building, where the department hosts programs for local residents afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The Place to Be and Memory Café programs provide an extra bonus: a respite and other forms of support for caregivers. Students are involved in various other community-based programs in Richmond and Lexington, including work with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Despite the growing presence of occupational therapists, many still don’t grasp the role of occupational therapists. Schneck explained that OTs “work to get people back into their occupations, back
into their lives. We use things that are motivating to individuals and look at all the steps to get there. There are lots of pieces to getting people back. When we can engage people in their lives, the healing comes much faster.” Dr. Shirley O’Brien, a longtime faculty member in the department who was recently named an EKU Foundation Professor, recalled the adage, “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. Thus, rather than doing to someone, we work with our clients to promote their
EKU provided me with excellent placements that contributed to my confidence and allowed me to apply my academic knowledge to actual patient care. — Julie Kraska, ’80 abilities, and suggest adaptations for continued independence in life roles and routines.” Little wonder, then, that the future of occupational therapy is “limitless,” said Kraska. “It is frequently included in lists of best jobs with a high demand. As we see a greater emphasis on mental health, wellness and prevention, and given our strong knowledge base regarding purposeful occupations across lifespans, I only envision more and more opportunities to expand where we work and how we work.” n
12 FALL 2016