Monday June 13

Hola!!

Today was our first day at the orphanages, which was very exciting! The Sensory/Play team is currently on our way back and still need to stop by the grocery store to buy supplies to make tomorrow’s lunch sandwiches. The Sensory group went to Anini while the Wheelchair/Technology group went to Marina Guirola.

We began our day with a wonderful breakfast at 6:15 a.m. that consisted of French toast, yogurt with granola, papaya, cantaloupe, and Guatemalan coffee. Everyone left at 7 (Guatemalan time- meaning closer to 7:15ish).

The road to Anini was just like every other Guatemalan road we’ve experienced thus far: bumpy and curvy. The hour and a half drive went by quickly though because the therapists were preparing us for what we were about to experience, and prepping us about the children with whom we would be working.

When we arrived, we passed by one of their courtyards and were excited to see the Xavier X painted on the wall from the AB group who went a few weeks ago. Go X! Our team split up into three groups, and each spent time with the children’s caretakers in order to find out what their major wants and needs for the children were. Anini was split into five “casas”, categorized by the age/level of ability of each child.

Anini had rooms for speech therapy, physical therapy, a dentist, special education, psychology and hydrotherapy, which was a pleasant surprise. However, we noticed that none of these rooms were in use due to the lack of staff. It was sad to see children sitting around and doing nothing. There were very few toys, and not a whole lot to stimulate their senses or imagination.

The main diagnoses we saw were various types of Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Mental Retardation, and various genetic disorders. Each child had many sensory needs. We addressed their main sensory needs through having them roll on large yoga balls, bouncing on the trampoline, placing weighted lap pads on various body parts(for deep pressure), giving them chewy tubes (to prevent them from biting themselves), stretching, and more. We learned so much from the therapists with whom we worked. They were great about explaining everything they were doing, and letting us get involved.

Alejandrina was the most challenging child we saw today. She was usually secluded from the rest of the children because of her violent behavior, such as biting, pinching, and pulling hair, which Meagan (student) and Diane (faculty) each got to experience firsthand! We do not know for sure what her diagnosis is, but we are sure that she has behavioral problems. As the day progressed, we noticed that her behavior problems stem from a lack of attention from her tías. She spends most of her day by herself, swinging and receiving hot and cold massages for proprioception. The therapists decided to take her out to the trampoline, giving her traction in her joints. She absolutely loved it and was smiling the whole time!

It was amazing to see the children’s faces transform into huge smiles after doing simple activities with us. While Meridith and Babette (both therapists) were dealing with a tantrum in one room, Ellen (student) got to entertain several children in another room by playing music and playing toss with two children, one of which had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair. It was so much fun and all the kids seemed to be having a great time!

Shoutout to Adam Weber! Happy 18^th Birthday! Love you!!

¡Adiós!
Ellen (student)
Meagan (student)

Marina Guirola was the technology team’s destination today. This is a much smaller home than ANINI, run by religious sisters, only housing around 15 residents. The ages of the residents ranged from teens to adults. As we entered we found a beautiful courtyard with bright flowers, however we saw limited opportunity for stimulation. We found most the residents parked in their wheelchairs, with only a television for an activity. Once we arrived, we received a little information about the facility and immediately began working.

We found many of the residents were in need of repositioning and adjustments to their wheelchairs. With tools and wheelchair parts strewn about the room (we will try to be better organized tomorrow) we began tinkering, removing, and changing various parts of various wheelchairs.

One team focused on one particular young man named Gustavo. We were able to, with six people, support him enough to allow him to stand for the first time since last year’s group. His smile was priceless. His wheelchair was a bit more of a complicated obstacle. We formed a new seat, we repositioned seat back, arm rests, and leg rests, moved the head rest, made new straps for his chest, and Pamela, the wheelchair genius, came up with a new invention for leg support, it’s called an apron.

Many of the residents required similar adjustments resulting in a frenzy and flurry of hustle and bustle as Carol so regularly reminded us that our time was short. Using advanced technology like pool noodles, hello kitty tape, and zip ties we were able to create some really great adaptations for the chairs. Finally, just before we had to leave, we discovered that the home had a treasure trove of discarded wheelchairs and parts in a back room. We attempted to use as many as time permitted.

In the end, our accomplishments were obvious in a resident named Ingrid. As we looked over our new friends when we left, she was sitting straight, supported, and smiling.

When we returned to the Lutheran Center, tired and hungry, we ate a dinner of vegetable and beef soup and rice. Then we sat down with the entire group and discussed our experiences. And as we begin that collaborative process we hope that we can support each other in finding sustainable technology, working to find meaningful occupation for the residents, and together working towards occupational justice.

Ryan Lavalley (Student)

Tressa Leahy (Practitioner)