OT and LEGO

At the end of last year, we made an appeal for donations to purchase Lego and our community responded. 

Thank you to everyone who donated Lego! The Lego is being used by our Occupational therapists in their hand therapy programs by providing a motivating activity for our patients going through rehabilitation. Through your donations we have been able to improve our patients’ quality of life. 

“Being able to do some hand therapy in the form of a LEGO car really helps with not only physical therapy but for your mental health. It encourages coming back in for ongoing therapy and is a good ice breaker for anyone entering the occupational therapy unit.” - Ray.

COVID-19 taught us many things, but one of the situations we learned from burns patients experience as a result their injury.    

“We are realising the shock of having the things we like to do, and the things we need to do, taken away from us. We are experiencing a once in a lifetime event that’s showing us what its like to lose the ‘doing’ and ‘being’ that makes us human – the occupations we engage in every day. ‘Occupation is doing, being and becoming. Occupation is health.” Rosemary Kendell, Senior Occupational Therapist 

That’s what Occupational Therapy is all about, but working with young men recovering from a burn injury, it can be challenging to find meaningful and engaging activities to meet rehabilitation goals to help them with the ‘doing, being and becoming’. But who doesn’t love Lego?  And when it is a complex project, requiring fine motor finger and hand movements, and then throw in moving parts, we are on a winner! 

The Occupational Therapy team is so grateful to the generosity of the Fiona Wood Foundation supporters who provided funds for us to buy challenging, adult, male-focused Lego kits that we can use to achieve our therapy goals. Thank you!