For my adaptive equipment project I choose patient D at my fieldwork site. D has been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. With Huntington’s disease it causes a progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, which then places a broad impact on the patient’s functional abilities. D is currently wheelchair bound and has involuntary movements such as forward flexion, hand jerks, arm movements etc. D is considered a lability patient meaning that she will go from laughing one second to crying the next, she is a very determined and dedicated woman who wants nothing more than to be independent and get back to her family. In regards to my choice in my project the goal that supports the equipment is; patient will increase independence in self-feeding
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which during all activities I asked her to do she was very willing to always try them and would push herself the entire time; very determined, hardworking, and independence seeking lady. When we would make our lunch rounds I noticed that she was always “yelling” at the nurses not to help her, that she could and wanted to feed herself. So, as I am watching her I noticed when she would go to take a drink she would use a straw but the straw would always be spinning around her cup and it was difficult for her to be able to stabilize the straw with her hand(s) and take a drink, leaving her completely frustrated even though she was doing great in all other areas of eating. That’s when I thought of my adaptive equipment. I have made patient D a straw stabilizer that allows her straw to clip onto the side of her glass which will keep it from spinning and her having to stabilize it. My goal with this object was to decrease her frustration and improve independence.
To make the equipment, I used a clothes pin, pencil grip, and the straw. I put gorilla glue on the clothes pin then placed the pencil grip onto the clothes pin and then you put the straw into the pencil grip and then it clips onto your cup. I choose to use the gorilla glue because even though you really don’t have to wash the equipment you can just take the straw out and put a new in; you might have to rinse it off every now and again, so
which during all activities I asked her to do she was very willing to always try them and would push herself the entire time; very determined, hardworking, and independence seeking lady. When we would make our lunch rounds I noticed that she was always “yelling” at the nurses not to help her, that she could and wanted to feed herself. So, as I am watching her I noticed when she would go to take a drink she would use a straw but the straw would always be spinning around her cup and it was difficult for her to be able to stabilize the straw with her hand(s) and take a drink, leaving her completely frustrated even though she was doing great in all other areas of eating. That’s when I thought of my adaptive equipment. I have made patient D a straw stabilizer that allows her straw to clip onto the side of her glass which will keep it from spinning and her having to stabilize it. My goal with this object was to decrease her frustration and improve independence.
To make the equipment, I used a clothes pin, pencil grip, and the straw. I put gorilla glue on the clothes pin then placed the pencil grip onto the clothes pin and then you put the straw into the pencil grip and then it clips onto your cup. I choose to use the gorilla glue because even though you really don’t have to wash the equipment you can just take the straw out and put a new in; you might have to rinse it off every now and again, so