the rOad less Traveled

   "How my dad's dementia changed my idea of death (and life)"  By: Beth Malone      In this Ted Talk, Beth talked about an encounter she had with her dad. Beth started this ted talk saying, "I've been doing some thinking. I'm going to kill my dad. I called my sister." Now this is not a phrase that many people would openly say to an audience of strangers but she was going through something that people would never dream of: her father was struggling with frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTD). Beth's thought process was that her dad was being tortured and his body was the vessel of that torture. She wanted to get him out of that body so that he could be free. FTD is a group of disorders that occurs from a progressive loss of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This causes the lobes to shrink and can affect behavior, personality, language, and movement. Beth's dad experienced a major personality change and this caused him to get...

     For my neuro note, I read an article by Tyson Ward called, "I Got Hit By a Boat," where he talked about his journey to recovery after being in a major boating accident his junior year of college. It was very interesting to learn about the many miracles that Tyson and his family experienced in the year following his accident. He went from being hooked up to tubes to keep him alive, to comas, ulcers, memory loss, seizures, extensive therapy and eventually getting back to the life he knew before the accident. I really enjoyed the Tyson explained certain terms to make it more retable to those who may not understand what was going on his brain during his recovery process. For example, he explained his weight loss during his coma by saying that his brain chose to go into a coma when it was not in good enough shape to keep him in an aware state and repair all of his injuries. It (the brain) knows that the body is in no sort of shape to do anything positive in an awake state...

     When I think of advertisements that stick with me, there is a specific one that comes to mind: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). I used to see this commercial everyday when I watched TV and it would always make want to hold on extra tight to my dogs. I always remember the iconic song by Sarah McLachlan, "In the Arms of an Angel" and I immediately knew what was playing on my screen. Next thing I know, I'm watching haunting images of puppies and kittens caged in horrendous conditions and my heart just melts for them. It was always so heartbreaking to imagine how terrified these defenseless animals must be and I just couldn't help but wonder what kind of a person would do this to an animal.      Recently I have been studying neurobiology and learning about what aspects of out human nervous system are involved in specific responses to things. While watching this commercial, I know I always felt so much emotion, whether it w...

 

     In the therapeutic world, assistive devices are often used to aid clients in their occupational performance and participation. So what are assistive devices? Canes, crutches and walkers are prime examples and they are made or adapted to assist a person in order to perform a specific task. These devices can be instrumental in helping a client regain independence. What is also instrumental is making sure that these devices are properly fitted to your client. An inaccurately fitted device can not only be ineffective, but it can actually strain a client's muscle or ligament and cause additional injuries. It can also cause instability and affect a client's gait which can cause more pain.        Some common assistive devices include canes, axillary crutches, Lofstrand crutches, platform walker, and rolling walker. I will now explain how to properly fit each device.  - Canes : the client's elbow should be relaxed and flexed 20-30 degrees and the han...

 

     Mobility is the ability to get from position to another and a person can face many challenges if they lose that ability to move. The order for restoring confidence in mobility is listed in a hierarchy and is listed from least mobile (1) to most mobile (9): 1. Bed mobility 2. Mat Transfer 3. Wheelchair transfer 4. Bed transfer 5. Functional ambulation for ADL 6. Toilet and Tub transfer 7. Car transfer 8. Functional Ambulation for community mobility 9. Community mobility and driving     This order is what I expected and what I have seen while volunteering and shadowing multiple different occupational therapists in the past. This order can help increase a client's confidence while also increasing strength and mobility. By starting with the basics, such as getting out of bed and in a wheelchair, clients can work their way up to eventually getting the toilet and tub as well as the car. As they master each level, they will gain the confidence to move on to the ne...