Did you all see the self-stick article in this month’s issue of OT Practice? Judith Bobco Folweiler broke down how to adapt this common device in her article, Beyond Arm’s Reach: Using the selfie stick for client adaptations.
There are case studies with examples of how to use this creative approach to self-care tasks. She breaks down the components of selfie-sticks and demonstrates how they can be adapted to complete various ADL and IADL tasks. A woman with a rotator cuff tear fastens a comb to the end of the stick to complete hair care. Another client with a brachial plexus injury fastens a deodorant stick to the area the phone is typically placed to reach her underarm.
Many of the examples shown in the article seem to work better than some of our traditional adaptive equipment. These adaptations and their corresponding case studies are a perfect example of the Occupational Adaptation Model — the client’s desire to master a task despite their current condition! Awesome to see a creative OT at work!
Folweiler, J. B. (2018). Beyond arm’s reach: Using the selfie stick for client adaptations. OT Practice, 23(9), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.7138/otp.2018.2309.selfie