Modalities II Lab
In Modalities II (OTA 1230), we learn theory of assistive technology and application of upper extremity dynamic splinting, prosthesis, orthotic devices, computer technology, environmental controls, and specialty areas of practice. We then learn practical application and active learning content of these topics.
Service Learning: Mount Olympus Senior Center
For this service learning activity we went to Mt. Olympus Senior Center and performed test assessments on the elderly that wanted to participate. Before I went there I was nervous that the elderly would think I was incompetent because I am so young compared to them. I wasn’t sure if they would take me seriously as an administrator of the test and a future health care professional. However, when I got there I was relieved to find that all of the elderly people were so nice and friendly. They didn’t care about my age at all and I ended up having a really fun time talking with them and listening to what they had to say.
This experience was relevant to OT because it gave us practice in implementing test assessments that we could set up in our future careers. The rating they get can also help us see potential areas of concern so that we know what to address in our therapy sessions. It was useful to see how we would go about assessing lower- and upper-body strength, flexibility, agility/dynamic balance, and aerobic endurance. I learned how to relate with clients, look for signs of overexertion, and think of ways to continue the test by compensating for their deficits.
I can incorporate something like this in my future practice by showing my supervisors the benefits that would come from knowing the health condition that our patients are in. It is a way of getting the clients to see where they are lacking and to help them think of ways they can improve to do better. They can see the improvements they’ve made in therapy through these test assessments.
I would say that this type of intervention approach is to create/promote (health promotion) because it is “designed to provide enriched contextual and activity experiences that will enhance performance for all people in the natural contexts of life” (OTPF). Through assessment, we are promoting our clients to be involved in their state of health by having them acknowledge where they are currently and where they should be for their age.
In conclusion, I learned a lot through this service learning experience. This experience opened my eyes to considering working in a setting with geriatric patients which I hadn’t thought was “my thing” before. I really enjoyed being around these people and learning about the different assessments we used. I know I will use the knowledge I gained from this experience in my future practice.
This experience was relevant to OT because it gave us practice in implementing test assessments that we could set up in our future careers. The rating they get can also help us see potential areas of concern so that we know what to address in our therapy sessions. It was useful to see how we would go about assessing lower- and upper-body strength, flexibility, agility/dynamic balance, and aerobic endurance. I learned how to relate with clients, look for signs of overexertion, and think of ways to continue the test by compensating for their deficits.
I can incorporate something like this in my future practice by showing my supervisors the benefits that would come from knowing the health condition that our patients are in. It is a way of getting the clients to see where they are lacking and to help them think of ways they can improve to do better. They can see the improvements they’ve made in therapy through these test assessments.
I would say that this type of intervention approach is to create/promote (health promotion) because it is “designed to provide enriched contextual and activity experiences that will enhance performance for all people in the natural contexts of life” (OTPF). Through assessment, we are promoting our clients to be involved in their state of health by having them acknowledge where they are currently and where they should be for their age.
In conclusion, I learned a lot through this service learning experience. This experience opened my eyes to considering working in a setting with geriatric patients which I hadn’t thought was “my thing” before. I really enjoyed being around these people and learning about the different assessments we used. I know I will use the knowledge I gained from this experience in my future practice.
Reference List
Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain & process (3rd ed.). (2014). Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.
Mt. Olympus Senior Center
1635 E Murray-Holladay Rd.
Holladay, Utah 84117
1635 E Murray-Holladay Rd.
Holladay, Utah 84117
Service Learning: Adaptive Switch Toys
For one of our labs we transformed regular button-activated toys into switch-activated toys that a child with a disability could use. To accomplish this we looked up YouTube videos and had to figure out how to add a adapter to connect a switch. We had to cut our way into the toy to find the source of button-activation, cut wires, solder wires, etc. It was a lot of work and problem-solving but we each learned a lot by doing this.
I brought a "Pillow Pet Dreamlight" ladybug toy. I thought this would be a fun toy to adapt because it would allow the child to give them control and turn on and off a night light when they want one. I found this project to be somewhat difficult because the toy I chose wasn't a typical button-toy. It was exciting however to have the challenge of learning how I could get to the wires to connect an adapter to it. I was in awe when I finished the steps and got to see the switch work with the toy. My partner and I went into a dark room and pressed the switch to activate the lights and it was stunning. I know that a child could enjoy this because I know I did.
This will be useful later in practice if we encounter a child who is in a wheelchair and can't enjoy toys that typical children can. This adaptive switch toy can give the child a childhood. It allows them to play which is a child's main occupation and is very important in their development. Along with the play aspect, learning cause and effect is important for a child's cognitive development which is one of the primary purposes of switches. The most important part of making these toys for me is knowing that they are giving the child control over a life where their control is limited.
I brought a "Pillow Pet Dreamlight" ladybug toy. I thought this would be a fun toy to adapt because it would allow the child to give them control and turn on and off a night light when they want one. I found this project to be somewhat difficult because the toy I chose wasn't a typical button-toy. It was exciting however to have the challenge of learning how I could get to the wires to connect an adapter to it. I was in awe when I finished the steps and got to see the switch work with the toy. My partner and I went into a dark room and pressed the switch to activate the lights and it was stunning. I know that a child could enjoy this because I know I did.
