Therapyworks nw
WHO WE ARE
TherapyWorks NW is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded with the purpose of providing therapies for children with disabilities who are denied service for financial reasons. Through our founder’s previous experience of owning a for profit pediatric therapy business from 1993 – 2006, we know that disabled children’s therapy needs frequently go unmet. TherapyWorks NW is dedicated to the provision of charitable therapy for the purpose of improving the quality of life of children disadvantaged with physical or behavioral disability.
MISSION
TherapyWorks NW desires to provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to children with disabilities who would otherwise be denied adequate services due to financial limitations; thereby helping children to reach their full potential to participate in society and enjoy living, and giving families the opportunity to obtain adequate treatment for their children. |
VISION
TherapyWorks NW envisions a health care system where children with disabilities have access to needed therapies, including hippotherapy, and where privately funded supplemental programs are available when private resources fall short of filling the therapy needs of these children. |
Hippotherapy
One of the great components of TherapyWorks NW is the hippotherapy barn. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists use hippotherapy, or therapy on horseback, to integrate therapeutic exercises into a fun and practical application. In order to facilitate the therapy, the therapist must have a team of at least one sidewalker and a horse driver. The sidewalkers help keep the patient on the horse and facilitate the games per the therapist's instructions. Volunteers like me perform sidewalking duties. The horse driver stands usually in back of the horse and directs the horse.
Below are some examples of how different types of therapists use hippotherapy to achieve their goals.
Occupational therapists specialize in treating neuromotor dysfunction. Proprioception, the awareness of one's own body in space, and exteroception, how one perceives the outside world. A good example of an occupational hippotherapy game would be the wooden puzzle piece scavenger hunt. To the right is an example of the type of puzzle used. The pieces are scattered and hidden along the edges of the arena. As the patient is guided on horseback around the arena, they must look for the pieces. Upon seeing a piece, the patient must tell the team where to go. A sidewalker grabs the piece and holds it for the patient to grab. The team then walks back to where the board is stationed and the patient figures out which hole is the proper place to stash their piece.
The physical therapists are primarily concerned with equalizing and normalizing the musculoskeletal system. Their games tend to be very active. Playing catch from different angles while walking and playing darts are two games that challenge the large muscle groups of the body in unique ways. They improve balance, muscular coordination, flexibility, and tracking. Even the simple motion of riding a horse, a low impact form of mobility, has been known to improve hip and muscle strength.
The speech pathologists primarily use hippotherapy as an indirect tool. They are not concerned so much with movement as with voicing and awareness. They have shorter sessions in which they use the direct feedback of the horse to facilitate direct language in the patient. The patient must be able to describe what they want the horse to do. Sometimes it's as basic as "go," and other times its more complicated like "I want to play basketball."
Below are some examples of how different types of therapists use hippotherapy to achieve their goals.
Occupational therapists specialize in treating neuromotor dysfunction. Proprioception, the awareness of one's own body in space, and exteroception, how one perceives the outside world. A good example of an occupational hippotherapy game would be the wooden puzzle piece scavenger hunt. To the right is an example of the type of puzzle used. The pieces are scattered and hidden along the edges of the arena. As the patient is guided on horseback around the arena, they must look for the pieces. Upon seeing a piece, the patient must tell the team where to go. A sidewalker grabs the piece and holds it for the patient to grab. The team then walks back to where the board is stationed and the patient figures out which hole is the proper place to stash their piece.
The physical therapists are primarily concerned with equalizing and normalizing the musculoskeletal system. Their games tend to be very active. Playing catch from different angles while walking and playing darts are two games that challenge the large muscle groups of the body in unique ways. They improve balance, muscular coordination, flexibility, and tracking. Even the simple motion of riding a horse, a low impact form of mobility, has been known to improve hip and muscle strength.
The speech pathologists primarily use hippotherapy as an indirect tool. They are not concerned so much with movement as with voicing and awareness. They have shorter sessions in which they use the direct feedback of the horse to facilitate direct language in the patient. The patient must be able to describe what they want the horse to do. Sometimes it's as basic as "go," and other times its more complicated like "I want to play basketball."
a volunteer's view of therapyworks nw
As a long time public servant, I have worked with many many nonprofit organizations and I have to say, TherapyWorks NW is one of the best. Since their inception in 2006, the owner Bobbi has created a top notch business. They uphold the greatest of ethics and cultivate a trusting and warm environment for volunteers, staff, and patients alike. Working with them is the highlight of my week every week. I feel so rewarded, growing with these kids and watching them develop new skills over time. I will continue with this organization for as long as I am able and hope to one day be a greater advocate for change.
The need for more volunteers, especially during the school year is very high. They cannot function wholly without the volunteers yet there is the greatest lack of help when there is the most need. If you have interest and a little free time, check out this great organization. You can donate time or money to the cause.
http://www.therapyworksnw.com/support-our-mission/
The need for more volunteers, especially during the school year is very high. They cannot function wholly without the volunteers yet there is the greatest lack of help when there is the most need. If you have interest and a little free time, check out this great organization. You can donate time or money to the cause.
http://www.therapyworksnw.com/support-our-mission/