Happiness and Handwork

As humans, what is it that makes us feel happy? Food to eat, a warm bed and someone to love are the obvious choices, but we also need to be occupied. We need a way to spend our time that is meaningful and has something to show for it. Our ancestors spent time every day creating- sewing their clothes, growing and cooking their foods, woodworking, blacksmithing, weaving, the list of occupations is long. As modern humans, we still have that need to create, to make something with our hands and our time, that is of value. Making something, brings a sense of satisfaction that reduces stress, improves our self-esteem, and combats depression.

For a person who is struggling with the physical limitations of injury or disease, the loss of former occupations can be devastating. I don't mean loosing a job, but loosing the ability to do the things that give you fulfillment. Or, due to depression, forgetting those things, and for some of us in this modern society, never finding that fulfillment in the first place. As humans, we need to find a way to create. Our ability to create things, not just tools, or a nest, but things of beauty and function, that is what makes us human. I believe that for many of us, finding a way to create is the essential step towards happiness that we need to take.

Make a Hat with a Knitting Loom

Because of this need, there has been a return to knitting and crocheting as hobbies. There are tons of blogs and YouTube videos to teach these skills, and they can be learned by anyone, almost. Not everyone has the fine motor skills for knitting. Personally, I seem to have a mental deficit that I can't figure it out.Loom knitting, on the other hand, is much more straight forward for me, it can be done almost one handed- and the knitting doesn't fall off the needles, like it did with my attempt at traditional knitting. If you are looking for a knitting alternative, I highly recommend it. Here is a nice set of instructions for making a hat.

However, handwork is not limited to yarn crafts. Woodworking, leather working, wood burning, and carving are also valuable creative acts. In OT school, we all had to do a woodworking project, and I have to say, there was something very empowering about using a table saw. It was satisfying to sit and sand my work until smooth. And using something I made in my own home gives me a bit of happiness every day. My project? A spice rack. The most well-built spice rack ever!

If you want to try woodworking on a small scale, there are many kits, bird houses being an obvious choice, that do not require you own large tools. There are instructions on-line available for many, many projects. Ana-White.com has many interesting projects to choose from. I have made some of the doll furniture with my family, with good results. If you can find a friend or family member with tools you can borrow to get started, or who is willing to help you with your first project or two, all the better.

Spending time crafting, be it woodworking, knitting or anything in between gives us the opportunity to improve our skills and do something worthwhile with our time. For me, being an occupational therapist means I want everyone to have occupations that satisfy them. Not work. But creative endeavors. Not stress. But satisfaction. Satisfaction with themselves and what they make. I believe everyone needs this: children who are just developing their ability to follow through on a project, teens who need a form of self-expression, adults who see themselves as disabled. Everyone needs to find a new way to be abled, a new way to occupy their minds and hands, a new way to engage their spirit. Everyone.

~Laura

P.S. The loom pictured above is part of a set of four. You can find them here.

Poor Memory After A Stroke

Question of the day: My mom had a stroke a few years ago, along with some physical limitations, she has some short term memory problems, and problem solving issues. She lives right next door to me, but I worry about her cooking and taking her medicines. I try to take her all her meals, but have caught her using the stove a few times.

The loss of independence due to physical limitations is frustrating, but also having loss from unseen limitations inside - that is really hard. First of all, I would do my best to empower your mother to cook safely for herself, use a microwave - it is much less likely to cause something to catch fire or to injure her if she forgets what she was doing. If she walks away, the food will simply get cold. Help her make a station to keep a potholder right beside the microwave to take things out when they are hot.

Cord-Free Stainless Steel Electric Kettle

A few years ago, I went to make cup of tea, I was tired and pregnant, and I left the kettle on the stove, and fell asleep: all the water evaporated, the the handle melted. After that, we got an electric tea kettle like this one. The kettle makes boiling water, and shuts itself off. Your mother could use this to make herself a cup of tea or instant soup safely and without fear of what will happen if she gets distracted and forgets what she was doing.

5-Quart Slow Cooker

I would also suggest you encourage your mom to cook with a crockpot.I have one like this. This automatically turns itself to warm when the timer goes off. The smell of the cooked food will probably remind her she was cooking, but again, less risk of the food being ruined, or her being injured, or causing a house fire. Personally, cooking gives me a lot of joy, and cooking for others brings me a special fulfillment, as a mother. Encourage your mom to try making a cake in her crockpot as a treat for her and her grandchildren to enjoy. Maybe your kids could even help with the baking. There are many choices of recipes on-line to make almost anything in a crockpot.

