Joni Eareckson Tada

The group that I was in went over Joni Eareckson Tada. Something that I learned from this group presentation was the different thing that an occupational therapist could be associated in with somebody who is a quadriplegic. I wasn’t really sure initially what that would look like since they wouldn’t be able to get the movement back on their own. I learned through this group presentation that the therapist would work on things like getting Joni to be able to paint with a brush in her mouth or even how to use a lever to reposition her bed so that she is able to get used to feeling of moving and elevate bedsores by using a lever or stick in her mouth. One thing that I liked about this presentation was that Sarah Caitlin addressed the fact that Joni was only 17 when her accident happened by bringing up the social aspect and the things that she was missing at that time in her life. The idea of creating or working with Joni to create and establish a friend group for her I felt like was a very good thought. This is something that not everyone thinks about. This shows a real interest in what the client wants and the importance of a person’s support group in their recovery. Sometimes people don’t realize that they have lost touch with a person or they assume somebody else is contacting them or visiting with them, when in reality everybody is assuming the same thing so nobody is doing it. One of Sarah Caitlyn’s goals was for Joni to be able to paint a picture as a leisure activity. By doing this, she addressed the aspect that not all occupations that OTs address have to be done for something that is mandatory but they can also be done for something that is enjoyable to help the person relax and enjoy their daily life again.