One of the most innovative and dynamic professions I have worked with are Occupational Therapists. It’s amazing the inventions and ideas they have come up with to overcome disabilities. One of them told me once that she sees her primary responsibility as identifying what role is most important to a patient and finding a solution to restore their ability to perform that role.
Some of the solutions are really simple and others involve expensive and highly technical gadgets. Sometimes it is just a matter of rethinking the way we do things. It’s a bit like the old anecdote about NASA spending a fortune developing a biro that could work at zero gravity when the Soviet space agency just issued the astronauts with pencils.
I had an interesting conversation with a soccer Mum recently – largely via little notes. She has had throat surgery and is unable to speak for six weeks. This has meant extended time off her usual work as a teacher but the first thing I could think of was – how do you get the kids ready in the morning? Somehow, I can’t see this working in my house at least:-
With her husband travelling regularly and kids the same age as mine, I knew we were on the same page without having to force her to write a detailed note. Instead, she just said that her brother-in-law has recorded a series of messages she can replay on her phone as required. She thinks they are hilarious.
Luckily for this mum, her voice loss is temporary. Even though it must be driving her crazy, she seemed upbeat. After all, you know what they say about necessity.
