Occupational therapy requires creativity and the ability to find the best-fit solution for each unique individual. One solution rarely ever suits all and there are often barriers you may not have anticipated. So how easy is it to find a vocation working with animals?
Take someone with a severe brain injury looking for unpaid work as an example. There may be environmental barriers such as noise levels and crowding. Is the work indoors or outdoors, could it become too hot or cold, is the terrain accessible? Who will they be working with and what will they be doing? Can they easily communicate and use the equipment provided? How can we manage fatigue levels, memory problems or physical challenges?
Even one or two of these considerations might be off-putting for a potential employer, particularly an employer with no prior knowledge of brain injury.
So it isn’t everyday you can go out and revisit a two-year success story.
Our client loves helping others and was looking for an unpaid vocation, preferably working with animals. He had two support workers to assist him and was willing to travel, but for a long time work was not available to him. After several weeks of searching and knock-backs we contacted Bev at Alltogether Animal Assisted Therapy.
Whilst working as a teacher at Myerscough College, Bev realised that there was very little animal therapy provision for adults. And so Alltogether Animal Assisted Therapy was born. They offer group or one-on-one sessions for a wide demographic of adults. Their current clients include the elderly, disabled, adults with mental health problems and university students coping with stress. Sessions are held onsite at their own small holding or they can make arrangements to travel to groups.
Work Experience or Therapy?
Two choices are offered. Our client chose the animal work experience option. He wasn’t there for himself after all, he wanted to work and help others.
Each week he arrives for his one hour ‘shift’ and helps out with a variety of tasks, such as grooming horses, cleaning small animal cages, mixing chicken feed, collecting eggs, gardening, picking berries, feeding fish, walking the dogs and mailing the post. He’s happy to help out with whatever needs to be done on the day, but always starts with his favourite task, grooming the horses. Whilst he’s doing the work, cognitive and physical therapy is implemented. He’s guided on new ways to complete the tasks, challenging him on his thought processes and encouraging him to use his weaker muscles. And he’s absolutely rising to the challenge!
It hasn’t been easy for our client learning to work with the difficulties his brain injury presents. However, two years on and he regularly attends 3 or 4 sessions a month. He even recently raised over £1,000, which they intend to invest back into the business. A legacy that will benefit him and many others.
This isn’t strictly voluntary work [we pay a small fee for each session to contribute to the upkeep of the facility]. But working with animals is his vocation and he’s extremely proud of the work he does. Given the opportunity, he grabbed it with both hands and we couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.
If you think you could offer a paid or volunteering opportunity to a client looking for work, contact us HERE for an informal chat with one of our occupational therapists.