"A BrOTs World"

Caroline did her presentation over her grandmother who had Alzheimer's.  Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Caroline talked about specifically how her grandmother stopped doing almost everything she loved to do during the middle stages.  Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia,  a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.  Originally they weren't sure if she was just getting older or actually had an underlying issue. Caroline stated that slight symptoms began developing as early as 6 years before the diagnosis.  The most common early symptom of Alzheimer's is difficulty remembering newly learned information because Alzheimer's changes typically begin in the part of the brain that affects learning. As Alzheimer's advances through the brain it leads to increasingl...

For this Neuronote I wanted to watch something that I didn’t know much about so I could actually learn something and grow from it. I was going through a few Ted Talks and came acorss one that was about a young girl who has Tourette’s. The Ted Talk was titled “I have Tourette’s, get over it”, and was performed by Analise and her mother Robyn. Analise was always different growing up and her mother was constantly told that something was wrong with her daughter. After at first being diagnosed with OCD and ADHD Analise was finally given the diagnoses of Tourette syndrome (TS). Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The early symptoms of TS are typically noticed first in childhood, with the average onset between the ages of 3 and 9 years. TS occurs in people from all ethnic groups; males are affected about three to four times more often than females. It is estimated that 200,000 American...

Emily did her case study over the character Trevor from the movie The Fundamentals of Caring who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It is one of nine types of  muscular dystrophy .  DMD is caused by an absence of  dystrophin , a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. Symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages 3 and 5. The disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls.  Muscle weakness can begin as early as age 3, first affecting the muscles of the hips, pelvic area, thighs and shoulders, and later the skeletal-voluntary muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. The calves often are enlarged. By the early teens, the heart and respiratory muscles also are affected.   In undergrad I did a case study presentation over DMD so I was excited to see Emily's presentation over the same disease. Her powerpoint w...

Alicia did her presentation on Charles Sabine who is in the first stage of Huntington's Disease. Charles Previously was a journalist for NBC and since he was diagnosed he has become a very strong advocate for the disease. Charles father had HD as well and if your parent has the disease you have a 50% of having it as well. So what is Huntington's disease? - Huntington's disease is an inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. Huntington's disease has a broad impact on a person's functional abilities and usually results in movement, thinking and psychiatric disorders.   Most people with Huntington's disease develop signs and symptoms in their 30s or 40s, but the onset of disease may be earlier or later in life. Overall Alicia did a great job and knew all the information necessary to provide us an insight into this awful disease. 

For my third neuronote I decided to write about my father and how what he went through altered who I became. So, I guess to start we will go all the way back to 1994, when my parents decided to separate and get a divorce. I was two years old so I’ve never had much recollection of why or what exactly it was like. My brother and I began spending weekends with my dad and he remained very active in our lives, but when I was about 9 years old that slowly began to change. In 2001, my dad had his first stroke at the age of 40. He was released from the hospital like within a week with no permeant damage anywhere in his body, basically he got really lucky. He was sent home and put on multiple medications with instructions what he could and could not do while taking them. Well, if you can guess, this probably isn’t the part where everything got better. My dad had a very good job and overall a decent life, however the man just did not take care of himself. He drank a lot, he smoked a pack of cig...

Whats your main take away from this course? - To answer the question specifically what I took away from this course the most is that I had a lot to learn about the field of occupational therapy! I felt that I knew A lot about the profession before the class for sure but it's so broad and diverse that there was still so much more to learn! I now feel like I have such a better grasp on what OT is, what OT does, and where OT is administered. Another thing I didnt know much about was the history of the profession itself, so I think that is why I loved the Era presentations so much! One last thing I for sure realized is that I still have a long way to go!!! Thank you so much for such an interactive and fun class, I loved it!!!

Lauren did her case study over a woman named Amanda Jones who has Myasthenia Gravis.  Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles, which are responsible for breathing and moving parts of the body, including the arms and legs.   The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that worsens after periods of activity and improves after periods of rest.  Certain muscles such as those that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often involved in the disorder. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected. Sadly there is currently no cure for MG. Amanda was a photographer before he diagnosis so Lauren had a good idea to include AT devices so that she can continue to take pictures. Lauren also actually contacted Amanda on facebook which I think is so cool and shows her dedication to this assignment. 

In occupational therapy we define two ways to use occupations: 1. As the end point and 2. As the means. We use them as an end point that we're aiming for in intervention. This can include occupations that are a part of one's normal roles, help to organize a persons time, help a person participate in life and society, and help someone feel they have a purpose and meaning for their life. We use occupation as a means to improve someones impaired abilities as well. We do this through introducing occupation as interventions to help someone improve after an injury or illness. This can lead to enabling occupational functioning as well as choosing occupations that interest the client while still having therapeutic value. We want this to be challenging while still enabling success. By approaching the intervention process with these factors in mind we are able to develop relationships, reach goals, and provide the best possible outcomes for our clients and their loved ones. By doing this...

For my last post I wanted to write about what Vision 2025 means to me. Vision 2025 states "Occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living". First off whoever came up with this statement deserves some type of award! I believe this vision encompasses everything that occupational therapy stands for. After reading one of our essay questions on the final exam I realized how the word diversity fits our field and vision so well. Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect, it means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. This can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, and political beliefs. Diversity, occupational therapy, as well as or vision all go hand in hand and it makes me very proud t...

For this post I decided to discuss just what a therapeutic relationship is and what it entails. A therapeutic relationship is defined as the interaction between an occupational therapist practitioner and their client. Therapeutic relationships differ from everyday relationships, in that they are key in facilitating the healing and rehabilitation process. They also differ from the typical relationship in that it's not about both people but strictly about the client and meeting their needs. Developing and sustaining therapeutic relationships involves the ability to develop trust, demonstrate empathy, understand verbal and nonverbal communication, and the use of active listening. Trust is one of the most important aspects in any type of relationship to me. Once trust is obtained the client feels more comfortable with sharing personal information which in turn greatly benefits the intervention process. Developing empathy is another huge part of this process, the client must believe tha...

Katelyn did her presentation on Steve Gleason who is a previous NFL player who now has ALS.  ALS, or amyotrophic laterals sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.  There are two different types of ALS, sporadic and familial. Sporadic, which is the most common form of the disease in the U.S., accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases. It may affect anyone, anywhere. Familial ALS  accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases in the U.S. Familial ALS means the disease is inherited. In those families, there is a 50% chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and may develop the disease  Shortly after being diagnosed Steve decided to turn his experience into a documentary. He also started an ALS foundation. Katelyn was very prepared and also did an excellent job on her powerpoint and presentation. One really cool thing I learned was that he has a state of the art power-wheelchair that he contr...

For class today, we were asked to listen to a podcast before class titled The First Cow. The speaker was Abeny Kucha, a woman from southeastern Africa who has an amazing story. Her village was destroyed by war and for years she bounced from refugee camp to refugee camp walking and traveling for over eight years. Luckily she and her family made it to America. Listening to her story really opened my eyes to just how lucky I am to have the life that I have. When they first arrived they were taken to this apartment and told it was their new home… she expressed that the word home meant more to her than most could understand. Her children had never had a home, they had never been able to sleep in peace without any worry. She spoke of how they had no idea what orange soda was or what a fire alarm was, things that you never even second guess or need to think about can be completely foreign to others. She also mentioned how they had two couches in the living room and how no...