Keeping Up With Kaylee

   I watched a TED Talk called “Parkinson’s, depression and the switch that might turn them off” by neurosurgeon Andres Lozano. I chose to watched this because I was unfamiliar with deep brain stimulation until we discussed it in class. I wanted to further my knowledge on this subject and the diagnoses that it can be effectively used. Neurosurgery has been around for 7000 years. Originally, people with psychiatric and neurological problems were thought to be possessed by evil spirits. In order to release the spirit, they thought they needed to cut a hole in the skull.    As we have learned, different parts of the brain control different functions. If there is a dysfunction in a specific area of the brain, there are specific functions that will be impaired. Dr. Lozano became interested in this and how deep brain stimulation can help people with various disorders. Deep brain stimulation is achieved by cutting a hole in the skull to reach an area of the brain with ...

The most significant thing I learned from this assignment is the importance of taking the client’s values into consideration when providing therapy services. If the client does not feel like the intervention is meaningful to them, they will not be invested in it. I learned that it can sometimes be difficult to find something that relates to a client’s needs. It may require extra hours, consulting other therapists, thinking outside the box, and adapting an item to best fit each individual client. You may have to try something new with a client, because they have different values and needs than previous clients.  This assignment prepared me to think outside the box. Additionally, it allowed me to look at the whole client and what are their most important needs. For Maurice, he was afraid of becoming bored and lonely. I wanted to create something that was portable and could be kept with him at all times to prevent the feelings he was scared of. The Legen-Dairy Notebook incorp...

I watched a TED Talk called “In Disaster There is Opportunity - Finding a Path Through Paralysis” by Martyn Ashton. Martyn was a professional mountain bike rider for 25 years. During one of his stunts, he sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI).  Fast forward one hour after his accident, Martyn was in the MRI machine and finally able to think about what had just occurred. Many questions ran through his head like “how will I work?” and “how will I be a good dad and husband?” During this struggle and uncertainty, he began to become excited about his future and the positive that he could control the outcome of his mindset. His competitive spirit wondered how he could become the best paraplegic. In the past, this very same energy is what helped him get things accomplished. After the initial stages of his recovery, Martyn tried several sports like basketball, tennis, and kayaking, but had little success. He had not forgot about his passion of riding and was determined to give it a...

I watched a TED Talk called “Facing Death Full of Life” by Danielle Valenti. It was about her journey with Huntington’s disease first as a caretaker, then with it as her future. I chose to watch this TED Talk because the title of it got my attention to live life to the fullest, even in horrible circumstances. It solidified my understanding of Huntington’s disease (HD) that I learned in class about the the genetic link and symptoms experienced. Additionally, it equipped me with a deeper understanding of what a person with a recent diagnosis is going through. Danielle’s mother kept her diagnosis of Huntington’s disease a secret to “protect” her until the symptoms were too obvious to hide any longer. Her mother refused food for 67 days which ended in her death at the age of 55. Danielle no longer had the role of being her mother’s caretaker to distract her from the fact that she could have Huntington’s disease, too. She said she was unable to mourn her mother’s death until she receiv...

I chose to watch a TED Talk on Myasthenia Gravis called One day in the life of Pallavi Rao. The reason I chose to watch a TED Talk on this disorder is because I do not know much about it and thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more about it before discussing it in class. Myasthenia Gravis is an auto immune disorder that affects muscle power in about 1 out of every 10,000 people world wide. It typically affects women earlier in their life as compared to men, and is also more prevalent in women worldwide.  Myasthenia Gravis affects many body systems that have a muscular component. The person may begin slurring their speech as their facial muscles weaken and their eye may droop. For more severe cases, the person may have difficulty chewing, swallowing, eating, breathing, walking, and seeing. The person’s vision is often described as double-vision, meaning they see two objects for every one object that is actually present in front of them. This disorder paralyses diff...

As  the activity demands of an individual increases, the need for greater confidence in mobility does too. The hierarchy of mobility skills, from the most stable to the least, is: bed mobility, mat transfer, wheelchair transfer, functional ambulation for ADL, toilet and tub transfer, car transfer, functional ambulation for community mobility, and community mobility and driving. This sequence is logical and decreases in support as the client progresses through the levels. The base of support varies for each skill. The largest base of support is with bed mobility, which is also the lowest level on the hierarchy. For the highest level, community mobility and driving, there is more maneuvering through environments other than the home. This means extra walking or transfers than the client would usually perform in the home. This is what I have observed in my past experiences. For a client who is very weak and in the hospital, ...

When deciding what assistive device is best for each client, there are many factors that need to be considered in order to have the best "fit." It is important to consider the physical condition of the client, including their disability, weight bearing status, strength, and balance. For example, if the client is not allowed to put any weight through one leg, you would not want to suggest they receive a cane.  Additionally, it is important to fit the assistive device to your client to ensure safety and proper body mechanics. If the client's crutches are too short and not adjusted to match their landmarks we use to fit, then they will likely have poor body mechanics.  If these factors are not considered, it can be detrimental to your client and cause an increase in risk for falls or further injury. To properly fit a cane or rolling walker to your client, the hand grip should be at the level of their greater trochanter to allow their elbow to be flexed 20-30 de...