Equipment/Software in Occupational Therapy

1. Equipment/Software in Occupational Therapy For Daily Living By Emily Freedman

2. Focus To teach clients to use adaptive equipment to aid in the mobility of their fingers, specifically arthritis sufferers. With adaptive equipment, life is made easy because clients can maintain independence and be hassle free.

3. About Arthritis • Joint Inflammation • More than 100 types • Pain and stiffness around one or more joints • Hard to do tasks involving Gripping and squeezing

4. Benefits • Adaptive equipment is beneficial to clients because it reduces the physical pressure of having to do daily tasks with an injury or condition. • Adaptive equipment makes tasks hassle free and quick. • Clients will regain their independence to do tasks without the help of others.

5. Adaptive Equipment Button Hook • A steel hook fixed to a handle which aids in the process of buttoning apparel for those with weak finger dexterity. • Use: Grip the handle of the hook and feed the wire loop through the button hole. Catch the button in the loop and slide the button back through the hole. • Where to buy: Amazon.com:$ 9.95 SportAid.com:$5.95 • Those with arthritis are able to button a shirt pain free while using this device

6. Adaptive Equipment • A hook connected to an enlarged handle which pulls the zipper up or down and is used by people with weakness in their fingers • Use: Put the hook in the eye of the zipper and grip the handle to pull up or down • Where to buy: Ebay.com: $19.99 StMedical.com $6.55 • Those with arthritis don’t have to pinch their fingers together to hold a zipper while using this device Zipper Pull

7. Adaptive Equipment • Aids in cutting by only having to squeeze the hand instead of applying pressure on fingers. Ideal for people with thumb injuries • Use: squeeze hand for scissors to close • Where to buy: Walmart: $24.53 WisdomKing.com: $21.73 • This enables those with arthritis to use scissors without the constant pressure of squeezing the thumb Loop Scissors

8. Adaptive Equipment Handwriting Grip • A writing utensil with a triangular grip or cylindrical foam around it • Use: put grip on utensil and place fingers on grip • Aids in releasing pressure from fingers by forming a wider grip and reduces the strength needed to hold the writing aid • Where to buy • Amazon.com $10.95 • This allows those with arthritis to get a better, les painful grip on the writing utensil

9. Software • Documentation • Scheduling • Practice Management • Billing Cost: $49.00 per month • Easy to use • Access anywhere • Efficient • Web based Purpose: Helps Occupational therapists Organize all work by getting rid Of paper documents and using only Digital. It can be used at anytime and Anywhere and has everything one needs To keep track of business.

10. Conclusion • Adaptive equipment helps clients maintain independence while doing every day activities. • The use of the button hook, zipper pull, loop scissors, and writing grip contribute to helping an arthritic person be more at ease while using their fingers in tasks such as buttoning a shirt, zippering a jacket, cutting coupons, and writing checks. • Not only are they affordable, but they are easy to purchase and help prevent further injury

11. Resources • http://www.webpt.com/why/pt-focused • http://mda.org/publications/everyday-life-als/chapter-1 • http://www.family-friendly-fun.com/disabilities/adaptive-equipment.htm