Media Project- Virtual

 

Dementia Case Study

Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 59. Her symptoms included becoming very forgetful, losing car keys, calling out the wrong terms in basketball games, and wearing inappropriate outwear (ex. shorts when it was snowing). Pat's functioning level soon decreased resulting in her referral to occupational therapy. OT goals include increasing the client's ability to function independently and caregiver education. Pat's occupations include coaching, writing, and playing basketball. Her roles include being a mother, coach, author, spokeswoman. Pat Summitt passed away just 5 years after being diagnosed.  She is most known for coaching the University of Tennessee Lady Vols for 38 seasons with 1,098 wins.

Neuro Note 4

Today, I decided to write my neuro note on a TedTalk called, “Tourette Does the Talking: Thomas White”. This is a talk given by a senior at the University of Notre Dame, Thomas White, whom has Tourette’s syndrome. He speaks about his daily challenges with fighting this neurological battle. This syndrome plays a major role in his daily routines and encounters with other people.  I chose to watch this video because of the little I know about this neurological disorder. Before watching this video, my knowledge of Tourette’s syndrome was very limited. However, now I know that it is a syndrome that is a result from a chemical imbalance in the brain that inhibits involuntary motor or vocal tics. Although the majority of the talk is about Thomas White’s daily struggles, one of the main points he states is that we should all celebrate the beauty of life, not matter what our troubles are. He goes on to talk about that we all have problems, but we’re all in the same boat and can triumph our own “plagues” together. At the point that we all realize this, we can focus on hope and action of who we are and what we can become. He ends his talk with, “We should all embrace the life we live and each word is a celebration and has hope.” To me, this video was so inspiring and really got me thinking about how can occupational therapy be used to help people with Tourette’s syndrome manage their occupations and daily routines. After further research, I have learned that the OT service would vary depending on the individual’s severity and kind of TS. Many OTs work with individuals that are diagnosed with TS using a sensory approach. Some OTs go into further training to learn techniques in CBIT, or Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szLOMIt9SQ

https://www.tourette.org/blogs/research-medical/benefits-occupational-therapy-tourette/

MD Case Study

Jonah Marlin was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was 5 years old when his symptoms became more apparent. DMD is a hereditary disease caused by a defective protein making gene. This is the most common type of MD and occurs primarily is males. Because his parents knew  what to look for, his brother was diagnosed at age 2. Jonah is now 13 and lives with his parents. He is in a wheelchair all day and relies on his parents for all of his ADLs. Jonah has seen OT previously that gave him goals to help with ADLs and social interaction.

Case Study: Trey Gray

Trey Gray was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease in 2003 when he was 32 years old. He became a national spokesperson for Huntington's disease in 2008 and created the Trey Gray fund at Vanderbilt. Since HD is a degenerative disease, OT would focus on his muscle cognition and muscle memory skills to prolong his occupation of drumming. He has symptoms of fatigue, weakness, memory, and mood swings in his early stages. A long term goal for Trey would be to make a daily schedule to better organize his day and keep track of his daily tasks that need to be completed.

Neuro Note 3: Muhammad Ali

When I was looking at some of the options to do my neuro note on, I saw a People Magazine article, "Muhammad Ali's Eldest Daughter Shares Memories of Her Dad and Hope for Those with Parkinson's: 'Attitude Is Everything'". After already learning about Parkinson's Disease, I was excited to read more into the legendary Muhammad Ali's case specifically. I knew that he had PD, but had no idea about his type of care or factors that played into his health status, which is why I chose to write a blog on this topic specifically. This article about Muhammad was given from the perspective of his oldest daughter, Maryum Ali. 

Mayryum, or May May, gave an insightful view of caring for a loved one with Parkinson's. She speaks about how much being engaged in activities that make you happy is important for someone with this disease. She also talks about how attitude strongly affects the patient along with the patient's knowledge of his or her disease.

 After reading her article, I thought to myself, "Patients with PD could really benefit from OT!" OT's could provide this meaningful activities to their clients that in return help give them give positive attitudes. I also thought about the OT's role in educating the client, as well as the caregiver about the disease and what to expect through the different stages of PD. May May stated, "Once my father began to understand the disease and the family did as well, everyone was happier." To me, this just solidifies everything we talked about in class as far needing to inform the caregiver and client. I went to the National Parkinsons Foundation's page and read an article, "Special Challenges of Caring for Someone with PD" to further my curiosity. This site talked about being realistic with the client and caregiver, and I think that is exactly what May Mary and the rest of the Ali family would have appreciated knowing early on.

 http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/caring-for-someone-with-parkinsons/special-challenges-of-caring-for-someone-with-parkinsons

http://people.com/celebrity/muhammad-alis-eldest-daughter-maryum-shares-memories/

