ON THE OTHER SIDE

Recently my mum suffered a little injury and needed Physiotherapy.

An enthusiastic me accompanied her to the first session and met with the Physiotherapist (PT). The PT prescribed a few exercises and massages as home practice. I assured the PT that I would be able to do all these home tasks with my mum and hence a review was booked for a long three weeks later.

Being a therapist myself, I have given tonnes of home practices to parents. I am no stranger to home practices. My philosophy is "these exercies and strategies are pretty straight forward. You don't need to spend money on more sessions, just for me to come and do these exercises or practice these strategies."


Well, with my mum's episode, I was placed on the other side. And there were a few 'ah-ha' moments.

Firstly, it takes quite a bit of patience to do home practice with someone you are closely related to. I quickly became annoyed when my mum was unable to do as instructed. My expectations of her is higher just because she is my mother. I am sure many parents would have higher expectations of their child too, and this could be why they are not very patient when the child does not comply and is unable to do the home tasks.

Secondly, it takes quite a bit of trust. My mum needs to trust that I know what I am doing. However, I am not quite sure of what I was doing. My mum could definitely sense my uncertainty. It becomes a Catch-22; my mum's doubts about me lowered my confidence. Many parents are not very sure of the exercises which they are supposed to do with their child too. The child would definitely sense it and do not trust his/her parents, especially with oromotor exercises in which inaccuracy may result in discomfort. Hence, compliance level may be low.

Thirdly, the exercises are not as easy as they seem. The PT must have been teaching all these exercises for a million times (just like how I have taught speech exercises for a million times). When she demonstrated and explained the exercises, it all seemed so easy. However, when I tried them at home, I could hardly remember the fine details of them all. How much strength should I use? At which angle should I place the leg? Where I should place my hand? Reflecting on myself, I need to put in a lot more effort and be a lot more precise when I teach parents home exercises. Constant reviews and demonstrations by the parents would be a must.

Well... there is a learning opportunity in all circumstances. I am glad to say that my mum is recovering well despite the home practice 'saga'.

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