Foundations of Occupational Therapy MOT1 Blog: Media Project, Client: Craig

At the beginning I was really intimated by this project. I did not see how I was going to make a meaningful activity from a sponge for a man who had a complete spinal cord injury at a C5 level. The client's goal was to go to a rehabilitation hospital, and he was completely dependent in all ADLs. Therefore, I was challenged as to what intervention to make for him because of his diagnosis leaving him so greatly immobilized.

After some research I found that the client could only use his biceps and some wrist extensors. I also knew that he would need to work on withstanding upright sitting in order to succeed at a rehab hospital. Therefore, I wanted to incorporate sitting up while doing the activity. After much brainstorming I landed on a pre-feeding activity. This activity would use the same motion and muscles for feeding except in a gravity eliminated position.

This activity is client centered because it will simulate an ADL that my client can work towards, which is feeding. This will also help him reach his goal of a rehab facility if he is able to sit upright without getting dizzy. During this activity, he will be sitting upright with his forearm rested on the table, his elbow at a 90 degree angle, and shoulder adducted. The client might want to use a towel under his forearm to help reduce friction and one under his axillary to reduce pressure. The client will work on pushing the pieces of sponges off the table. The goal of reaching the table edge gives him motivation and reward. I learned I have to break down the anatomy involved to know what barriers must be considered in creating a solution.

After working this out, I realized that an activity does not always have to be exciting and extravagant, but rather it has to be meaningful and geared to the client. I worked so hard to try to think of something fun, but in this case this is the activity that the client needs to work on in order to reach his goal. So looking forward, I want my ideas to be client-centered, even if they do not seem flashy. I think it is imperative to remember why we are doing what we are doing as OTs, and I think that was my biggest take-away from this assignment. Going forward, I will gear my ideas and tailor my ideas towards the client and where the client is on their journey.