The Origin of the Octaband™

I was working in a nursing home with people with considerable cognitive deficits, and physical disabilities who were behaviorally challenging for staff. There was one woman whom I will call Ann. Ann would often stick her tongue out at me playfully. When I would playfully mirror her movement, she would begin to shout, and it was difficult to calm her down. Ann also used to gesture with her thumb and forefinger as though pointing a gun at me, smiling all the while. Again, when I mirrored her movement, she would start to shout. This was different from my mirroring her other movements, when she did not react the same way.

I wondered what Ann might be expressing through these particular movements. Sticking out her tongue and pointing a gun seemed typical of a young child practicing defiance, possibly expressing her need to assert her autonomy and independence. As I thought about other movements we could do to address this need in the context of the group, I thought about pulling movements. I tried giving Ann one end of a boa, while I took the other end and we both pulled. Ann delighted in this activity. However, I lost the attention of others in the group, who could not participate without the support of a leader. That was when the image of the wheel occurred to me. Also, I realized the prop I created would need to be washable and provide people with a way to hold on, so that those without the physical or cognitive
ability could still experience their connection to the group.

The result was the Octaband, which Ann thoroughly enjoyed, as did the rest of the
group.


Click here to learn more about the benefits of exercise for the elderly
with dementia.