9781422279892

A Patient I Will Never Forget R uth Walton, an occupational therapist working in a large city, recalls one of her most memorable patients. “I didn’t realize how much creativity it would take to provide therapy to some clients. I remember one little girl with cerebral palsy who came to me completely dependent on her parents to dress her, feed her, bathe her, and take care of her. We worked for several months trying to help her gain the dexterity she need- ed to perform simple tasks, like brushing her hair or brushing her teeth, and she just wasn’t getting it. You could tell she was frustrated by the whole process and I couldn’t help but feel bad that we weren’t getting anywhere. Finally, it occurred to me that she needed larger handles on her toothbrush and hairbrush. I went home and wrapped duct tape around a brand new toothbrush until it created a wider handle for her to grip. Suddenly, all the therapy we had been doing clicked for her. I will never forget how it felt to watch her wrap her little hand around the toothbrush and begin brushing her teeth. She wasn’t perfect at it, but in that moment she had a glimpse of what we were trying to accomplish. She took off after that. That experience drove home to me the idea that OT is a bal- ance between teaching someone how to function in her environ- ment and creating accommodations in her environment for her limitations.”

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Occupational Therapist