“She fights me every time I have to sit her up, and when we do finally get her sitting, we need two people to hold her up because she pushes backward, and she’s strong! She stayed in bed all day because I knew you were coming and that you were going to do some bed exercises with her. There’s no way to get her out of bed by myself unless I use the Hoyer lift, and I didn’t want to take her out of bed just to have to put her back in it again.” As an occupational therapist (OT), I cannot count the number of times I been told a statement similar to this in my line of work. It usually takes a few sessions before the caregivers really believe me: the patient isn’t fighting, but is instead unsupported and understandably fearful of falling; that the patient is indeed strong, and would be stronger if given the opportunity to sit up--straight up at the edge of the bed-- more often; and that if we could adapt the environment to the patient, the patient wouldn’t have to modify their daily schedule to being bedridden all day just because the therapist is coming. It usually takes a few …show more content…
The mission of ADA is to “ensure that people with disabilities receive the custom adaptations they need to live healthy lives and fulfill their developmental, academic, and vocational potential, and to promote education, inclusion, widespread replication, and social justice.” The founder, staff and equipment fabricators of ADA continually stress that their mission is not about “products” nor is it exclusively for New Yorkers. Their mission is about the “process” of adaptive making and the shared effort of a global community in order to provide customizable, low tech, affordable, inclusive, fun, and eco-friendly adaptations to people of all ages and