I picked up some paint sample cards the other day.  I choose about 10 bold colors that were 4 X 4 in size.   I have a patient that becomes pretty anxious as she walks in therapy due to shortness of breath.  She lives in an apartment building and we usually work on walking in the halls.  Before I entered her apartment I hid the paint cards “in plain sight” at different levels and on both sides of the hall.  As we headed out her door I announced my plan for a “color hunt”.  As she walked she had to turn her head more and pay attention to something other than her difficulty breathing.  Turning the head provided a greater challenge in balance and was much more functional.

I learned a long while back that practicing walking a straight path in protected situations does not provide for the level of improvement we need within the community.  As a person shops they have to turn the head each way and move while distracted.  I found my “color hunt” to be fun way to increase the level of function in our walk for the day.