Media Project

     Doing the media project (where we were each assigned a random household object and then a "client" to make something out of the object for) has been an eye-opening experience. It has made me use my creative skills, something I am not very confident in, to come up with a way to use my item, which was cotton balls, for my client Paula, a 76-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease. I decided to use the cotton balls as either pretend "buttons" to practice buttoning with or to cover actual buttons with a piece of the cotton ball to give Paula something larger and more textured to hold on to, as well as to serve as a visual cue since she also has cataracts. I think that realizing there was a practical way to use the cotton balls (covering the buttons as opposed to just practicing doing buttons with the cotton balls) was the most meaningful realization I had. When I first read about Paula, I was frustrated because all of the uses I could think of for cotton balls were crafts or games, and in the information given about Paula, it states that she thinks the games and activities done in the skilled nursing facility where she lives are boring and she seemed to think she was above those types of things. I didn't really think she would like to practice buttoning with the cotton balls either, but when I finally thought of how to incorporate them into the actual act of dressing, I realized I could explain that to Paula so she could work up to using the cotton balls practically.
     From completing this project, I have learned there are hundreds of ways to use everyday objects to help our clients, which can be especially important if we do not have access to resources that cost more money. This has encouraged me to change my thinking to be more outside of the box. The project also reminded me that we have to always be client-centered. While I may think it would be a lot of fun to use cotton balls for arts and crafts or to play games with, I will have clients who might not think it is so fun and I will need to come up with other ways to help them. The project has definitely had an impact on how I will work in the future, both while in school and once I graduate. It will remind me to think of different ways to help clients that may not be typical. I will also remember that assistive devices do not have to be high tech, and low tech can sometimes be the best way to work around a problem. The media project has helped me see things more creatively as well as practically, and I can't wait to put these skills to use in the future!