My role emerging placement at Roar has been an incredible learning experience and an amazing opportunity to work on my Occupational therapy skills within a community-based setting, something I hadn’t experienced before. Roar provides a vital service for older adults through enablement of social interaction, preventing falls and maintaining independence among older adults within the community.
My role emerging placement at Roar has been an incredible learning experience and an amazing opportunity to work on my Occupational therapy skills within a community-based setting, something I hadn’t experienced before. Roar provides a vital service for older adults through enablement of social interaction, preventing falls and maintaining independence among older adults within the community.I have attended a variety of clubs throughout the seven weeks, including exercise classes such as Otago to strengthen and promote movement, lunch groups and foot care services which I have observed to have a massive benefit for the service users themselves.
I was also given the opportunity to further promote occupations through the experience of planning and implementing two different interventions relevant to two groups I had worked with to include – Musical Bingo and Plant pot making, both of which myself and my placement partner Kirsty enjoyed putting together and received great feedback from the service users and staff.
I have enjoyed working with and getting to know the staff, volunteers and service users and have learned so much from them all. Being at Roar has allowed me to develop my own autonomy as an Occupational Therapy student and I have gained so much knowledge regarding their values and the benefits these clubs and services have in promoting independence and offering support for older adults who need it the most. Roar has an incredible set of values which are all very much Occupation focused through providing services and activity to increase independence and enhance health and wellbeing within the older adult population, which has been an amazing experience to be part of. I have had an incredible time working with the staff, volunteers and the service users and I can’t thank them enough for the dedication, encouragement and support had by everyone and I am sure to take these experiences with me to future placements and into further practice as an Occupational Therapist.