Occupational therapists who work with patients with upper limb conditions often forget that the basis of occupational therapy is activity participation, which means that they frequently relapse and just give patient exercises to do. This is particularly sad, as it means that patients never receive the benefits of a well-chosen activity which engages the patient with all the additional benefits that come with this. These therapists find the use of activity a huge challenge and have the mistaken impression that they require lots of expensive tools and equipment.
This presentation will be divided into two parts – the first part will demonstrate how easy-to-find everyday objects can be used to treat a variety of hand patients. The second part of the presentation will demonstrate how a number of these tools can be manufactured by the therapist, using inexpensive objects.
The talk will not only be of benefit to those therapists who work in under-resourced settings, but also those who are looking at different ways to engage their patients in their own rehabilitation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
Identify affordable, everyday items that can be integrated into hand and finger therapy
Apply activity-based interventions that align with core occupational therapy principles
Design and fabricate simple therapeutic tools from low-cost materials
Promote client motivation and rehabilitation through meaningful, engaging tasks
Adapt therapy approaches to suit a range of clinical and resourcing contexts