Heidi Nadobny, Recreational Therapist
Midland NeuroSkills Center
To the client it’s simply a party, but I like to call it an “acclimation” activity. It’s a nice way for our younger clients who are having issues getting back into the swing of socializing, and spending time with friends to get reacquainted.
I like to set up a small party in a non-stressful environment, invite the client and friends to in a situation where they can interact with each other with video games, and other fun activities they enjoy. The purpose is to address issues of non-communication between the client and his or her friends, and to answer any questions they might have about what’s going on. It’s also a great opportunity to talk about how, although the client may have some visible or obvious differences than prior to the accident, they are the same person. I emphasize the importance of still doing activities together, not being afraid to talk to the client about the same things they talked about prior to the accident and so on. A lot of the times the client’s peers are more hesitant and fearful of talking to the client than the client is of talking to them. But after an afternoon of fun everyone is usually more at ease.
Founded in 1974, Special Tree is a leading resource for adults and children with brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other disabilities. Our whole person approach - the Science of Caring - encompasses one's body, mind, heart, and spirit. Our mission is to provide HOPE, ENCOURAGEMENT, and EXPERTISE for people who have experienced life-altering changes. These are the three themes of our blog posts.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
A Glass Act
By Rebecca Potter, MS, LLP, CBIS, BCBA
On June 9th the Women’s Therapy Support group of Troy headed out to explore a day of yore at Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Ladies: Violet L. of Moravian, Laura M. of Beverly Hills and Dusanka E. and Lisa G. of Trevino arrived via four wheeled coach to be greeted by their tour guides, Staff member Rebecca Potter, Limited Licensed Psychologist and psychology student Leigh Jouppi.
After entering through the gates the ladies were greeted by the whistle blow of the old steam engine awaiting her boarding passengers at the Firestone Train Station. Rounding the first corner past the Soybean Lab Agricultural Gallery the ladies were pleasantly surprised by that old familiar “aaaoooogggaaa” sound of the passing Model T Ford.
First on the agenda was a glass pulling class at the Glass Shop. The ovens were fired up and ready to go as the instructor suited each lady up for safety. Each lady was suited up in safety goggles, protective arm sheaths, an apron, and gloves. First up was Lady Violet. The instructor explained the process of how each lady would participate in the actual pulling of the glass, the uniqueness of the colors of the glass before and after being exposed to the high heat produced in the ovens, and the need for the pulled glass to be tempered for 24 hours to cool slowly so it would not break.
Laura was so excited to see Violet pulling her glass flower that she stood up to get a better view, while Dusanka assisted the instructor in pulling the glass with the glass tweezers.
Lady Lisa used the glass paddle to flatten the glass in preparation of pulling. Lady Laura used the tweezers to pull her straight tail flower into shape. Laura was unique in that she was the only lady to choose a straight tail on her flower.
After the glass pulling activity the ladies dined on Michigan sourced foods available at the Michigan Café. Three of the ladies chose the pulled pork sandwich while one feasted on the Michigan cherry salad and soup. All ladies received a Henry Ford/Greenfield Village commemorative cup. After lunch the ladies and guides set out to explore the village. Just past the homes of Robert Frost and Noah Webster the ladies stopped for a short break at the Cotswold Cottage. Rounding out the trip across from the Wright Brother’s Home and Cycle Shop the ladies learned about millinery (hat making) at the Cohen Millinery and catsup at the Heinz House.
After a fun filled 6 hours the ladies boarded their 4 wheeled coach and headed back into the present day. Approximately 1 week after the trip the ladies each received their flowers as they had completed the curing process.
Special Tree Psychologist
After entering through the gates the ladies were greeted by the whistle blow of the old steam engine awaiting her boarding passengers at the Firestone Train Station. Rounding the first corner past the Soybean Lab Agricultural Gallery the ladies were pleasantly surprised by that old familiar “aaaoooogggaaa” sound of the passing Model T Ford.
First on the agenda was a glass pulling class at the Glass Shop. The ovens were fired up and ready to go as the instructor suited each lady up for safety. Each lady was suited up in safety goggles, protective arm sheaths, an apron, and gloves. First up was Lady Violet. The instructor explained the process of how each lady would participate in the actual pulling of the glass, the uniqueness of the colors of the glass before and after being exposed to the high heat produced in the ovens, and the need for the pulled glass to be tempered for 24 hours to cool slowly so it would not break.
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| Violet suited up and ready to pull some glass |
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| Dusanka and the instructor pull the glass with tweezers |
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| Lisa flattens her glass in preparation of pulling |
After a fun filled 6 hours the ladies boarded their 4 wheeled coach and headed back into the present day. Approximately 1 week after the trip the ladies each received their flowers as they had completed the curing process.
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