Thanks Arley, I don't feel like she was advanced too early, but maybe so. She has been trained to not bear excessive weight on her walker. I've use the exact techniques you describe. But she says it's her "natural tendency" to grab the walker handles. She is very strong and can walk several hundred yards with her walker. If she stays on the walker, she will become more dependent on it, not less.
Thanks, Ron ----- Original Message ----- From: Johnson, Arley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] Overcoming Fear During Mobility JA> Ron: JA> It sounds like this person was graduated to a cane too early. Proper training should have JA> included a bridge from a walker to a cane. At this point, it may best serve her to go back to JA> a walker to work on her confidence with techniques to graduate to a cane. Some techniques JA> include using her fingers or heel of her hand to advance the walker as oppose to putting her JA> weight thru her palms. I hope it helps!! JA> Arley Johnson MS, OTR/L JA> JA> -----Original Message----- JA> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Carson JA> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 12:34 PM JA> To: OTlist JA> Subject: [OTlist] Overcoming Fear During Mobility JA> Hello All: JA> Any great suggestions for helping someone overcome fear with using a JA> cane? The patient really wants to be independent but she is scared of JA> falling. She is physically and mentally able to use the cane with only JA> occasional cueing, but she is just fearful. But, she wants to learn to JA> safely and effectively use her cane. Suggestions? I've told her that all JA> that I know to do is give her the opportunity to be successful with her JA> cane but she must internalize this success. I likened it to someone JA> learning to walk a tightrope. They are at first fearful but after proper JA> instruction and successful engagement, their fear subsides. But, not JA> everyone would be able to control their fear in such a situation. I am JA> considering that this patient will not be able to find balance between JA> confidence and fear. JA> Thanks, JA> Ron JA> -- JA> "... as a profession that offers unique services that are ideally suited JA> to meet the health, participation, and quality of life needs of people JA> of all ages, occupational therapy is well-positioned to succeed and JA> flourish in the 21st century." [Fred Somers, AJOT, April, 2005, p. 127] JA> "The part of convalescence that I found most profoundly humiliating and JA> depressing was [OT]... I was reduced to playing with brightly colored JA> plastic letters ... like a three-year-old..." [AJOT, April, 2005, p. JA> 231] JA> -- JA> Options? JA> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com JA> Archive? JA> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] JA> ************************************************************************************** JA> Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the JA> skills and credentials to propel your career. JA> www.otdegree.com/otn JA> ************************************************************************************** JA> The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and JA> confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message is not the JA> intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you JA> are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, JA> dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have JA> received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, and delete the JA> original message. -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
