by Rich | Jul 22, 2015 | Community |
Recently I participated in a built environment experiment in which many participants self-reported several dangerous and unsafe recreational paths in their community. The projects ranged from analyzing the safety of intersections to figuring out how we can make drivers more aware of their obligations when approaching school zones. For my project, I decided to analyze the pedestrian sidewalk across from Farmingdale Physical Therapy West on Hempstead Turnpike. My rationale behind my built environment project, as well as the participants, was to help raise awareness about the neglected safety of pedestrians, increase physical activity, and to publicize our concerns so we can improve our community. The part of the pedestrian sidewalk that I decided to analyze spanned 600 feet and connected a residential community to a commercial development. In addition, pedestrians had to cross an entrance/exit ramp to the expressway and under an overpass. In my analysis, I decided to use a Walkability Assessment Worksheet featured in the book “A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities” by Laura Sandt. The worksheet put different qualities into three categories that are graded from one to five; High importance, medium importance, and low importance. The high importance category included the overall condition of the trail, any conflicts along the trail, and the conditions of the crosswalks. Meanwhile the medium importance category included maintenance, trail size, trail buffer, accessibility, and aesthetics with the low importance category only including the amount of shade providing on the trail. Along my walk, I observed that there was trash littered all along the side of the road, several broken/hidden signs, no guard rail to protect pedestrians,...
by Rich | Jul 1, 2015 | Community |
Whether you sit at a desk all day or are constantly moving at a construction area, it is important to maintain proper ergonomics in your work space. Ergonomics is the study of one’s efficiency in their work environment. Many companies urge proper workplace ergonomics to increase productivity and keep their employees healthy. One thing that companies teach their employees is proper lifting techniques and staying within their safe working zone. The Safe Working Zone is an area around the body that is the safest place where you can achieve maximum strength and balance when lifting an object. Remaining in the Safe Working Zone is crucial for individuals that are required to lift heavy objects throughout the day. Say you have an employee that works in a factory that requires him to lift 120 bags that weigh 40 pounds onto a conveyer belt every hour. The bags he lifts to the right and are placed on the floor, meanwhile the conveyer belt is to his left and is very high off the ground. Towards the end of the day, this employee feels exhausted and is unable to complete the job. But if were to intervene and use proper ergonomics, we can increase his productively by placing him in the Safe Working Zone. Some ways we can manipulate his work area are by lowering the conveyer belt to an appropriate lifting height, using a lift to raise the bags off the ground, and switching the bags and the conveyer belt after a so called amount of time so the employee is now moving from left to right. For those that work...
by Rich | Jun 24, 2015 | Community |
What would you like to change? What stands in your way? We all have questions but not always the answers. As our newest offering at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West, Life Coaching is now available for clients who want to break habits, change their current lifestyle, need help overcoming a loss, and to ultimately learn to walk new paths to live life more fully. Beth Bucheister is a Certified Professional Life Coach who has used her own experiences and life challenges to help others. A life coach is a partner who is there to help show you the path to goals. In her prior career as an audiologist, lending a helping hand has always been one of Beth’s brightest qualities. When experiencing her own life challenges, life coaching was suggested to her by a colleague in which began her own journey to becoming a certified life coach. Beth offers specifically designed individual or group sessions that focus on issues such as weight loss, living with chronic pain, living with chronic illness, support for caregivers, retirement and lifestyle changes, and bereavement and loss. By the end of each session, individuals will develop realistic and attainable goals that can be reached by utilizing the life tools you already possess and those you didn’t know you had. For more information, contact the front desk or check out Beth’s website...
by Rich | Jun 1, 2015 | Community |
1.How will OT/PT help me get back to what I was doing? 2.Can I do exercise you give me at home? 3. Do you have any specialized training to treat my condition? 4. Has research been published in the past 3 years to support your treatments? 5. Do you any recommendations to research on my condition? 6. Do you need me to do anything to make me better, faster?...
by Rich | Apr 13, 2015 | Community |
Remember to do your home exercises, eat healthy and stay hydrated.
