Finding the OT in Everyday Objects

Cydney Daquila, Valdosta State University

Why Millions Don’t Go to an OT

It is no secret that health care is not easily accessible for many Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “In 2018, 8.5% of people, or 27.5 million individuals, did not have health insurance at any point during the year. The uninsured rate and number of uninsured increased from 2017 to present day” (as cited in Berchick et al., 2019)

Unfortunately, there are only a handful of pro-bono clinics ready to serve this large pool of uninsured people. Pro-bono clinics offer free professional medical and rehabilitation services to those who cannot afford it. According to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (2020), the United States has around 1,200 clinics that provide a tremendous amount of support to underrepresented communities at low cost or for free. Pro bono clinics serve underrepresented populations, such as minority groups, persons who are homeless, or those who have low incomes. Unfortunately, only a handful of these clinics provide rehabilitation medicine, so what do we do with this large group of people who need physical and occupational rehabilitation? The answer lies within the AOTA Code of Ethics.

AOTA members are required to follow AOTA’s Code of Ethics, which includes 7 Core Values, the first of which is altruism. According to AOTA Code of Ethics (2020), “Altruism indicates demonstration of unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Occupational therapy personnel reflect this concept in actions and attitudes of commitment, caring, dedication, responsiveness, and understanding.” By upholding the Code of Ethics and actively exhibiting altruism, occupational therapy practitioners reflect their moral obligation to care for people within the community.

You Can Help!

Whether you are a first-year student or already in the workforce, you can do your part to help out! Partaking in simple and fun activities such as those listed below within our communities can help people become stronger, more independent, and functional through therapeutic activities of daily living. The supplies needed cost less than $5 so they are easy to buy on a budget and can be found almost anywhere!

Fine Motor and Cognitive Activities

The first example involves a 5-year-old child who enjoys Play-Doh and has difficulty with in hand manipulation during self-care, such as buttoning. The OT can use a toy that the child enjoys such as Crayola “Model Magic” clay to mimic and build the fine motor movements that are needed to button clothing independently. “Model Magic” clay is very similar to Play-Doh (which could also be used) but is less expensive and can be bought for $1 at a Dollar Store. Encouraging the child to mold the clay into specific shapes or figures as well as manipulating it with one or both hands will address fine-motor skills during an activity the child enjoys.

In the second example, a 65-year-old woman living alone for the first time has trouble remembering to take her medications and pay her bills, as she is easily distracted. She also attends a weekly game night with her friends in which they enjoy doing games and puzzles. Her therapeutic activities could combine her enjoyment of puzzles with enhancing concentration and planning. Puzzles are an easy and low-cost cognitive-based therapeutic initiative. There are 500-piece puzzles that only cost $1 and can work on improving function in planning, strategizing, and focus. If puzzles are not of interest, other inexpensive options include activity books such as word-search or sudoku.         

Conclusion

Overall, those who do not have health insurance have extremely limited options when it comes to getting health care services, such as pro-bono clinics. Treating the uninsured population can seem overwhelming but if every OT practitioner and OT/OTA student does their part by interacting with the community, it can provide exponential results. With liability parameters in mind, it is understandably hard to simply go out and offer interventions to those who may need them. However, even small donations of these objects or providing free education on how practitioners or students could help may assist the clinics serving these populations! This article just gives a glimpse into easy and affordable ways to introduce this idea. Next time you are out shopping, I implore you to look for the “OT” in everyday objects!

**Prices may vary across states.

Cydney Daquila is a senior undergraduate student studying Health Sciences at Valdosta State University. She is currently president of the university’s Future OT/PT Club. As an aspiring occupational therapist, she is interested in pursuing research while working with geriatric and underrepresented populations.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). AOTA 2020 occupational therapy code of ethics. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(suppl_3), S2. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S3006

Berchick, E., Barnett, J., & Upton, R. (2019, November 08). Health insurance coverage in the United States: 2018. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.html

National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. (2020). https://www.nafcclinics.org/content/about-us