By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Donations of wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and other assistive devices were collected by occupational therapy students Oct. 24-28 at St. Ambrose University. The items will be used for two programs the university sponsors.
Occupational therapy students from St. Ambrose University collected donations of wheelchairs, walkers and other assistive devices last month to be used for two university programs. Some of the students who helped with the drive were, from left, Nikki Cowan, Michelle Pohl, Conner Geising, Mary Riedel, Jenna Ham, Julie Wiersema and Anne Lansing, academic advisor.
Department Advisor Anne Lansing said students did a “soft launch” for a collection this past spring and went public seeking donations this year. Items that people no longer need will be checked, and used for the university’s inter-professional clinic and Jim’s Place, an assistive technology house.
The inter-professional clinic is a student-led clinic for health profession students in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work and speech pathology departments. Students work as a team to help individuals who are underserved and need assistance. Department faculty members oversee the clinic.
Lansing said an individual in need might be someone who has had a stroke and cannot continue therapy because insurance has expired or the individual has no insurance. On Tuesday nights the client could continue needed therapy at the clinic.
Jim’s Place, she noted, features a variety of devices from low to high tech. A low-tech item might be a long-handled device to reach an item, or a walker. A high-tech item might be a voice-activated device to make life easier for someone unable to use his or her arms or legs.
In the future, Lansing hopes the clinic can work with the engineering department to fix donated mechanical items that need some work. “Everything we have gotten from this drive has been in excellent condition.”
