Media Project

Many times over the last few months of school have I heard our professors say something along the lines of, "I just grabbed what we had in the cabinets and made it work" or "I manipulated this object and it ended up helping the problem we were facing". Their ability to turn nothing into something on multiple occasions amazed me. It wasn't until this project that I actually believed you can make a therapy session out of just about anything. The item I was assigned was a kitchen sponge and my client, Alice, was diagnosed with Secondary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. I surprised myself when I thought of more than one purpose the sponge could serve for Alice. This was definitely a turning point for me because it gave me confidence in knowing that I can do something for my clients regardless of their environment or lack of access to higher-tech adaptive equipment.

I came up with a compensatory activity for Alice to complete in order to push her toward her goals. Alice wants to continue living life the way she is and doesn't want to bother her husband for help. Her husband reports that he often times comes home and finds only parts of different tasks completed, such as the vegetables partially cut, or potatoes in a pot on the stove but the burner off. The cognitive assessment that was used in evaluation showed that Alice has difficulty with planning and organization, task monitoring and initiation and working memory. With that, I thought it would be a good idea for her to reduce the amount of tasks she has to do for a given activity. Meal prepping conserves energy by preparing the food prior to the day she actually has to cook it. Meal prepping also helps her stay organized and on task when she is cooking because everything she has to cook is already bagged and prepared. This activity is something we would do in a therapy session with the hopes that Alice could implement the same exercise at home.

This project was one of the first times that I felt like I was in the role of an occupational therapist. I've previously doubted my creativity and innovativeness which, in turn, caused me to have doubts about my future as an occupational therapist. This project challenged me to involve the creative side of my mind - a side that hasn't been used in a while and it was a great learning experience for me. I now know that I am able to invoke creativity for my future clients and that makes me feel like a more capable learner going forward. 

While completing this assignment, I read and reread over Alice's case study. Each time something new popped out to me that could use an occupational therapist's intervention. It was so thorough and really gave me a look into every little nook and cranny in her life. Because there were so many areas that needed addressed or could use some sort of modification, it emphasized the importance of being holistic and client-centered. Not every Multiple Sclerosis client is going to present with the same challenges and barriers so it is important to familiarize yourself with the specifics of each client. This project has impacted me for the better because I think I will ask more questions, observe more thoroughly, and pay more attention to details of the client in my future practice and clinical work.