Foundations Debrief

As our Foundation course comes to an end, we spent our last class reflecting on what we liked and things we would change in this course. I appreciate that because as a student, it is nice to know that the faculty takes our opinions into consideration when looking at next year's coursework. As a personal reflection of this course, I would say my biggest take away was having a better understanding of the profession of occupational therapy as a whole. I know that no matter what setting I am in that I will use a client-centered, occupation-centered, EBP, and cultural practice approach. I think I sometimes even say the definition in my sleep.  I also have a better perception of the different populations, environments, and setting that involve OTs. My parents are constantly asking me where and who I want to work with in upon graduation, but I can never give them an answer because I am always learning about new and different settings for OTs! Furthermore, I have a better understanding of the basics of OT from learning and studying the OTPF, OT Process, and the Code of Ethics, which I know will help me daily in the 'real world'. I have enjoyed this class and look forward to learning more about OT in other classes and upcoming fieldworks.

Myasthenia Gravis

Kristen Graham had her first Ocular Myasthenia Gravis outbreak when she was 11 years old. After a few years the disease spread to other parts of her body, and is now considered General Myasthenia Gravis. Stress is the primary trigger for her outbreak, so OT would help Kristen balance her lifestyle by making a weekly schedule, conserving energy, and practicing relaxation techniques. 

Emerging Practice: Adults with Autism

When I saw “Adults with Autism” as an emerging practice in occupational therapy, I knew this is what I wanted to write my next blog post on.  People with autism are supported with OT services until they turn 22 within the school system according to the Individuals with Disabilities Act. However, after that they are on their own. Children with autism get older everyday, and have to make the decision of what to do after high school. Adults with autism need to have more opportunities for occupational therapy in community services.  As OTs, we need to have more integration programs from high school into the real world. This could include a wide variety of programs including potentially helping them find a job.

https://www.aota.org/Practice/Rehabilitation-Disability/Emerging-Niche/Autism.aspx

ALS Case Study

Ulla-Carin was a Sweden news anchor whom was diagnosed with ALS at age 49. Her roles and occupations included being a mother, wife, friend, journalist, and athlete. Although she died within a year of being diagnosed, she remained mentally coherent throughout her life with ALS. Fortunately her home was completely renovated and was able to stay at home. The OTs primary goal was energy conservation, so that the client could conserve as much energy as possible throughout the day. She was also able to get an assistive technology device that tracked her nose movement for communication.

Fletcher Cleaves

After hearing Fletcher Cleaves story last week, I have thought a lot about his story and his overall outlook on life. He told us how his doctor was discouraging and how everyone doubted him and his ability to recover, and for me, this was frustrating.  As a future health profession, I think it is so important for us to motivate our clients, so that in the rehabilitation process they will be encouraged to their best. Even though Fletcher had an accident that completely altered his life, he has such a positive outlook on life. For him to have come out of this recovery process, and decided to share his story to others is inspiring. He ended his speech with this statement; “Don’t tell your clients to reach for the stars when there’s footprints on the moon.” I think I will always remember that statement and I am so thankful he came and spoke to our class.

Emerging Area of Practice in OT

In America today, nearly 1 in 3 teens and children are obese or overweight. Since obesity leads to many health issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, health professions have been led to try to decrease obesity rates. With that being said, in 2011 AOTA identified childhood obesity as an emerging practice for occupational therapy. When a child is obese, it hinders them to participate in their daily occupations. When limiting a child's occupations, their overall health and well-being is affected. Obesity affects occupational performance, and so it important for OTs to make goals for children with obesity to get more active. In order for the goal to be client-centered, the OT first needs to see what kind of interests the client has in becoming active, whether it being playing at recess or joining a sports team.
I think this new emerging practice correlates appropriately with AOTA's Vision 2025. In order to maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, we need to look at specific health problems that can be partially prevented. I know that obesity often runs in families, but that is something we need to educate the public about. As OTs, we should provide more community activity programs and education about physical fitness and healthy diets.

https://www.aota.org/Practice/Health-Wellness/Emerging-Niche/Obesity.aspx

Case Study: Parkinson's Disease

Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at age 42. He was referred to occupational therapy to support his occupational performance of being an athlete, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. Being a former boxer, he was use to being very active, so when he should schedule his medicine is very important to his busy lifestyle. It is important for him to remember to take breaks while waiting for the medicine to kick in. Another goal is to educate his caregiver about Parkinson's Disease and how to support Muhammad Ali. After being diagnosed, he wanted to continue his motivational speaking which includes traveling and advocating for PD. With that being said, his short term goals include managing his medication and taking breaks throughout the day. His long term goal is to be able to carry the torch at the next Olympics.