This website has tons of choices, and includes gluten free options that my family needs. Hopefully, you can explain why this is safer, and possibly even ask your mother to let you unplug her stove, just so she doesn't forget one day and use it instead, and get hurt. To help your mom remember her pills, I like this pill case:

EZY Dose AM/PM 7Day Pill Case

It is nice and large, so if it is sitting on the counter, it is a reminder in itself. It has pushbuttons to open it, for those with lost fine motor skills, the morning and night are also clearly labeled. You can help your mom once a week to pack it with the right pills, and she will be good to go.

However, with short term memory loss, sometimes, you have trouble remembering what day is, so getting the pills out of the right spot can be a challenge. And sometimes pills need to be taken at a more precise time than "when you see the box."

4 Alarm Talking Reminder Clock

For those reasons, I like this little alarm clock.
This clock actually can be set with reminders to take pills up to 4 times a day, and not only shows the day and time, but will say them out loud if push the button on top. The best part of this, is that your mom gets her independence back, because she doesn't have to hear your reminders, she has her own.


As long as I am making some recommendations for short term memory loss and the issues around it. I suggest that you encourage your mom to do activities that activate the memory, logic and problem solving centers in the brain. Get her a puzzle to work- 50-100 pieces might be a good place to start, if that one is too hard, less pieces next time, and if she flies through it, more. Word searches can be a nice distraction, just have her work them with a fat highlighter instead of trying to circle the words. Also, card and board games can be great for activating those brain connections, and good for social interactions with friends, family and the grandkids.

~Laura

Stroke Recovery: Those First Days In The Hospital

Question of the day: My mom had a stroke yesterday, what can I do to help her? She is in the hospital, and has lost the ability to move her left arm. Is there anything I can do?

If she is awake, your presence there at the hospital will be comforting. Many people sleep a lot during the first few days after a stroke, the brain is trying to figure out what happened, and mend itself. It is hard to tell during these first few days what all the damage is, and what will and won't be a long term problem. Be patient. Your mother may have problems with her short and long term memory, her ability to speak, find words, or understand instructions, either verbal or written. If you notice she repeatedly has trouble with one of these, let the staff know. Though they will be asking her questions to try to check all of these, things may occur to you that they don't see.

Make sure that her left arm is sitting up on pillows so as to not strain the shoulder, or is in a sling that is properly adjusted. When a sling is worn properly, the elbow is at a 90 degree angle at the back of the sling, the arm is in front of the body, and it should not strain or hurt the neck. Sit on her left side, hold that left hand some, give it a squeeze every so often. Those squeezes send a message to the brain, from the hand that says "I'm still here." Those signals can help stimulate the brain to start sending signals to the hand and aid her recovery. Have your mother use a washcloth to wash that hand, and put lotion on it. Many stroke victims have feelings of anger directed at the affected arm, or choose to ignore it. Helping her care for that arm, will help her start to accept her current self. Be patient and kind. Some people after a stroke are able to do these things, but many need a lot of help and encouragement. If you need to help your mother change her hospital gown, the rule for dressing is to treat the affected arm like the marines - "First in, last out." So, when putting on a gown or shirt, that arm will go in first, then the head, then the arm that is able to move fully. When taking something off, take it off the other arm and head, and the fabric should easily slide off of the affected arm. Bras can be tricky, but should follow the same rule, put that arm in first when putting the bra on, and take it out last. Garments like a moo moo, or robe go on the same way, and can make a hospital or rehab stay much more comfortable. A good pair of walking shoes or slippers with a rubber sole are also good to bring to the hospital, because as your mother recovers, therapists will want to get her up, and out of bed, even if she is only moving from the bed to a chair, rubber soles to grip the floor are good, and reduce the chance she may slip and fall.

Other things you can do is to be sure she is eating plenty of good healthy fats, as the brain is made of mostly fat. Salmon, avocado, coconut oil, butter, full fat milk, beef, bacon and eggs are all good fat choices. Feed her brain to help it recover. As long as she isn't on a special diet, or having swallowing problems, you should be able to bring in foods from home, too. Some stroke patients require a lot of coaching to eat, the sensation of hunger just isn't there. If you feel she is not eating enough, talk to her doctor or nurse.

Stroke recovery is a long process. Ask questions, take a note book and write down things. Listen to all the nurses, therapists and doctors and know that no one can tell you for sure what to expect in the next few months.

~Laura

Managing Parkinson's Problems at home

Question of the Day: I am looking to buy weighted silverware for my mom because her tremors from Parkinson's, are making it very difficult for her to eat. Do you have any suggestions about what kind to get and where to get it from, I am overwhelmed with the choices? She was using a wooden spoon with a larger handle, but that has become harder to hold, and she is shaking the food off the spoon, too. She has a lot of frustration with dressing and writing too.

