Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2020 | Page 9

NEWS Occupational therapy-led Breathe Magic programme graduate joins The Magic Circle A former attendee of an occupational therapy-led magic camp designed to help young people with hemiplegia has joined the Magic Circle. Josh Parson, now 21, was 13 when he first attended the Breathe Magic programme, run by Breathe Arts Health Research, where young people learn specially selected magic tricks that help them practice motor therapy skills and bolster their self-esteem and confidence. Twice a year, around a dozen participants, aged seven to 18, take on a 10-day Breathe Magic therapy programme. Together with follow- up club days over the following six months to consolidate and progress their functional goals, each participant completes 78 hours of intense therapy Josh Parson to bolster their helper hand. Each camp has one-to-one support from volunteer occupational therapists and students. Josh has continued to work with Breathe Arts Health Research to further develop his presentation and communication, and now works as a Breathe Magic Mentor, where he attends the programme to share his story, mentor others and inspire the next generation of young magicians. He is the first person with hemiplegia to join The Magic Circle, which has only 1,500 members worldwide. He impressed a panel of judges with his tricks and later found out the performance counted as an audition. Rosey Sutton, head of therapy at Breathe Arts Health Research, said: ‘We’re so proud of Josh. Everything he has achieved is phenomenal and he’s doing amazing things. ‘Alongside the Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT) model, we use a goal-orientated approach with our Young Magicians to help them achieve both their magic and functional goals, not only through acquiring new motor and problem-solving skills but also supporting their transference into everyday life. ‘At the end of the camp, we celebrate both the magical and functional achievements in a magic show where our Young Magicians perform alongside our professional magicians.’ Recent tasks tackled by the young people who attend the programme include using a knife and fork, putting their hair in a ponytail, and getting dressed independently by pulling trousers up and using shoelaces, zips and buttons.  Other young people have worked on putting on their swimming goggles, football gloves and using motorbike rides in arcades. The organisation is now building evidence on the psychological and psycho-social factors for the programme, documenting the rising levels of confidence, self-esteem, assertiveness and abilities to talk in front of others and tackle problems. Says Rosey: ‘As an occupational therapist we look at everyday occupations as potential therapy, we must not forget about using and facilitating leisure activities.’ The organisation is now searching for qualified and student occupational therapists to be trainers at upcoming camps in Gloucestershire in April, London in August and in the West Midlands and South East in 2021. For more information, email: [email protected] or visit: www.breatheahr.org. Small Change, Big Impact campaign turns to winter pressures, work and social prescribing RCOT’s Small Change, Big Impact campaign has now collected over 640 stories of how occupational therapists have helped to make a difference. A story wall on the RCOT website was launched during Occupational Therapy Week in November and is continuing to take new submissions from occupational therapists working in practice, research and education. In January, many of the stories looked at hospital-based work, much of which looked to tackle winter pressures. Stories include an elderly service user who was supported to complete independent bed transfers after a fall; the removal of a chair sensor for a patient who no longer required it to help reduce her agitation; and support for a man who was in low mood after a lower limb amputation. In February stories are being sought on work, to coincide with the publication of RCOT’s latest Improving Lives, Saving Money report (see page 13). Stories are also being sought on how occupational therapists work with social prescribing ahead of Social Prescribing Day on 12 March 2020. Upload your story and read the existing contributions at: www.rcot.co.uk/small-change-big-impact. OTnews February 2020 9