Fieldwork 101

I don't know what I thought fieldwork would be like before my first day, but it certainly has been challenging to say the least. I've been working at a facility where the population works all day, and my team and I come to engage them in recreational activities with them.  If I were working with a population that was working on the same cognitive level then it would be easier to plan therapeutic activities for them, but some have a lot less attention span and memory retention than others. That means that some of them loose interest quickly, while others don't remember the instruction they were given at the start of the activity. Others will refuse to engage in the activity when asked, but will join after they see the activity being done, or if they are asked multiple times.

So what have I learned so far?

I discovered quickly that we should plan multiple activities as well as activities that can be can be easily modified for the various members.

We also learned that this population truly enjoys the activities that we plan for them, even if they don't fully understand the activity. 

I also learned that you should probably ask the staff which members members don't like to be touched (and might hit you!) before you pat them on the back for a job well done!