Occupational Therapy students created an adapted jug handle for a client at the LIFE Clinic last year.
Emma Gray
Editor
Parkland’s occupational therapy assistant program will be offering free services through The Learning Information for Everyday (LIFE) Clinic during the month of March.
Clinic days will be held on March 8, 15, and 29 from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. in H120, which is located in Parkland’s H-building off of Mattis Ave. in Champaign.
According to Michelle Roberts, director of the occupational therapy assistant program, the program is designed to help people managing pain that might come with daily activities without spending a lot of money.
“It’s really for people who [have] either [had] insurance lapsed…or sometimes it’s just for people who need a little extra help,” Roberts said. “It’s not for people who are newly in rehab. So somebody’s who had a stroke recently, had a bad accident recently, those people really need intense rehab and we can’t provide that.”
Clients who participate in the clinic start by coming to an hour-long interview at the clinic during which time students will interview them about what they need. This serves both to let students experience interviewing and taking down information from clients, and to get necessary information from clients before proceeding.
After the initial meeting, clients come back at least once to learn strategies they can use to help with whatever problem they came into the clinic with.
“The strategies can help them be more independent or they might help them to be able to do things with a little bit less pain,” Roberts said. “For example, that would be if somebody has a lot of pain, like [with] fibromyalgia or chronic pain syndrome, just daily movement can be painful, and we might teach them ways of using their body more efficiently using body mechanics.”
Deanna Cannon, a second year student in the occupational therapy program, said that last year the program was able to help clients through various techniques like strength exercises.
“We were able to help one client who sprained his thumb while participating in dance class by recommending exercises to strengthen his thumb and educating him on what he should avoid while it healed,” Cannon said.
Cannon says the program was also able to help clients through correcting clients’ movements.
“We helped a client suffering from carpal-tunnel-type symptoms and knee pain by suggesting she utilize splints on her wrists at night and teaching her proper body mechanics while performing tasks at home,” Cannon said.
According to Cannon, the clinic served a client who needed custom made items to help her with daily tasks.
“We created a handle for another client’s favorite water jug and adapted her dog leash to accommodate for arthritic pain,” Cannon said.
The clinics use first year occupational therapy assistant students from Parkland to offer these services to community members. Since the students are in their first year, the process of taking information and problem solving to help clients is still very new for them, but going through this process during the LIFE clinics helps prepares them for their second year of the program at which point they will start doing clinical studies in the community and hospitals.
Though the students do much of the work, they are closely guided by faculty members.
The LIFE clinic started about two years ago and has run annually during the spring semester since. This year the program is very small according to Roberts, with only two students participating. As of Feb. 23, the program also only had two people scheduled to receive services, but was still taking reservations for one to three additional spots.
Cannon said that at some point in their lives, everyone could benefit from help like what is offered at the LIFE clinic.
“Whether it be as serious as suffering a stroke, dealing with arthritis, or as simple as tennis elbow or a sprained thumb, anything which disrupts our lives can be frustrating,” Cannon said. “Finding strategies to deal with pain or utilizing adaptive equipment can be such a relief. Even if there is not currently an adaptation commercially available, your occupational therapist may just be able to invent something to make your life easier.”
Roberts says she would love to expand the program in the future and possibly begin offering LIFE clinic services in the fall so that it can serve more people and students.
For more information about the clinic or to inquire about reservation, contact Roberts at 217-353-2782.
