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About us

Established in the year 2006 VOTC is started with the vision of providing quality
health care delivery of occupational therapy to the general public and to promote
awareness about occupational therapy among medical community, student
community and general public.
From the beginning, centre rendered its services to the children’s with various
developmental disorders such as Autism, ADHD, PDD, CP & MR and Adults with
various neurological, orthopedic and psychiatric dysfunctions.
A new branch of the centre has been started functioning in Choolaimedu [within the
premises of Purushoth therapy centre] since September 2008.
Contact us
3/68, Radhakrishnan street,
Issue 6 January 2010 Palavakkam. Chennai-41.
Dear all, : 044-42856371
9, Sri Balaji foundations,
VOTC wishes you all a very happy and prosperous new year. In this issue,
flat no: 5, vannair 2nd street,
we bring you an article on childbirth education, tips to conserve energy for choolaimedu. Chennai-91.
working efficiently and the developmental corner contains the development : 044- 23720906
of self bathing skills. Feel free to share your comments with us. Email Us
Thank you vijayaotcentre@gmail.com
Editorial team

Ante natal care Patient Testimonials

Pregnancy is the time of spectacular emotional state as the women
comes to term with her new identity. Pregnancy and child birth is a part of I read an article about
women’s life. Child birth is the process whereby an infant is born. It’s a schizophrenia where I came to
great feeling to think about the tiny new being developing inside. The odds know that occupational therapy is
are already fairly good that he/she will be born healthy. The birth of your also helpful for the patients with
baby is one of the most exciting events in your life, a moment that you will psychiatric problems. So, I take my
cherish and remember always. Though pregnancy is a pleasant experience it sister to Vijaya OT centre for a
is not the same for everyone, as some factors may hinder or complicate the consultation. The therapist over
pregnancy and child birth. there did a detailed work up for
During pregnancy, both sedentary and fast paced lifestyle has great few sessions. Later, they provide
impact on effective physiological functioning of the mother’s body. me with the strategies about how to
Maternal life style also influences embryonic and fetal brain development. handle when the psychiatric
Poor life style has been linked to a reduce number of brain cells and fewer features [like self talking,
synaptic connections. irrelevant talking] manifest. They
So many adverse factors can threaten the women during this period also provide the activity schedule
which hinders the development of the fetus. Physical changes during for my sister. I take her to the
pregnancy directly affect the tolerance level. Hormonal changes cause the centre once a week. After few
joints to become more mobile. The center of gravity shifts because of months of therapy I can sense
enlargement of abdomen. The heart rate speeds up because of cardio some changes in my sister’s status.
vascular changes. The body temperature and metabolic rate also increased. Overall, I am satisfied with the
Some of research evidence states that maternal stress during pregnancy may service they provided.
result in baby with development delay or with developmental abnormality. - Mrs. Gayathri
 Some of the complications/discomforts during pregnancy are low
back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, weight loss/ gain, fainting, difficulty in
breathing, round ligament pain, leg fatigue, ankle edema, cramps, stress Feedback
incontinence etc.,
The abovementioned & ill effects during pregnancy or delivery can Good job with the
be prevented by proper child birth education sessions which emphasize, newsletter. Keep the good
stress management, exercises and nutrition. work. – Kala, occupational
therapist, Canada
Child birth education:
Child birth education provides you with all you need to know about Newsletter is informative.
pregnancy for the birth of your baby. It supports the pregnant women both Best wishes. – Ramraj,
physically and mentally; it helps her to achieve the birth experience she Chennai
desires; and to assist the father in performing comfort measures for the
mother.
Occupational therapist and certified childbirth educator usually Our Additional Services
provides you with the stress management intervention as well as low back
care, health advice and home modifications. Child birth educator will teach
the parents to enrich the experience of pregnancy. Speech therapy
The purpose of these antenatal care sessions is Special education
- To smoothen the process of labor and delivery.

- To ease the discomforts during pregnancy, labor and delivery.

- To help you take care of your baby and get back in shape again.
Development
Stress management:

Stress like affecting any other person can also affect pregnant Development of bathing
women. Stress management program is essential for pregnant women’s. The skills:
objective of the stress management program is to alleviate maternal stress
and to enhance the feeling of well being. 2 years -
interest in bathing begins
During pregnancy, fear of child birth creates a physical tension
thereby increasing pain and pain perception by restricting blood flow to the
4 years -
uterine muscles. This fear tension pain cycle has to be interrupted. This can
able to wash and dry
be accomplished by proper parental education. Parental education session
themselves with
usually comprises relaxation technique, breathing patterns and counseling.
supervision

Exercise:
6 years -
Exercise usually helps a lot for pregnant women. The amount and independently do bathing
type of exercise depends on the mother’s general health, the course of when arrangements
pregnancy and usual muscle tone, strength and endurance. It also protects made
against back pain, helps in prevent excessive accumulation of body part and
has a positive effect on energy level, mood and self image. Exercise 8 years -
eliminates most of the pregnancy associated complications by improving the prepares for and
blood circulation, toning the muscles and enabling the pelvis, spinal and completes bathing
abdominal muscles to support the added weight of the uterus. Exercise independently
throughout the pregnancy helps to maintain good postural habits and also
hasten the postpartum recovery. It’s very important that exercise should be
done under the proper guidance.
Nutrition:
Adequate nutrition is necessary for successful pregnancy. Research
Special Announcements!
shows that a women’s eating habits can have an effect on the course of her
pregnancy [anaemia, pre eclampsia, is common in poorly nourished women];
her comfort [fatigue, morning stiffness, leg cramps can be avoided by a good VOTC wishes
diet]; her labor and delivery [zinc deficiency has been linked to increased
risk of premature labor]; her emotional state [good diet can help to moderate
you all a very
mood swings] and her post partum recovery [a well nourished body can
bounce back faster and more easily after delivery]. Good nutrition helps the
happy and
mother to be in good health and to hope for an eventful pregnancy. In
addition it also prevents the complication of malnutrition.
prosperous
[Article written by D. Shanthi B.O.T.,C.C.E (Occupational Therapist & n ew y ea r
certified child birth educator)]
*2010*
Conserve energy to work better
Sick and older people have trouble completing tasks. There are certain
strategies which can be practiced in day to day tasks, so that the people
Know about OT – Book
with illness and elder people can conserve energy and spent it in their
valuable activities. This prevents activity limitation. The strategies are as
follows
1. Sit to work. Whenever possible sit and work during table top
activities and house hold chores.
2. Push rather than pull or lift. Whenever possible the objects or items
need to be lifted may be pulled and it is much better to be pushed.
[Eg: placing the food utensils on wheeled cart and pushing it while
transferring it from kitchen to dining room.
3. Take frequent rest breaks.
4. Alternate difficult or demanding tasks and easy talk.
5. Broken down the activity in simpler steps and do it, instead of doing
it as a whole.
6. Plan the task in advance [for eg: If you plan and gather all the
required ingredients before cooking you can avoid unnecessary trips "Are you really interested to
to and fro from the counter to cabinet]. know what occupational
7. Use correct equipment and right method to perform the task. [Eg: therapy is"? Get your free
Use light weight and properly functioning equipment will help you to copy of the book "Know
finish the task at once with less energy consumption. about Occupational Therapy"
in person from our centre.