Media Project- Plastic Soda Bottle Sock Aid

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The most significant thing I learned throughout the course of this assignment was how to repurpose everyday items and turn them into therapeutic media or adaptive equipment for clients.  Learning about the many useful ways plastic soda bottles can be repurposed for our clients by creating objects such as sensory integration bottles, plant holders, scoops, sock aids, and more was the most meaningful part of this assignment for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the creative process involved in producing something useful for Susan, whose strength is deteriorating due to the progression of ALS she is experiencing.  Her profile said that she currently did not have any adaptive equipment but needed moderate assistance with many of her ADLs.  A sock aid will help her to more easily put her socks on and maintain her independence in this aspect of dressing for the time-being.  Through this project I created a sock aid using a plastic soda bottle and other household items to cheaply assist her in putting on her socks. 

I did not know too much about sock aids before I began this project, but now I know how important they can be for individuals with ALS and other conditions that makes dressing more challenging.  While sock aids are not terribly expensive to buy, individuals with ALS and other diseases are already spending a significant amount of money on medical bills and other adaptive equipment like motorized wheelchairs.  Being able to save clients money by using everyday household items to create adaptive equipment will ease the financial burden they are experiencing. 


Because I hopefully will be working in impoverished settings in the future, this project challenged me to use items that are abundant everywhere, like plastic bottles, to cheaply create adaptive equipment for clients.  I will definitely be creating sock aids using plastic containers in the future to help clients that need assistance with dressing.  The more we learn about therapeutic media and adaptive equipment the more I will try to think of everyday items that can be used to create them like sock aids made from cheap, household plastic. 








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