Hi Ron! Another one of your support team cases - I'm delighted with a chance to be on board!
Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello David: > > The really interesting part is that the patient has > never lost her > balance to the point that I've had to catch her. She > has always been > able to regain control with only minimal input. > Actually, the can does > provide assistance, in fact I am trying to get her to > decrease her WB > through the cane. WB is? She can walk remarkable well > wihtout the cane, but > that is not a long term goal. > > I don't believe this is a motor learnnig issue. I > believe it's a > fear-based reaction. Think of someone learning to > walk a tightrope. > There must be balance (no pun intended) between > perceived abilities and > fear. *Smiling* No big fear in early tightrope training - the rope is barely above the ground. And this is where you learn to focus on the endpoint, so later you don't care much, how far away the ground is. (Sure there are other ways - but this worked for me:-) Translated into helping your client, I believe it's important to get her very engaged into where she's going. Maybe over to that lovely bench in the shade? Or just to the table to pick up the remote in time for her favorite program. To the flower pots to nipple the dry leaves... Whatever that might occupy her mind and provide direction/motive. Then you facilitate more than teach, when you do as Joan suggested and offer her your arm. Hopefully she will soon find you´re slowing her down and let go of you? An additional option I've used for cane walking is a hip belt - the kind also used for assisted transfers - had one or two handles on the back that was fast to grab when I saw my client about to loose his balance. Even when this did not stop him from falling, it sure made the fall slower and less dangerous. I also grabbed it when we met stairs, curbs, slippery places etc - or simply when he asked me to. OK - actually this guy used an elbow crutch - might be different... Overestimating ability is not good and being > overly fearful is > equally not good. With continuing practice, ability > and fear should > reciprocate from each other, shouldn't they. But what > if the person's > continued training does not yield decreasing fear. > Some people will > never get over their fear, right? Yes, I also believe that to be true sometimes. Ideally all activities "should" be possible to break up in achievable bits, so you can work on the edge of your comfort zone (NUZO - or nearest zone of development, to translate the danish expression). But sometimes the support, or equipment, or whatever...., to hit that zone is just not there. Like - anyone remembers when there were no little bikes, and we had to learn to ride the big bikes of our parents? Or how difficult it was to learn roller-skating with those skates that you strapped onto your shoes? Then there are of course infinite other reasons why Some people will never get over their fear. I find it interesting to look deeper into motivation - sometimes there is ambivalence to be found. But I think this doesn't apply to your client, so will stop my ramblings for now:-) susanne, denmark -- 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 **************************************************************************************
