Modalities III
In Modalities III (OTA 2320/30), we learned about basic tool use, safety techniques, craft supplies, cost-effective/creative treatment ideas, and group therapy. There was an emphasis on grading and adapting activities for various diagnoses and symptomatology. We were expected to complete documentation in a timely manner as would be expected in FW II experiences 4th semester. We had the opportunity to lead group sessions for clients who came to SLCC from the Work Activity Center. They came each week during a part of our lab time and we each took turns planning and leading groups. We led both craft and skills groups, alternating weeks on which group focus was led. We applied different frames of references to each life skills group to apply what we had been learning about models for clients with psychosocial behaviors or cognitive impairments.
Service Learning: Work Activity Center Clinic Sessions
- 9/14/16 Introduced clients to Group OT session objectives at SLCC. Clients were then paired with two OTA students and students conducted the COPM and ACL screening tools to gather initial information about clients’ level of functioning and goals for therapy. Before leaving the clients were provided with snacks.
- 10/5/16 Craft Group: Made fall wreaths to engage clients in a group leisure activity to increase member participation and contribution to improve the clients’ social skills and provide opportunities for engagement in meaningful leisure occupational task. The goals of the session were to have the clients verbalize 1 new craft interest, participate in group discussion, and attend to the task. Clients were able to take home their wreaths and hang them up to decorate.
- 10/12/16 Life Skills Group: Clients worked on increasing social skills by participating in activities such as: practicing introducing themselves to others while making eye contact and shaking their hand, playing emotion charades to recognize facial expressions as signifying emotions, having a staring contest to promote comfortability of eye-contact, practicing taking turns talking and asking questions, and giving someone else a compliment. Clients were given two friendship bracelets: one for them and one to give to someone else while practicing the skills they learned in the session.
- 11/2/16 Craft Group/Service Project: Clients participated in making sensory bottles to give away to “Children's House International- Wenzhou Advocacy Camp” which is an orphanage in China. Clients were shown where China is on a map and were also shown photos of Chinese children that might receive their bottles to give them a visual understanding of who they were serving. Clients worked on service orientation, attention to task, sequencing, multi-step directions, social skills development, and miscellaneous tool use.
- 11/9/16 Life Skills Group: Clients participated in a money management group. Clients were given a certain amount of money and had different stations they were to attend including: a clothing store to choose a shirt, a place to pay for transportation options, and a restaurant to buy a meal. Clients were provided with options of more expensive items and less expensive items and could choose what they wanted to buy. Clients had to keep track of the money they spent at each station by recording the amount on a “receipt.” Clients were encouraged to have at least $1 saved after going to each station.
- 11/16/16 Final Session: OTA students conducted the COPM and ACL screening tools with the same clients they were paired with originally. These assessments were done to gather post information about clients’ level of functioning and to determine if clients had met their goals through the therapy sessions. After assessments, clients were given food to make kabobs to celebrate Thanksgiving coming up. They were told facts about Thanksgiving while making their kabobs and discussed how their meal had all parts of the “My plate” diet: dairy, protein, fruits, and vegetables. Clients reviewed and discussed what they had learned and done over the clinic sessions.
Service Learning: Sensory Bottles for Chinese Orphans
On November 2, 2016 at the Salt Lake Community College OT clinic, clients from the Work Activity Center participated in a service project. For the service project the clients put together sensory bottles to send to orphans in China.
One of our classmates, Cynthia, had a trip planned to go to China to help out the Wenzhou Advocacy Camp. This sparked our idea of making something for the orphans that Cynthia could take on her trip. We decided to make sensory bottles to give the children a sensory-stimulating toy to play with, since the “Children’s House International” organization doesn’t have the funds to provide many toys to the orphans.
Cynthia delivered the sensory bottles around November 24th to Children’s House International- Wenzhou Advocacy Camp. I was really grateful for this opportunity to help the Work Activity Center clients provide service for someone else. I could tell that when we were explaining how we would be giving what they made to kids in China, they understood and were happy to serve them. I learned that getting clients involved in service can help them engage in something meaningful and purposeful that aids in their overall health and wellness. Volunteer work is part of the occupation of work that we as OT practitioners can assist clients with, and is something we should consider more often than we typically do. It's so cool to see the service project we helped make being used by children in China and I learned a lot from this amazing service experience.
One of our classmates, Cynthia, had a trip planned to go to China to help out the Wenzhou Advocacy Camp. This sparked our idea of making something for the orphans that Cynthia could take on her trip. We decided to make sensory bottles to give the children a sensory-stimulating toy to play with, since the “Children’s House International” organization doesn’t have the funds to provide many toys to the orphans.
Cynthia delivered the sensory bottles around November 24th to Children’s House International- Wenzhou Advocacy Camp. I was really grateful for this opportunity to help the Work Activity Center clients provide service for someone else. I could tell that when we were explaining how we would be giving what they made to kids in China, they understood and were happy to serve them. I learned that getting clients involved in service can help them engage in something meaningful and purposeful that aids in their overall health and wellness. Volunteer work is part of the occupation of work that we as OT practitioners can assist clients with, and is something we should consider more often than we typically do. It's so cool to see the service project we helped make being used by children in China and I learned a lot from this amazing service experience.
Photo cred: Cynthia Wren