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May 30, 2008

ULM Occupational Therapy Assistant students promote medical independence for Monroe residents

ULM Occupational Therapy Assistant students recently spent several days with the residents of Ouachita Grand Plaza and McKeen Plaza, two local retirement communities.

As part of the OTA students' clinical training and in an effort to promote medical independence for the residents, the students assessed the residents' homes for safety issues and made recommendations to eliminate fall hazards and ways to improve independence within their homes.

Carolyn Murphy, assistant professor in the ULM Occupational Therapy Department, said, "This was a way that the OTA students could gain experience in home evaluations, which is an integral part of what occupational therapy assistants do, but it also gave the residents an opportunity for greater independence, perhaps allowing them to live in their own homes as long as possible."

Students worked with ULM clinical instructors Melissa Batson, Patti Calk, and Penny Jones, and the Monroe Housing Authority.

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