Parkinson's and other degenerative diseases can be extremely upsetting, not just because of the loss of fine motor skills, but all the independence that goes with that loss. Personally, I hope no one else ever has to feed me- because they just won't do it right. I want to be able to add just the right amount of ketchup, or take the size bite I want, or get the noodle with the perfect amount of sauce on the spoon at the same time. Eating is a joy in life, and finding a way to have as much joy with it as long as possible, is important. First of all, never underestimate the wonders of finger foods - sandwiches, french fries, chips, cupcakes, grapes, berries, pizza. Some of my happiest memories involve finger foods. Not that you should live off nothing but finger foods, but in remembering that eating should be a pleasure, planning meals and snacks that involve at least some easy to eat foods each day, is worth while. Beyond that, once you have selected a utensil your mom can hold, serving foods that stick to the spoon, like pudding, mashed potatoes, and thick soup, like split pea, can also make eating easier and more enjoyable. Not all foods are friendly to eat. Peas, for example, want to roll off a spoon no matter what. But if you mash them a little, so they can't roll, they no longer pose a problem. Weighted utensils are used with people with Parkinson's disease because the added weight has been shown to decrease tremors, which allows for more food to stay on the spoon or fork. The built up handle is also easier to grasp than the standard, smaller handled silverware most of us own. My recommendation for a weighted utensil set is this one:

Good Grips Weighted Utensils

I like it because the rubber handles are easier to grasp and hold onto than the slick, hard plastic of other brands. I also like that because it is made by OXO, it matches other kitchen utensils I have, so it feels more natural in my home, less "medical equipment." I also would recommend getting some dycem to use as a place mat. Dycem is sticky, thin, easy to wash, and will help hold plates, cups and bowls in their place while eating. It also can help prevent spills, because the added tackiness grips the bottom of a cup better than a slick table top. There is nothing as annoying as spilling your morning cup of coffee before you even get the first sip. And on the topic of not spilling your coffee - you can opt to get a weighted cup. Or, save some money, and glue some washers to the outside, bottom of your favorite mug with some JB Weld. Just be careful to position them in such a way you don't make the cup off balance. A scoop plate may also be useful, as the food can be scooped onto the spoon or fork by pushing the food against the wall at the edge of the plate. This also helps reduce spilling, which most adults find embarrassing and frustrating.

Scoop Plate

You also asked about dressing. My favorite cheap trick, is to attach a key chain to the zipper on a jacket, that way your mom will be able to pull up and down her own zipper. In addition to that, a button hook, which works much like a needle threader may help her be able to button her own buttons again. While learning to use it, she may want to use a chip clip to hold the rest of the shirt closed, to make it easier to focus on the button she is working on. I like this button hook, which is also made by OXO, because the handle is larger, which makes it better for your mom.

Good Grips Button Hook

As for writing, they do sell weighted pens at Amazon too. They cost about $25 and look very nice. However, if you feel like getting a little crafty, you can make your own by adding nuts or washers to your pens or pencils. I really like the directions at therapy fun zone:

Make your own weighted pencil.

I hope that helps! And let me know if you have more questions!

Disclaimer: I will get a small amount of money if you buy things on Amazon from the links above- and be very appreciative! However, I use Amazon for my links because most of us are comfortable shopping on Amazon, and not the large therapy companies that hospitals and therapists generally use. If you are reading this blog for help, I want you to find what you are looking for, and be able to read the reviews available on Amazon, which may tell you a reason this product isn't the best one for you- and you can make that choice for yourself.

~Laura

What Is Occupational Therapy And Why Do I Care?

Occupational therapy is the hardest type of therapy to explain, and has the worst PR. Unless you have had OT, or know someone who has, you may have no clue what it is. Speech therapists obviously work on helping people learn to talk, they also do swallowing- but it all is mouth related. Physical therapy is known for helping people grow stronger, and walking- they get people out of bed and walking again after an accident or injury; they help them physically recover. So does occupational therapy help people get back to their occupations? Well, yes, but the problem is, that everyone thinks their occupation is a job they go to every day. Your real occupation, is being a human, getting dressed, eating, going to the bathroom, taking care of yourself, if you are a student, going to school, if you are a child, playing and if you are a happy adult, playing, too.

So occupational therapists actually have a huge role to fill. We work with the whole person- hands, mind, feet, legs, bodies to help people get the maximum possible out of their lives. When the body or mind need some help, due to injury, illness, loss or lack of development, we find a solution. We find the right adaptive spoon; teach how to put on pants with a reacher; weight pencils; make rehab plans; and whatever else the situation calls for.

I am starting this blog, because over my years as an OT, I have had so many friends ask for my professional advice, because their doctor won't prescribe OT, or their insurance won't pay for, or they just can't afford to see an OT. Sometimes they even ask if what they have going on even is an OT need. This blog is not meant to be a substitute for in person therapy. A hands on, in person, therapist can always help you with your specific problem better than a blog. However, sometimes we all need advice, so that is what I am going to provide here.

And hopefully, people will stop asking me to find them a new job, because they will find out what occupational therapists really do.

~Laura