Whitney OT425

I chose to watch Still Alice for my last neuro note because Alzheimer's was the last topic we discussed in class. I have found it interesting and helpful for my learning during the course of class to watch, read, or listen to something that relates back to the most recent subject we have discussed. For much of my life, when I have heard the term Alzheimer's, my immediate thought is of an older person losing their memory.  I associate this with Alzheimer's because that was the experience I had with my grandmother and similar stories that have been shared with me. The film Still Alice gives a different perspective of the disease. Alice is a professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at a younger age than the typical diagnostic age. She learns that the type she has is familial Alzheimer's which is a type we discussed in class, meaning that it is genetic and her children have a 50% chance of having the gene. The film gives an interesting view of Alzhe...

Ruby Bowen, at the age of 63, began to notice differences in her memory and her ability to perform her daily activities. She was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common type of Dementia. As the Alzheimer's progressed, she stopped doing the things she loved and began being agitated with her family. When the OT evaluation was performed, she was in the late-stage. Dressing and eating independently with adaptive equipment were interventions chosen for Ruby. Because she enjoyed gardening, that would be important to incorporate in to her interventions. My grandmother was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the last few years of her life. The progression of the disease is very hard to watch as a family member and i'm sure it's frustrating for the person. I appreciated hearing Caroline's grandmother's story as it is similar to my own.

I chose to write this neuro note about the movie, Fundamentals of Caring, after learning about Muscular Dystrophy in class. The fictional movie is about a writer named Ben who decides to take a caregiving job with a family caring for 18 year old Trevor, who is diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Trevor is sarcastic and cynical and has a hard time clicking with any of his previous caregivers. Ben and Trevor become close, but not without bumps in the road. Trevor has a fascination with traveling and seeing the world's biggest pit. Ben suggests that they do just that, but not without reservations from Trevor and his mother. Despite the hesitancy, Ben and Trevor take off.  On the way, they pick up a young girl named Dot who Trevor becomes fond of, and then a pregnant woman named Peaches. The bulk of the movie is about their journey to the pit. They finally make it there and are in awe of the beauty. Peaches goes into labor and Ben helps deliver the baby while having f...

Bradley Walker was diagnosed with Congenital Myopathy at birth, which caused muscle weakness and fatigue throughout his life.  Congenital Myopathy is a non-progressive form of Muscular Dystrophy (MD). Audrey did her case study on Bradley at 20 years old and worked on living and driving independently. He is a bluegrass singer and wishes to continue with his passion. I enjoyed learning about a variation of MD, as Congenital Myopathy is something I have never heard of.

Charles Sabine was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD) at the age of 57. Huntington's is a genetic disease and Charles' dad and brother also had the disease.  He is in the first stage of Huntington's and is having difficulty controlling voluntary movements and cognitive deficits. The OT can help Charles with self feeding and providing him with modified equipment. Charles is a journalist and that is important to him. Alicia said focusing on journaling could be an OT intervention for him.

TransFatty Lives is a documentary on Netflix about Patrick O'Brien and his journey with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). I chose this documentary because it was recommended in class as we were learning about ALS, which is a progressive disease that effects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. I am glad I waited until the ALS lecture to watch this documentary and recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about the disease or about the inspiration, that is Patrick. Patrick first noticed something was up when he was 30 years old and on a trip to Mount St. Helens and began to notice a tremor in his foot.  He visited the doctor and was diagnosed with ALS. Because the disease is so progressive and there is no treatment, Patrick was aware that he could die in the next few years. What a strange feeling at any age, but especially at the young age of 30.  We've all heard the phrase "live like there's no tomorrow".  This documentary puts that phrase into a di...

Foundations was an exciting class to begin because it was the first time after beginning OT school that we got to learn about occupational therapy--what it is, what occupational therapists do, and how occupational therapists think. I think it was obvious, by my classes' intrigue, how passionate we all are about occupational therapy.  I'm eager to get out in the field, so it interesting to hear real stories and situations from a clinical setting from Professor Lancaster. I liked the projects in this class, such as the occupational profile and activity analysis because they helped in practicing how an OT acts or thinks. 

At the time this case study was made, Andy Griffith was 57 years old and diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).  He was experiencing severe pain, muscle weakness, and bouts of paralysis in his feet and legs. He has had a healthy life for the most part, but had a really bad flu which is what they doctor's believe caused his GBS. I read while working on my diagnostic snapshot on GBS that viral infections can be a cause.  That is interesting to me, because it could happen to anyone, aside from any genetic or pre-existing conditions.

Paul Kevin Turner (K.T.) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 41. K.T. took many hits in the head throughout his life while playing high school, college, and NFL football which is thought to be where his diagnosis came from. It was interesting to me how progressive ALS is and was with K.T. He passed away last year at the age of 47, meaning he lived for 6 years following his diagnosis. It is important for occupational therapists to take the quick progression of ALS in to account when planning interventions.

Today, in class, we talked about the therapeutic relationship occupational therapists have with their clients. The relationship differs from our relationships with friends, parents, or significant others in that it is more about one person than the connection between two people. The therapeutic relationship is directed towards the client and meeting their needs. There are many techniques involved in the relationship with OT’s and their clients, but I find active listening to be one of the more important ones. I consider myself to be an effective active listener as I have had practice with clients in a previous job as a technician. Gaining trust from your client could be one of the more vital parts of occupational therapy, and I think you achieve this by listening to your client and showing that you truly care.

Today in class, we talked about cultural competence, what it is, and why it’s important. What I took away from the lecture the most was how to gain cultural competence. I grew up in a small town in East Tennessee, and moving across the state to Memphis is even a huge change for me. I think it’s important in my journey through OT school and future career to have cultural competence, because I will be in contact with a wide variety of people. Some key things we discussed in class include self-reflection, exposure, and interdisciplinary or inter-professional relationships. Self-reflection is huge in revealing to yourself what you know and think about different cultures and molding those thoughts if necessary. Like I said earlier, I grew up in a small town, and although traveling some, I haven’t had many opportunities to expose myself to other cultures. Contact with other students and professors in the OT program and other programs is a good step as well in gaining ...

The Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies is a competitive, nationally ranked wheelchair basketball team in Memphis that travels all over to play. We, as a class, were lucky enough to be invited to watch a practice where I was surprisingly enlightened about what wheelchair basketball really is. The team scrimmaged for about an hour and a half to where I couldn’t look away. These guys are powerful. If you think about how much upper body strength and coordination goes in to wheelchair basketball, it’s amazing. Trust me. I tried it. A few of us tried the wheelchairs, which are specialized for the sport, and it wasn’t pretty. Aside from these guys’ incredible talent, they all have a unique story that I loved to hear about.  We had just discussed spinal cord injury in class before attending this event. Not all of the players have had a SCI, but some did. It is one thing to learn about SCI in class, but it's another thing to get to talk with someone who has experienced it. That's a whol...

Today, we talked about specialty areas in occupational therapy. Occupational therapists can be certified in a specialty area to show they are skilled in that area or to provide better care for clients.   There are currently 9 certifications available for OTs provided by the American Occupation Therapy Association (AOTA). It’s not necessary to have a certification to work in a specialty area, but I think it’s important if you are super interested in one area. Although this is not something that I would do any time soon as a new OT, I definitely think it is important to keep in mind. I don’t know where I will end up after school, but I may be in a place in 10 or so years that I would want to specialize. It’s exciting to think about the new specialty areas that will be available by that time.