Chart of Activities completed during the 24-hour time frame
That was a day well spent, and the experience was worth the time. I spent 24 hours of simulations on a wheelchair. That was done in the class and school and at home. Another 24 hour period, I spent in the arm to simulate a flaccid UE dominant. That was done at home and another extra one in the classroom. I am not including the chart but will tell you the chart was what I did in a 24 hour period. It was primarily highlighted in all the daily activities I did from showering, applying make-up, house chores, taking care of the dog, going to school. Everything was more difficult with the sling and even more difficult with the wheelchair. With the sling, I was not able to use my dominant hand that made doing everyday activities difficult, awkward and exhausting. In the wheelchair, mobility was extremely difficult. I experienced many barriers environmentally and physically, and it was exhausting. Precisely speaking, piloting on a wheelchair was more of social activity it necessitated outstanding cognitive abilities. It needed complicated, and it became stressful for both indoor and outdoor engagements. The movements via the wheelchair were a hyped and stressful process.
Describe any ethical considerations during the sling/wheelchair tasks.
There were lots of ethical considerations I had to subject myself for the simulation to appear real. That included; being given the same opportunities as people who do not have a disability. That was done for equalization purposes. One should be granted an opportunity to participate in activities like anyone without any form of discrimination. Discrimination is a heinous height of unethical practice and as such, should not be tolerated by any means possible. One should not be ignored because you have to use a wheelchair or you have another type of disability. We need to be as accommodative as possible. With or without a disability, everyone should be embraced with clear conscious and motive. In a real sense, persons with a disability were given special treatment to allow the smooth flow of activities and also, address any disparity concerns. No one should feel any aorta of withdrawal due to what other persons say as they carry out the tasks. Another prime consideration is that of making sure that the emotional and physical needs are being meet so they are given the same opportunities as people who do not have disabilities. Physical and emotional wellbeing are key segments of a person’s functionality. Putting them into perspective and utmost consideration helps in bringing out the best in a person. Lastly, it is ethically important that we are able to participate in work, education, society equally. Any show of laziness and malingering during the process is totally not encouraged. There is need for unity of purpose as the work progresses. Educational standards and ethics that incorporate effective research should be carried to ensure the academic goals are met.
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Describe any societal reactions during your experience
Societal expectations will always be there and now that this involves an academic endeavor. Some of the reactions can be encouraging while others are derogative. On this day, I was stared at, when I wore the sling and while I was in the wheelchair, which made me a little self-conscious. At first, I felt a little scared as if I had done something so wrong. After some time, I got used to my new-found culture and functioned through the process.
I found it interesting that there were people who empathetic and willing to help me but there were more who chose to ignore me. Did I wonder why? Is it just easier to ignore someone with disabilities more than it is to help them? I have never ignored someone with disabilities, but I can honestly say I will make more of an effort to be helpful in any way I can. When I was wearing the sling, my neighbor who I hardly know, was very concerned when she saw me walking the dog and stopped me to see what was wrong and if there was anything she could do to help me. Of course I explained that I was doing this as part of an assignment and I was totally fine. While in the sling, my husband who would become my primary care giver was a little put out that he had to help me and do a majority of the work, such as housework, laundry, preparing a meal etc… I had to explain to him that if this were a “real-life” situation, I would not be able to take my arm from a sling to make a bed or prepare a meal; I would not be able to use it. I also explained that it is important to the person with the disability to be able to count on their care giver, for support, physically and emotionally. The awe reactions from people highly surprised me and were left wondering the kind of life people with disability have to undergo. It was one day experience and it was horrible due to the fact that I could not do most of the routine activities efficiently.
Way forward, the society should on the care plans for people with disability. A clear roadmap should be developed to enhance the manner in which people with disability are treated. It was my expectation that the members of the society would accord me better treatment and to my amazement, that did not happen.
Describe any environmental barriers. What environmental modifications could be made if this were a position you would be in for an extended period of time?
