2023年4月- 12
In celebration of 职业治疗 month we interviewed Nicole Stumpf, PG电子官网的新职业治疗师, to share why she came to Plumas County and what makes OT so impactful in close communities.
你是谁，你是做什么的?
我叫妮可. I am an Occupational Therapist here at Plumas District Hospital. I work with patients in outpatient and in the hospital. This includes transitional care patients that have received treatment and are in the rehab stage of their recovery. I work on helping them regain independence in their basic daily activities and set them up for success wherever they go once they leave our care. Whether that’s to home or another care facility, I help to make that transition as successful as possible.
How did you first hear about Quincy, and Plumas District Hospital?
我搭档的父母碰巧住在克利奥. 我不久前来参观过这个地区. It was warm and the Blairsden Bakery was open. I am the type of person who was always on Indeed.我想看看有什么工作机会. That is where I saw a posting for an Occupational Therapist. Plumas District Hospital was actually looking to start an OT program. I sent them an email saying, “Hey, when the program exists, keep me in mind.” That turned into some conversations with Rey Pesina, and now I am here.
What is something that you like about the Quincy area?
The people here are truly alive and they live intimately in this place. 他们关心你，注意到你. Everyone waves and acknowledges your existence. I have been treated so well while getting a driver’s license or while opening a PO Box. 我拿到驾照的时候还碰了个拳! 真的很甜. Unfortunately, it is just not something that exists in many places in our world anymore. 真是太迷人了. There is something precious that is preserved in Quincy. 我很高兴有人引导我来到这里. PG电子官网真的很喜欢.
你从事的是职业治疗. How would you describe 职业治疗 to the everyday person?
I would describe OT as the therapeutic use of activity to improve well-being. 这可以通过身体康复来实现, through learning coping skills to deal with stressors, through the identification of meaningful life roles or a way to participate in the community again. 这很难简化, but in 职业治疗 we focus on what it is you want to do, 占领, and then the act of doing things itself is therapeutic.
是什么吸引你从事职业治疗?
I had been a yoga instructor for about 15 years and had training in yoga therapy. 在那段时间里, I started seeing a lot of clients that had surgeries or chronic conditions that were progressive, 比如帕金森症或多发性硬化症. I was just terrified that I did not know how to best support them. I chose to go to school to improve my understanding of what was going on with these conditions and I chose 职业治疗 because it allowed me to work with the body and the mind and the person in a holistic way. 环境对每个人来说也很重要. 那里的生活是什么样的? 他们想做什么? Do they like riding horses or enjoy doing pottery?” When I found 职业治疗 I thought, “Oh! This is an extension of what I am already doing through yoga. 这太棒了!”
What are you looking forward to about your work as an Occupational Therapist here?
I am looking forward to being of service to the community. I am at a stage in my life now where I want to nestle into a home base and have a role in that community. I have been very nomadic for a while and have moved around a lot. I think that was a very valuable experience and I do not regret a thing about it. But now I am at this stage where I want to set some roots and I want to use my gifts to help improve the quality of life of people in the area. 我很好，很友好. I have a lot of knowledge about the body and how to help people be more embodied so that they are more aware of what’s possible. Part of OT is helping people to recognize their limitations while showing them ways to do an activity differently or use a device so that they can still do the activity. Then there is the cognitive or mental health piece of helping people to accept their new reality. That can be a challenge, after a traumatic event or through aging, for your abilities to change. Falls prevention and helping people to avoid re-hospitalizations and injury is another big piece of 职业治疗.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
I am looking forward to embracing the solitude of this area. I am also looking forward to doing a lot of outdoorsy things. I want to try mountain biking but I’ve never done it. I also want to get into wild foraging and to explore the native plants here. Having access to real, local food is really important to me. So I was excited to discover the Feather River Cooperative, 迷失的塞拉食品项目, 锈蚀根农场和其他. 我只是很兴奋能来到这里.
