With clients with cognitive limitations, what Environmental Activities of Daily Living (or Environmental Control) Units would you suggest?
Answer
Honestly with cognitive limitations, the first thing I do is look at what do they want to be able to do. If they just want to be able to turn on the light and they can clap their hands, I am looking at The Clapper. If they want to be able to turn on multiple lights or maybe turn on the fan in their home, then I am going to look at something that is probably either portable or hardwired that only offers a few functions. For instance, a small X-10 unit, if they can use their hand. I have had clients who have been good mouth stick users and that they can hit a button with their mouth stick. If they are using a head pointer, then I will probably look at the Mini Relax and the Relax II. Those actually offer functions for TV as well as environmental control. I think with cognitive disabilities or cognitive limitations, you really need to consider giving them less choices and figure out what is the most important functions you want them to be able to do.
Kim Furphy, D.HSc., OT, ATP
Kimberly A. Furphy was granted a Doctor of Health Science Degree with concentrations in Assistive Technology and Gerontology at the University of St. Augustine for the Health Sciences, a Master of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia. She is also a certified as an Assistive Technology Practitioner by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. Her clinical and research interests include assistive technology applications in the treatment and education of individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities as well as pedagogical innovations for professionals working in the field of assistive technology. She has worked as an Assistant/Associate Professor and is the current Program Director in the MSOT program at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey teaching courses in assessment and treatment of the adult and geriatric populations, upper extremity rehabilitation and splinting, as well as assistive technology interventions. She has numerous presentations at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference and at the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference on the topics of assistive technology and home modification and is a frequently invited lecturer at local schools and facilities on these topics. Dr. Furphy is also the author of the chapter on assessment tools for Activities of Daily Living in the book Occupational Therapy Assessment Tools: An Annotated Index, 3rd Edition.
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