Supporting people to play their favourite sport and take part in hobbies is a key component of occupational therapy. To help people live, not merely exist, with long term conditions makes all the difference to people's health and quality of life. Here are a couple of examples of how sport is making that difference.
Alistair’s story
Alistair is 14 years old and passionate about cycling.
According to his Dad, “Every minute of every day he, (Alistair), talks about bikes, he wants to be on his bike, he wants to be washing the bike, cleaning the bike, doing something with the bike, asking me to buy him something for the bike, I do not know what he would do without cycling.”
Yet when Alistair was two years old, it was uncertain that he would ever be able to ride a bike. At nursery he wasn’t engaging in play and talking like others of his age. He was found to have learning difficulties that were affecting his development, both physically and mentally. Around the age of 5, he was assigned an occupational therapist to help him with his balance and co-ordination. The occupational therapist asked Alistair’s parents if there was a specific activity they wanted her to work on with Alistair and they decided they wanted him to be able to ride a bike. The rest, as they say, is history.
Alistair is a triple Gold Medallist from the GB National Games Special Olympics 2017, which were held in Sheffield this summer and hopes to be able to compete at the World Summer Special Olympic Games in Abu-Dhabi in 2019. Aside from his sporting achievements, cycling has given Alistair confidence in his own ability and a group of friends in his cycling club, the Clydesdale Colts and his Scotland West Special Olympic Cycling Team. All from learning one skill with the help of an occupational therapist.
Watch Alistair’s story:
Making a splash in Jersey
Once a week, on a Thursday morning, at Jersey's 'AquaSplash' in St Helier, a group of swimmers get together for a 30 minute swim and then relax in the restaurant 'The Bar' next door.
Whilst social gatherings like this are common in most leisure centres across the UK, this particular group of swimmers is made up of individuals living with dementia and their carers. The award winning project, called SplashChat, is run by occupational therapists and Jersey Alzheimer's Association and has seen numbers swell since it started in 2015, with over 1700 attendances to date.
Feedback from attendees and their carers has been glowing - carers and family members of individuals living with dementia report how happy the group has made the person. People attending feel less lonely and more confident.
The occupational therapists also monitor the participant’s abilities to carry out everyday tasks and for many the swimming has resulted in improvement with these, as well as being part of the group eases feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Sarah Blake, Senior Occupational Therapist working on the SplashChat project says: "This group continues to evolve and we are constantly seeking ways to ensure it meets the needs of the people attending. We had our Christmas meal yesterday and proudly announced that we had swum a total of 4078 x25m lengths in 2017.
“It's wonderful to be part of this initiative that makes such a positive difference to people living with dementia and their carers, enabling them to enjoy their time together, have fun and keep active".