#student

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is leave your work behind for twenty minutes and go for a walk. Your brain deserves fresh air too. 🌿

When was the last time you thanked your legs for carrying you from one place to another? Or your hands for allowing you to prepare a meal, write a message, or hug someone you love? What about your eyes, for allowing you to read this blog? These are things that many of us do every single day without giving them a second thought.

I have to admit that I am one of those people. I have often taken for granted my ability to participate in the occupations that are meaningful to me, never really appreciating the privilege of simply being able to do them.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many physically disabled individuals within our society. I had a prior understanding of physical disability being the primary reason for an inability to participate. However, my time within the Cato crest community challenged this understanding. I realised that disability alone is often not what limits participation. Rather, it is the many social and environmental barriers that surround it, and it is these seemingly small barriers that collectively have the greatest impact on a person’s ability to participate in everyday life.

This brings me to one of my favourite quotes by Vincent van Gogh:

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

Before this placement, I understood this quote only on a surface level. However, my experiences within the community have completely changed my perspective. I now realise that just as many small actions can create meaningful change, many small barriers can collectively prevent someone from living a meaningful occupational life.

This reflection naturally led me to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although all seventeen goals are interconnected, my time in the community particularly deepened my understanding of five SDGs that I believe are fundamental to occupational therapy practice.

I particularly resonated with the 3rd SDG relating to good health and well-being.

My personal experiences within the community opened my eyes to so much more than I had previously been subjected to. I had met with multiple clients who suffered a stroke and had no knowledge of the cause of diagnosis. This made me realise the importance of health promotion lying not after illness, but before it. I began to appreciate how health education around smoking cessation and lifestyle modification could have prevented many of the diagnoses I encountered at the clinic.

I had also encountered children that were experiencing developmental delays, many with Down syndrome. Many mothers expressed anxiety and uncertainty because they simply did not know whether their child’s development was normal, or when they should seek professional assistance. This made me realise how valuable it is to educate parents about developmental milestones, when to seek help, and how everyday play can support their child’s development.

What impacted me most was realising that disability affects far more than the individual. Mothers caring for children with disabilities often felt emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. Likewise, caregivers of stroke survivors sacrificed their own occupations, employment opportunities and social lives to care for their loved ones. This enabled my understanding that improving one person’s occupational performance can positively influence the well-being of an entire family.

As a future occupational therapist, this experience taught me that health promotion, prevention and early intervention are just as meaningful as treating the diagnosis itself.

Prior to this placement, I thought I was doing enough simply by treating patients during the designated therapy sessions. However, I soon realised that meaningful progress depended far less on what happened during that one hour, and more on what happened afterwards. This broadened my knowledge relating to the 4th SDG of quality and education.

I noticed that many clients attended therapy consistently but returned each week with only slight improvement because they had completed little to none of their prescribed home programmes. This made me realise that therapy alone does not create lasting change.

Providing education with regards to a client’s diagnosis and prognosis etc, became just as important as the treatment itself. When clients understood why they were performing particular activities and how these related to their own goals, they became more motivated to participate in their rehabilitation process.

Caregiver education proved to be equally valuable. Families felt more confident when they understood how to encourage independence within their daily routines and how to continue supporting rehabilitation between appointments.

One observation that stayed with me, was seeing clients who were physically capable of completing activities independently but continued relying heavily on their caregivers. This was often not owing to their physical limitations, but to their lack of confidence and understanding of what they were still capable of doing safely.

This experience changed my understanding of education. I realised that education is not simply another part of treatment but that it empowers clients to become active participants in their own recovery rather than being passive recipients of care.

Working within the Cato Manor clinic and Cato Crest community broadened my understanding of reduced inequalities (10th SDG).

One of the many significant inequalities I had observed, involved clients who required wheelchairs but did not yet have access to them. The lack of such equipment confined many people to their homes. Activities that many of us take for granted such as walking to the local tuck shop, attending church, visiting the library or simply socialising with neighbours became impossible. Their participation not only limited by their diagnosis, but by inaccessible environments and limited resources.