At home, there were many environmental barriers for me. The wheelchair could not fit between the bathroom doors; I was not able to push the wheels while trying to get through without hurting my hand. The bathroom doors were quite narrow. The location of my bedroom became an inconvenience as I could not reach it. My home is 2-story, and my bedroom is upstairs, that would make it impossible to sleep upstairs. Reaching the stovetop, microwave and sink were impossible to do especially safely because they were too high. If I were in a w/c, my kitchen would need to be remodeled to accommodate my disability to allow me to perform the occupations that are meaningful to me. I do have a bathroom downstairs, and there is an office that could be turned into a bedroom, but both would need modifications to make it useable and safe. The flooring would need to be changed to allow the wheelchair to move smoothly. I had a hard time moving it around on the carpeting but found it easier on the hardwood floors. However, from the salt and snow it left marks on my hardwood floors (but they could be cleaned), I never would have thought about that There would need to be a ramp installed on the entrance from the garage so that I could enter my home. I would also need a ramp installed so I could get out to my patio out back, since that is my favorite place to be. I am sure there are so many more things that could be done that I am not considering. This would need to be a well-thought plan, to say the least. Of course, there is the financial burden of this as well.
Describe any modifications and adaptations you needed to apply to performance patterns and contexts to your situation over the 24 hours. Are there any other modifications and adaptation that would be beneficial in regards to performance patterns and context?
When using the sling, I needed to make a few modifications to how I did a thing. For example, I had to use my teeth to help open my mascara when applying make-up and again when I was opening my tea bad for hot tea. I also needed to allow more time to complete tasks for only being able to use one hand. When I was reading for a class, I needed to prop the book onto a pillow to it up so I could change each page one-handed. In the wheelchair, I needed to make modifications in my classroom. In order to sit at the table, I needed to move a chair so that I was able to sit at the table. When I was home, I had to carry the w/c into my house because I have two steps you have to take to enter my house. I also had to use a TV tray when eating because I have a high top kitchen table and would not reach the table top. Instead of getting out of the w/c to eat I just used a TV tray. Does anyone have those anymore?? It was difficult for me to sit in the w/c to blow dry my hair because it was hard to see in the mirror because the counters are so high. I actually sat on two pillows so I could sit up higher to see and after I was done, I realized my daughter has a full-length mirror in her closet I could have brought into my bathroom, that would have made it easier to get ready.
There are so many modifications and adaptions that could be made that would allow for more success in performing daily occupations. For example:
• Toilet wand for wiping would have probably been more comfortable to use and more hygienic
• A hands-free blow dryer to allow the use of the unaffected hand to use a brush while blowing dry hair
• Nonskid dishes so that it is easier to eat off of
• A book stand to help with the books and other learning resources
• A Reacher for help reaching things (especially when in the w/c)
• A body washer for the shower
• Grab bars for transferring into the bathroom for toileting
The various modifications depend on the context of operation in the future. All we want is to be conscious of the people with disability and further understand the pain they go through. After that, the most Obvious and tentatively, most important thing is to realize is what exactly are the limitations and what does it take to make performing in daily occupations successful.
Describe any professional implications and how this may impact your practice in the future.
Professionalism is of utmost significance. This activity has presented the firsthand experience, and that speaks a lot regarding my career endeavor. There are so many things I will take into consideration when working with clients with in the future. First and foremost, I would like to be able to think about the client and not just the disability. There are so many areas outside of the disability to consider such as the family who lives with client. This not only affects the client but also their spouse and children as roles reverse. I believe it is essential to provide support and the necessary resources so that everyone involved can try understanding not only the issues at hand but how to take those items and still live a healthy productive life. A huge eye-opener for me was the amount of fatigue I started to feel in my unaffected arm, I would have never taken that into consideration, but now that will be something I take into account when I am working with a client. I also found it interesting that if I were in a w/c how much I would need to change in my home, I started to think about the costs of that. That was scary! After researching this a bit, I found that there are federal grants for people who qualify which could help cover some of the costs. I also found a few financial institutions that have special loans for people if they need help including the expense of modifying their homes more accessible. This assignment was a great way to think about what the client goes through not only from a disability standpoint but emotionally, financially and socially. It is easy to think about treating the disability, but I think it will be just as important to consider all areas in the client’s life that can affect his or her success in participating in things that are meaningful to them.
