Not every day, but especially after a 3 week break, i feel like i have the best job ever. I was trying to explain to Nix recently why i'm not sure if i'd ever be able to work for the NHS (in the UK): something about lack of freedom and creativity. The last week has been a perfect example of all the variety of creative, sometimes crazy, things we get up to as rural therapists.The pics:
1) JT bought this cute red donkey thing for the children to bounce on. Here is Nomsa (one of our persona dolls) riding the donkey. We have been having a bit of a debate about whether children will like the donkey or be terrified of it - i vote terrified. Marlie had fun the other day chasing Asive (an intellectually impaired 12 year-old girl in-patient who often visits our department) on the donkey - it was hilarious - must post the video! Suggested names for the donkey are "JT Junior" or "Diti/Didi" (Asive's favourite word).
1) JT bought this cute red donkey thing for the children to bounce on. Here is Nomsa (one of our persona dolls) riding the donkey. We have been having a bit of a debate about whether children will like the donkey or be terrified of it - i vote terrified. Marlie had fun the other day chasing Asive (an intellectually impaired 12 year-old girl in-patient who often visits our department) on the donkey - it was hilarious - must post the video! Suggested names for the donkey are "JT Junior" or "Diti/Didi" (Asive's favourite word).
2) Marlie (legend physio) announced one day that she was going on a mission. She came back a few hours later with her hand bandaged and told us she had been chopping down trees to make walking sticks. I was shocked because Karen (chief physio) is a greenie. But, she assured me that they were alien trees. Because we have very few crutches to issue to patients, Marlie had the bright idea of making them sticks. So here she is cutting and sanding her walking sticks. Part 2 of this story is me discovering Sam and Anita (Jabulani volunteers) wondering around the hospital looking like they wanted something to do. So i recruited them to put ferrals (rubber crutch tips) on the ends of the walking sticks to make them more stable. They made a great job with sawing/cutting the ends to the right diameter. Unfortunately their therapy department experience ended badly with Anita managing to get herself locked in the bathroom - but therapists and their tools to the rescue!
3) We have had quite a few patients from TB ward recently who basically need to be forced to get out of bed and be active. We now have a new therapy volunteer: Mute, who is also one of our patients. Since Mute is a man and also on crutches i convinced him to kick a soccer ball around with one TB patient. Yay, less work for me!
4) As a therapy team we have had a recent burst of renewed enthusiasm for APT (Appropriate paper-based technology - making positioning equipment out of cardboard). Jess, Megan, Marlie and JT have been working hard on two chairs. I think the APT enthusiasm is almost dead. I spent ages sewing cushion covers for Megan's chair - my sewing is getting quite good now :)
Another activity (not captured on camera) was Mute and i going to a local teenage boy's house to see if Mute's ATW wheelchair is able to conquer the hill by this kid's house. Very close. Now all we need to do is measure the maximum gradient Mute's chair can do and give it to the Rumdel engineers (fingers crossed) who have promised to build a path up the hill so Siphenathi can get to school. More news on that project as it happens...
Sometimes i love being an OT! :)
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