On February 11, students and teachers of the Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy of the Ukrainian Catholic University met with Oleksandr Tereshchenko, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war and author of the project “I Could and You Can”.

During the meeting with future physical and occupational therapists, Oleksandr shared his own decade-long experience of independent living after the amputation of both arms and demonstrated his arsenal of devices that he uses in everyday life. The students got acquainted with the project “I Did It and You Can Do It,” which can be useful in their future profession.

“In more than ten years after my arm amputation, I have achieved a fairly high level of independence in everyday life. Unfortunately, this happened without the participation of occupational therapists, because at that time there were practically no such specialists in Ukraine. When I found out that UCU had such a program, I decided to meet with them. In my opinion, a prosthetist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist are key specialists for people who are adapting to a full life after amputations,” the veteran said at the beginning of the meeting.

The conversation was sincere and frank with a lot of questions on various topics, including not very convenient, but extremely important for the social adaptation of people with disabilities. As an experienced user of prostheses, Oleksandr shared his experience of mastering mechanical and bionic prostheses, their features, advantages and disadvantages. The topic of interaction with family and friends and how to find a balance between help and hypercare provoked a lively discussion.

“Meeting with Oleksandr was an important step in my training as a future occupational therapist. I gained valuable knowledge about how individual adaptations can significantly improve a person’s quality of life, help restore independence and functionality in everyday activities. This is a reminder of the importance of a creative approach in the rehabilitation process, and it gave me inspiration and motivation for further development in the profession. I’m glad that UCU gives me the opportunity to meet such strong, unbreakable people,” shared her impressions Natalia Pylyp, a student of the master’s program in Occupational Therapy.