This will be useful later in practice if we encounter a child who is in a wheelchair and can't enjoy toys that typical children can. This adaptive switch toy can give the child a childhood. It allows them to play which is a child's main occupation and is very important in their development. Along with the play aspect, learning cause and effect is important for a child's cognitive development which is one of the primary purposes of switches. The most important part of making these toys for me is knowing that they are giving the child control over a life where their control is limited.
Service Learning: AdaptMyPlanet.com
“Tens of millions of Americans will experience short-term injury or permanent disability of the hand or wrist. Mobility problems like these can make grasping small objects difficult, and working with a smartphone or tablet can become almost impossible”
-Aaron Block, Mobile Innovations, Inc.
-Aaron Block, Mobile Innovations, Inc.
Introduction
Smartphones have become an integral part of most people’s lives. I wondered how it would feel to not be able to be a part of all of this. I realized that there are a lot of individuals with disabilities or deficits that cannot participate in what has become almost an essential part of our world.
Not everyone has the grip strength or hand control to securely hold a phone. This severely limits how these individuals interact with the world. How frustrating that would feel to be left behind as the world moves forward without you. I wanted to change this for them, which is how I came up with the Universal Phone Holder.
One of the main benefits of the Universal Phone Holder is that it will help a person to be able to socially participate. This is a very important occupation in life and one which we address as Occupational Therapists.
Not everyone has the grip strength or hand control to securely hold a phone. This severely limits how these individuals interact with the world. How frustrating that would feel to be left behind as the world moves forward without you. I wanted to change this for them, which is how I came up with the Universal Phone Holder.
One of the main benefits of the Universal Phone Holder is that it will help a person to be able to socially participate. This is a very important occupation in life and one which we address as Occupational Therapists.
Data Collection
- Thought of adapting an iPhone armband for running, into a band that goes around a person’s hand, but it didn’t work.
- Thought of taking off the phone attachment part of a selfie stick and attaching an elastic band to it that would wrap around a person’s hand. This didn’t work.
- Thought of buying a sticky material that could attach an elastic band loop to the back of a phone. I could never find a sticky material that was durable enough, but wouldn’t ruin the phone case when removed.
- Thought of cutting down a light-switch cover to the size of an iPhone and looping and elastic band through the two holes, then somehow attaching the light-switch cover to the phone. This didn’t seem like it would be very comfortable and I couldn’t think of a good way to attach it to the cell phone.
- Bought fasteners from the store that came with mounting strips. I attached an elastic hair tie to it and held the fasteners on the back of the phone to see if it would work. It did!! I was skeptical about how it would affect a person’s case though once the fasteners were mounted to it, so I decided to keep searching.
- Thought of using only hair ties to create a phone holder and it worked beautifully!! This is the device I chose to stick with because:
- It is easy to assemble. You slide on one hair tie around the top of the phone and one on the bottom of the phone and then you attach a third hair tie in between the two.
- It is very inexpensive. You only need 3 hair ties (make sure they aren’t stretched out). You can find hair ties at any local store and may even have some already.
- It can be used for left or right handers and almost any kind of smartphone. You can change the size and thickness of the elastics to fit your purposes and to make it comfortable for you!
- It can be used for many purposes; the main one is that it helps people who have poor grip or hand strength.
- I wanted to expand my idea to benefit people who have tremors. I attempted many things, such as:
- Attaching hand/wrist weights to the phone holder
- Trying to make my own weight by buying spandex material, sewing to make a pouch, and adding sand/rice. The only problem was, I didn’t need a lot of material, but the store required me to buy a minimum of 2 yards.
- I did this by:
- Cutting off the parts that attached the pouch to the water bottle, leaving only the pouch itself.
- Sewing an elastic band to one end of the pouch.
- Adding Velcro to the pouch and to the elastic band so a person can adjust the elastic band to their hand size.
- Adding rice to the pouch and I was finished!
Who would benefit?
The Basic Phone Holder:
*Mainly those with poor hand/grip strength or function. Developed to help everyone with limited hand and wrist mobility
*Mainly those with tremors, shaky hands, or other movement disorders (but check with your doctor to make sure using weights would be beneficial)
*Mainly those with poor hand/grip strength or function. Developed to help everyone with limited hand and wrist mobility
- Arthritis
- Weakness or Paralysis such as:
- Hemiplegia
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Stroke
- Neuropathy
- Myopathy
- Severed nerve
- Neuromotor disease
- Nerve impingement
- Guillian-Barre Syndrome
- Huntington's Disease
*Mainly those with tremors, shaky hands, or other movement disorders (but check with your doctor to make sure using weights would be beneficial)
- Essential Tremors
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Dystonia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Metabolic disorders
- Spinal nerve damage
- Result of head injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Stroke
- “Short-term hand weakness can be due to fatigue, alcohol intoxication or certain sedative medication” (Dr. Chris, Hand Weakness [Weak Hand Grip] Causes and Normal Strength).
