Going to the supermarket, being able to prepare a meal by oneself and achieving independence in carrying out daily tasks: these are the desires of most teenagers, and those with spinal cord injuries are no different. Guidance and training to carry out these activities independently and safely were the requests of the teenagers who participate in the Occupational Therapy group at the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD). The group, which meets at the Anita Garibaldi Center for Education and Health Research (Anita), one of the ISD units located in Macaíba (RN), participated in a series of activities in the first weeks of 2022 to help them achieve their goals. On Tuesday (03/15), the teenagers got together to prepare hamburgers, the recipe chosen by them, ending a cycle of activities that included going to the supermarket, being able to manage their own money to buy groceries, selecting the recipe and the ingredients needed to prepare it. 

“At the beginning of this year, the group brought up a really cool demand: they wanted more autonomy and independence, without having to rely on their parents’ support, especially in public places like supermarkets and movie theaters…”, reports Thays Brígido, multidisciplinary occupational therapist at ISD. When she took the teenagers’ request to their parents, Thays says she discovered that this was a demand not only from the teenagers, but also from their families, who would like to see their independence grow in carrying out daily tasks. “The parents wanted this independence that the teenagers wanted so much, so we were able to combine these two goals,” she adds. 

Before getting their hands dirty or going shopping, the group got together to plan, make a list of items, and prepare for the possible difficulties they might encounter when carrying out outdoor activities. The chosen place for shopping was the Favorito Supermarket in Macaíba. This is not the first time that the teenagers with spinal cord injuries who are part of the group have done activities related to cooking. The autonomy to prepare their own meals, use the stove, and use kitchen utensils was already a demand of the teenagers in 2021. At the end of last year, the group collectively prepared a pavê recipe, chosen by them, which they could replicate at home for the celebration with their families. 

The multidisciplinary preceptor explains that Occupational Therapy works with human occupations in general, creating activities that involve actions that are part of the patients’ daily lives. “This is extremely important when working with adolescents, whether they have spinal cord injuries or not. They are adolescents who want to be independent, and we help them in this process, respecting, of course, the age group of each one”, states Thays Brígido. 

Rosa Barbosa, mother of Alysson Souza, 14, who has been receiving treatment at the ISD Spinal Cord Injury Clinic for three years and is a member of the Occupational Therapy group, says that activities that encourage her son's independence have had a direct impact on both of their quality of life. "It's a fear that we, as mothers, have to learn to deal with in order to give them more freedom, as they show this desire to do things on their own," says Rosa.

Alysson's first experiences in the kitchen worried Rosa, but over time, she noticed that her son's cooking skills were growing. "Before, I was very afraid to go out and leave him alone. Nowadays, our relationship is different. He tells me, 'Mom, you can go, if I have something to eat easily, I can manage', and I can trust that he can manage. It's not always easy for us, as mothers, to realize that they can indeed achieve this independence, so these are important exercises for them and for us", she adds. Throughout the semester, other external activities are planned for the Occupational Therapy group, which meets weekly at ISD.