Transport presented another significant barrier. Many clients missed appointments because they could not afford transport, particularly when they needed a caregiver to accompany them. These additional transport costs delayed rehabilitation and reduced opportunities for recovery, widening the gap between those who could access healthcare and those who could not.

I also noticed how poverty contributed to a vicious cycle of limited employment opportunities and long term financial hardship, reducing access to healthcare, nutritious food and assistive devices. It became clear that poverty and disability often reinforced one another making it difficult to escape the cycle.

These experiences helped me realise that our role as occupational therapists extends beyond treating physical impairment. We also have a responsibility to identify and advocate against the barriers preventing people from participating in meaningful occupations. Sometimes this may involve increasing direct access in the community or demonstrating alternative ways in which clients can participate when their circumstances cannot be changed in that very moment.

I am ashamed to admit that prior to my time at the community, I had associated sustainability with protecting the environment. I’m sure many of you have have the same misconception. However, community practice taught me the true meaning of sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).

I realised that sustainability means creating systems that continue benefiting people long after healthcare professionals have left.

This became particularly evident while working with mothers of children with disabilities. Many of these mothers felt isolated and relied on occasional clinic appointments for support. Based on this, I recognised the value of facilitating caregiver support groups within the community, where parents could share experiences, encourage one another and exchange strategies. Such groups could reduce isolation while creating ongoing support beyond the clinic setting.

I also recognised the meaning of sustainability through our work at the Golden Future Crèche within Cato Crest. Rather than providing intervention that ended when our placement finished, we had slowly begun developing a music wall which is a sensory play resource that could continue to be used daily. It would become part of the children’s natural learning environment while allowing teachers, who spend the most time with these kids, to continue facilitating sensory stimulation and development long into the future.This experience opened my eyes to the role of occupational therapy in building capacity within communities rather than creating dependence on healthcare systems.

Finally, this placement showed me that holistic healthcare depends on collaboration with the multidisciplinary team (SDG 17- partnerships for goals).

My personal experience of working alongside a physiotherapy student demonstrated this. Instead of addressing mobility during one session and function during another, we collaborated to provide more holistic care. This not only benefited the client clinically but also made an impact by reducing multiple clinic visits, travel costs as well as waiting times.

I also recognised the important role that nurses play in identifying clients who require occupational therapy and ensuring that medical management supports the rehabilitation process.

Looking back, I’ve come to realise that the client’s needs should always come before our designated professional roles, because at the end of the day, we’re all working towards the same goal of giving the client the best possible outcome.

I hate to sound cliché, but perhaps the simplest message is the one worth remembering: be the change you wish to see.I hope this motivates you to realise the impact you can have by making one tiny change today, as it could make a huge difference tomorrow.

Resources:

• Visit Heart and stroke Foundation SA to discover easy ways to enhance your health and lower your risk of stroke

• Sweethearts Foundation: Learn how to get wheelchair assistance and improve mobility

• Donate to the sweethearts Foundation and help those in need of a wheelchair

https://www.heartfoundation.co.za/healthy-living/

• Find out more about the benefits of a sensory music wall as well as for creating your own inexpensive sensory toys for personal use/ community donations

References:

• Statistics South Africa. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). https://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=15837

• United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals

• World Federation of Occupational Therapists. (2019). Occupational therapy and human rights: Position statement. https://wfot.org/resources/occupational-therapy-and-human-rights

• World Health Organization. (2023). Disability and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health

• World Health Organization. (2024). Community engagement for quality, people-centred health services. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/community-engagement-for-quality–people-centred-health-services

• World Health Organization. (2016). Framework on integrated, people-centred health services. https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/clinical-services-and-systems/service-organizations-and-integration

- a youtube video I am watching

Happy Birthday

August 7

Happy Birthday

August 7