The great folks at Maddak have been very generous in providing many items for this giveaway. I have always liked Maddak because they provide a lot of unique tools that are very useful and they really respect the therapy professionals that use their tools. I love the awards they give out at the AOTA annual conference for therapist and student inventions that fill a new need, and now they have started a special "OT Circle" for therapists to provide feedback on their products.
A hip kit is one of the essentially useful items that Maddak has provided for the giveaway. No matter where you work, there's always the day that you run out of reachers. The kit contains a reacher, sock aid, shoe horn, and long handled sponge. Also included is one of my favorite items- a leg lifter! So useful especially in those days immediately following a surgery. I've found that a leg lifter can also be very helpful in performing safe tub transfers when leg mobility is still limited.
Two more super useful items from Maddak are included in this package. A Tenura jar opener is better shaped than the typical flat openers and specially shaped for bottles and jars. I have difficulty opening items and know from experience these are beyond helpful. A pack of tubing to build up handles, pens, and utensils is also a great tool in the phys/dys world for so many uses.
The Pencil Grip company makes more than just grips, but they have included jumbo grips for our giveaway to assist those with arthritis. Their standard grip is my favorite for kiddos (and myself) and the jumbo version takes those teeny tiny hard to grip pens and makes them into comfortable arthritis-friendly writing tools.
My favorite car transfer tool is also part of the giveaway. The Handybar has been such a great help to my grandmother for getting in and out of the car. This tool is compatible in any car and provides a stable bar to push from and balance on while trying to get in and out of the car. It's also compact enough that it easily fits in a purse or the door console. This is such a great tool, and I love promoting mobility throughout the lifespan.
In the "intangibles" file is a great gift from Tactus Therapy. They will be donating a free download of their Spaced Retrieval TherAppy app, a great tool for therapists working in cognition. I think this would be really relevant to therapists in community based settings with high level clients, but their site also says it can be used with lower level clients. This can be used on any iOS device, I'm anxiously awaiting their android versions.
From my collection of OT stuff, I have included a faucet nozzle light. This light is supposed to change the color of the water whether it is hot or cold and I thought would be very helpful for clients with diabetes or other sensation impairments. I haven't been able to try it out but hope that it works as advertised! Also included is a Twist 'n Write pencil, what we called a rocketship pencil in the school system. This is another item that is very arthritis-friendly and can be useful even if you have limited finger control.
Last, but certainly not least, remember that AOTA is always your best resource no matter your practice area. They have sent items to promote OT in your clinic, including a T-shirt, brand posters, and pens. For your everyday life, they've include a great tote bag and umbrella that I'm sure will have great usefulness no matter your job site.
WOOOOOO! that's our geriatric tool giveaway! If you're a practitioner in this area, enter now by leaving a comment below. Comments must be received before 11:59pm EST on January 31. Good Luck!
1 comment:
What a great collection of items! I would love to use some of these with my geriatric patients. Good work Cheryl!
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