Going over the wall: Volunteering with children with life limiting conditions

By

• Introduce Over The Wall

• Links to Occupational Therapy

• Benefits of volunteering to OTs/OT students

• Experience a camp activity!

Going Over The Wall

What is Over The Wall? • A national children’s charity • Their purpose is to provide life-changing experiences

to children ( 8-17) who are affected by serious/life limiting illnesses e.g. cancer

Part of Hole in the Wall • Over The Wall is part of The Association of

Hole in the Wall Camps

• Which has camps for seriously ill children in over 50 countries including:

• Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and USA

Doing something new

Being part of a team

Having fun!

Video A video from Over the Wall summer Camps !

Over the Wall - Kids version - YouTube

“OT enables people to achieve health, well being & life satisfaction through participation in occupation”

(College of Occupational Therapists,

2004a)

Occupational Therapy and Children

Play • Play is:

“an important lifelong occupation and a powerful tool for intervention with children with disabilities, whether they be physical, psychiatric or both”

(Bundy, 1996: cited in Louger, 2001:68)

“Since 1999 many of the UK’s most seriously ill children have been able to go swimming, catch their first fish, dance in the sunshine, perform centre stage and create the memories of a lifetime” Over The Wall

Play

• Traumatised children unable to verbalise distress, fears & hopes

• Children can explore their feelings & emotions through creative expressive play

• Build relationships with the other children

• Join in more: unable to do this as much in school due to lost time

(Lougher, 2001)

Play

• Children have freedom to choose their own activities

• Play aids development of child and performance skills

• Increases interaction with other children

(Duncan, 2011)

Client centred practice • OTs are holistic practitioners

• Client centred practice at core

• Children encouraged to talk about their life experiences, around illness or disability if they wish to

• Help to develop meaningful life stories (Duncan,

2011)

Doing, Being, Becoming • Children express their individuality when

playing

• Taking part in childhood occupations is essential for healthy development

• Learn new skills/new experiences

• Helps build self esteem

• Gives sense of belonging

(Rodger & Ziviani, 2006)

Doing, Being, Becoming

• Doing – Being. Child can experience inner sense of peace & contentment

• Becoming – occupations define what we are, what we will become

• Not being able to do – Some children with disability/illness do not have the same opportunities to engage in meaningful play

• Can lead to reduced sense of self/affect who they will become

(Rodger & Ziviani, 2006)

Environments?

•Natural Environment

‘It is a beautiful place filled with all

different flowers...... There is a secret

garden which I find peaceful’ (Girl

Aged 9, Kiernan & Maclachlan 2002)

• Structure, timetabled activities

• Change from Home environment

Opportunities to be with peers

who are unwell like them.

• Opportunity for time away

from family and usual

environment

Therapeutic aspects of Leisure

• Social support and social acceptance

• Self efficacy and Competency

Therapeutic aspects of leisure continued…

• Cope and deal with stress

• Provide continuity in life after experiencing disability.

Importance of Volunteering

• In the UK, 22 million people volunteer each year for

an average of four hours per week, providing services worth £40 billion per year (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1997).

Benefits of Volunteering: From an OT Student Perspective

Benefits to OT’s/OT students

Communication skills

Teamwork

Adaptability

Influence future interventions

Strengthen awareness of a particular client group? Interpersonal skills

Feel part of the community

Improves self-esteem

Increase awareness of O.T Opportunities to gain more skills

Reflection !

Importance of reflecting upon the

camping experience.

The process of reflection is vital in

professional education and practice.

Reflection as an aspect of learning

from an experience.

(Creek & Porter,2007)

After Eight Challenge!

References • Baroness Neuberger (2008) Office of the Third Sector Volunteering in the

Public Services: health and social care – Baroness Neuberger’s review as the Government’s Volunteering Champion.

• Black, W and Living, R (2004) ‘Volunteerism as an Occupation and It’s Relationship to Health and Well Being’ British Journal Of Occupational Therapy 67 (12) 527

• Caldwell, L (2005) ‘Leisure and Health: Why is Leisure Therapeutic?’ British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Vol.33, No.1 7-26

• Case-Smith, J. (2005) Occupational Therapy for Children. 5th Edition. Philadelphia:Elsevier

• Christiansen, C.H., and Townsend E.A. (2004) Introduction to Occupation the art and Science of Living, NJ, Pearson Education Ltd

• College of Occupational Therapists. (2004a). Definitions & Core Skills for Occupational Therapy. COT: London

• Csikszentmihalyi and Rathunde (1992) cited in Molineux, M. (2004) Occupation for Occupational Therapists, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

References

• Duncan, E. (2011) Foundations for Practice in Occupational Therapy. 5th Edition. London:Elsevier Churchill Livingstone

• Emerson (1998) cited in Molineux, M. (2004) Occupation for Occupational Therapists, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

• Government Office for Science (2008) Foresight report: Mental Capital and Wellbeing: making the most of ourselves in the 21st century

• Hutchinson S.L., Loy, D., Kleiber, D.A. & Dattilo, J. (in press). Leisure as a coping resource: variations in coping with illness or injury. Leisure Sciences

• Kiernan,G & Maclachlan,M. (2002) Children’s perspectives of Therapeutic Recreation: Data from the ‘Barretstown studies’. Journal of Health psychology (67).7 ;599.

• Kramer, P. & Hinojosa, J. (1999) Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy. 2nd Edition. Baltimore:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

• Lammel, J. (2003). Leisure related outcomes of traumatic brain injury. Unpublished dissertation,

References

• Lampeter (2008) Volunteering and Health: what impact does it really have? Final Report to Volunteering England. University of Wales

• Lougher, L. (2001) Occupational Therapy for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. London: Churchill Livingstone

• Mulligan, S. (2003) Occupational Therapy Evaluation for Children: A Pocket Guide. Philadelphia:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

• Rodger, S. & Ziviani, J. (2006) Occupational Therapy with Children: Understanding Children’s Occupations and Enabling Participation. Oxford:Blackwell Publishing Ltd

• The Compact on Relations between Government and the Third Sector in England (2009) [online] in < www.thecompact.org > Accessed 21st July 2011

• Wilhite B., Keller, J.M., Hodges, J. & Caldwell, L.L. (in press). Enhancing human development and optimizing lifelong health and well-being in persons with multiple sclerosis. Therapeutic Recreation Journal .