BBS Project ‘What you need to know about My OI’ took another step forward, when Support Development Officer, Coreen along with member Sharon Murphy visited a group of 4th year Occupational Therapy Students at Glasgow Caledonian University on the 16th Nov. The students are currently working towards a module covering Occupational Participation through the Lifespan.
As part of this module the University invited services users with lived experience to speak to students to help them gain insight into the experience of living with a long-term or life-long condition, and the BBS were of course delighted to be part of this discussion. Sharon spoke about her experiences of living with OI, and Coreen spoke from the charity perspective.
The types of questions/topics covered were:
- How does the does this condition present and symptoms
- The impact the condition has on daily life (for example, being able to move around, getting washed and dressed, preparing meals, managing housework, managing family life/responsibilities, impact on employment or education, socialising, engaging with your hobbies, accessing the community, ability to travel / go on holiday)
- Government initiatives / policies that have impact on living with a long-term condition (e.g. self-directed support, free personal care, support to access employment etc.)
- Any contact with health and social care services / professionals (good and bad) and support provided – in particular by OT’s
BBS want to thank members who provided information via our online Survey which we published prior to attending the visit asking the OI community to share their experiences. This provided us with useful additional information which we were able to discuss with the students. It’s not too late to still complete this form as there will be further input required in the future.