How to create it?
The Basic Phone Holder:
11) Slide your hand underneath the elastic bands. Your hand will be weighted down enough for you, even if you experience tremors.
- Gather 3 Elastic bands
- Slide one elastic band around the top of the phone
- Slide a second elastic band around the bottom of the phone
- Tie the third elastic band between the two
- Assemble the “Basic Phone Holder” (as stated above).
- Obtain a pouch or sack of some sort (mine was a pouch on the side of a water bottle).
- Cut an elastic band (I used Dritz’s Non-Roll Elastic ¾”) to be around 6 ½ inches (length could vary depending on the pouch or phone size).
- Sew one end of the elastic band to the top-back of the pouch.
- Attach around 2 ¾” of hook Velcro to the top side of the elastic.
- Attach around 4” of loop Velcro to the back side of the pouch.
- Slide the elastic band underneath the hair ties of the “basic phone holder.”
- Fold the excess elastic band back over itself onto of the hair ties (how much more or less you fold over determines the tightness of the fit).
- Bring the hook Velcro on the back of the pouch and attach it to the loop Velcro on the elastic band.
11) Slide your hand underneath the elastic bands. Your hand will be weighted down enough for you, even if you experience tremors.
Reflection
I came up with the idea of a “Universal Phone Holder” one day when I looked down at my hand that was holding my phone and thought of how Smartphones have become an integral part of most people’s lives. You can use Smartphones for almost anything. They allow people to: more easily communicate through various modes of communication (such as calling, texting, instant messaging, video calling, and group chatting), accomplish tasks from anywhere with the use of the internet, relax with a game, instantly take pictures or videos, and have endless applications. One of the main benefits of the Universal Phone Holder is that it will help a person to be able to socially participate. This is a very important occupation in life and one which we address as Occupational Therapists.
I wondered how it would feel to not be able to be a part of all of this. I realized that there are a lot of individuals with disabilities or deficits that cannot participate in what has become almost an essential part of our world. Not everyone has the grip strength or hand control to securely hold a phone. This severely limits how these individuals interact with the world. How frustrating that would feel to be left behind as the world moves forward without you. I wanted to change this for them, which is how I came up with the Universal Phone Holder.
I wanted to create something useful that people with a variety of abilities could benefit from. I also wanted my design to be simple enough and cheap enough that anyone could make it. After long hours of searching and brainstorming I came up with an idea that fit both of these qualifications. I am amazed by how it all turned out.
I believe my device will help those who are unable to hold a phone due to hand weakness, grip strength, tremors, or whatever it may be, to participate in a world where communication and social participation is so necessary. Being able to hold a phone in your own hands and use it gives a person independence which then increases their health and well-being.
I will be able to apply what I learned from creating this AT device into my practice setting in the future because it really helped me think-outside-the-box. I need to get in the habit of doing this because the treatments that we are creative with will usually engage the client more and will show results quicker. If we get in a rut of doing the same treatment for everyone, we won’t be helping our client. Being creative is necessary in our field.
I also learned that there are ways to create AT devices specific to a person’s needs. The Assistive Technology doesn’t have to be fancy. The more simple the device, the better it is for the client.
In conclusion, I learned a lot from this project. I learned how to look at a problem and fix it through brainstorming, creativity, and problem-solving. I hope my AT device can be useful to someone in the future. I want to continue to try to think-outside-the-box and clinically reason because these are essentials to being a good OT.
I wondered how it would feel to not be able to be a part of all of this. I realized that there are a lot of individuals with disabilities or deficits that cannot participate in what has become almost an essential part of our world. Not everyone has the grip strength or hand control to securely hold a phone. This severely limits how these individuals interact with the world. How frustrating that would feel to be left behind as the world moves forward without you. I wanted to change this for them, which is how I came up with the Universal Phone Holder.
I wanted to create something useful that people with a variety of abilities could benefit from. I also wanted my design to be simple enough and cheap enough that anyone could make it. After long hours of searching and brainstorming I came up with an idea that fit both of these qualifications. I am amazed by how it all turned out.
I believe my device will help those who are unable to hold a phone due to hand weakness, grip strength, tremors, or whatever it may be, to participate in a world where communication and social participation is so necessary. Being able to hold a phone in your own hands and use it gives a person independence which then increases their health and well-being.
I will be able to apply what I learned from creating this AT device into my practice setting in the future because it really helped me think-outside-the-box. I need to get in the habit of doing this because the treatments that we are creative with will usually engage the client more and will show results quicker. If we get in a rut of doing the same treatment for everyone, we won’t be helping our client. Being creative is necessary in our field.
I also learned that there are ways to create AT devices specific to a person’s needs. The Assistive Technology doesn’t have to be fancy. The more simple the device, the better it is for the client.
In conclusion, I learned a lot from this project. I learned how to look at a problem and fix it through brainstorming, creativity, and problem-solving. I hope my AT device can be useful to someone in the future. I want to continue to try to think-outside-the-box and clinically reason because these are essentials to being a good OT.