Personally, I have had great success with the local Tetra
Society for developing creative solutions to problems that need a custom
approach. In one situation, my client
who suffered from quadriplegia had the goal of feeding himself. His elbow and shoulder flexion did not allow
for his hand to reach his mouth. With
the help of his physiotherapist and Tetra engineer we were able to create a
custom splint and modified utensils that bridged the gap between his hand and
his mouth. The material costs were
$40.00 and the engineer was a volunteer.
In another situation my client, mobility impaired, wanted to attach his
walker to his scooter so he could park his scooter and walk into the places he
was visiting. Tetra was able to custom
mold a bracket for his walker at a cost of $10.00. Another client also used Tetra under my
encouragement to develop a bracket that would allow her to mount her camera so
she could take photos from her power wheelchair.
Occupational therapy is about custom solutions to sometimes
complicated problems. But I believe that
every problem has a solution and that as professionals we need to stay apprised
of the options in the community that can help us to create customized
solutions. Take a look online for your
local Tetra Society.
May 13, 2013
Occupational Therapy is Functional Creativity
The profession of occupational therapy is all about creativity
in solving barriers to function.
However, often we come across problems for which no solution currently
exists. In those cases we need to
customize a solution that works for the client, their environment or care
providers.
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