Jack Osbourne: A Case Study Take-Away

Caitlyn presented to a small group today about a man named Jack Osbourne who has multiple sclerosis. Jack has been in the spotlight the majority of his life due to his celebrity parents making this whole celebrity role an innate thing for him. In 2012, Jack was diagnosed with MS and that is when he experienced the symptoms of this disease the most. Since then he has been diagnosed with RRMS which is relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis so he is not currently experiencing any symptoms, but is likely to start experiencing them again. Jack has suffered through blindness in one eye, numbness in both legs, and also experiencing stomach and bowel problems before entering into the stage of RRMS.  Caitlyn mentioned that goals for OT services for Jack could be exercise and monitoring his mental health due to the increase risk of depression with individuals in the RRMS stage. Jack is a very strong advocate for MS and by no means has let this diagnosis limit his desire to live life to the fullest. He is currently very active and very proactive because of MS. Overall, Caitlyn did a wonderful job presenting to the group and I enjoyed learning about Jack Osbourne. 

My Case Study Presentation

Today I presented a case study report on Charles Sabine. Charles is a 57 year old man who has been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. Charles is in the end of the first stage of HD and is currently trying to adapt to his environment with this disease. I enjoyed presenting to a small group about this case because I found this disease very interesting to do research on and learn about. Sharing with this small group was beneficial to me allowing me to share information I found and explain it from my point of view. I also enjoyed hearing the groups input and their ideas about treatments or interventions OTs could do. Overall, this was a wonderful learning experience and I had fun doing it.

Neuro Note #3

For this neuro note, I decided to watch the film "Me Before You". This movie is about a year old now and since it is a romance movie, I have , of course, already watched it. However, that was before I started OT school and learned about spinal cord injuries. I decided to watch this movie again with a new perspective and understanding of the process that the main character, Will Trainer, was going through. I paid closer attention to details I did not notice before or honestly really consider before learning more in depth about the physical and mental implications one faces when one suffers from a SCI. Will Trainer was a young man in his prime who was also very active and had many great things going for him in his life. As Will was leaving his home one day, he was in an accident with a motorcycle that caused him to have a spinal cord injury and resulting in quadraplegia. Will currently lives his days in a motorized wheelchair in the attic of his parent's home relying completely on the care of others to carry out most of his daily needs. As one expects, Will has a huge psychological toll taken on him. He enters a stage of depression, hopelessness, and anger toward all others who attempt to help him. He feels as if no one could possibly understand what he is going through and just how tragic it is to go from being able to do everything to hardly anything at all. One of the biggest things I noticed myself paying closer attention to is how the upstairs room has been adapted for Will. I took note of the open spaces, the lowered counter tops, the sliding doors, and overall the convenience of his own space to promote independence. Another aspect I paid closer attention to was the medication Will was on now because of the SCI and I know better now why he needs these type of medications to aid in treatment. However, one of the biggest connections I made was how Lou more or less ended up fulfilling the role as an occupational therapist. Given she was not licensed and was only hired as a caretaker, Lou took it upon herself to help Will feel more alive and to help him live a life he thought he did not have anymore. She took him places and showed him how life does not simply end because he is in a wheelchair. I found this part of the movie so important as a future occupational therapy practitioner. Lou had to first and foremost figure out what Will enjoyed doing in life and plan activities around that. While there were no interventions or preparatory activities done beforehand, I think it is still just as important to help an individual get back to a life he or she enjoys living. Overall, that is what we are about as the profession of occupational therapy, and I think that Lou was definitely on the right track. Sadly, the movie still ends in a sad way with Will choosing to end his life because the psychological impact had been too great on him already. However, I can't help to think that if someone with the heart like Lou had intervened in Will's life sooner and showed him how wonderful life could still be, would he have chosen differently? Would he had wanted to make the most out of the life he still had?

Powell- Braden, S. (Executive producer), & Sharrock, T. (Director). (2016). Me Before You [Motion Picture]. United States: New Line Cinema

My Learning Experience in Foundations of Occupation Centered Practice

I really enjoyed this class throughout these past few months. I feel as if this class was a solid way to begin teaching me about the profession of occupational therapy and everything that we stand for as practitioners. There were several things I learned from doing occupational profiles, code of ethics, scopes of practice, activity analysis, the history of OT, intervention tools and methods, goal writing, and many other vital important skills that really did help to build a foundation as I continue my education in this program and even into the practicing in the field one day. One of my favorite things we did in this class was the activity analysis. Although, it seemed intimidating I actually enjoyed attempting to do one accurately. I, of course, did not do it perfectly but I definitely learned the areas that needed improvement. Getting to share our activities with a small group in a class was also really exciting and I enjoyed hearing how my peers thought about different ways to adjust an activity if needed. If we could have done more activity analysis', I would not have complained! Overall, I enjoyed this class very much and learned a lot throughout its course!

Brandon Cox: A Case Study Take-Away

Kiera presented to our small group today about a young man named Brandon Cox and did a great job! Brandon Cox is a 22 year old male who was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. Brandon has a passion for football and plays as a starting quarterback for Auburn University. Brandon is in the beginning stages of this disease and is being referred to OT to help manage the disease and still continue doing what he loves by being a student and playing football. The biggest physical impairment Brandon is experiencing is with vision and he is doing his best to cope with that and still be a starting quarterback. Kiera discussed different interventions or other adaptive devices Brandon could use to help assist in his daily life. Overall, this presentation was a very interesting one, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Brandon!

Occupational Therapy and The Code of Ethics

In the profession of occupational therapy, there are six main principles that OT practitioners should follow during the course of their practice. These six principles include beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy and confidentiality, justice (social and procedural), veracity, and fidelity. It is important for the occupational therapist to be sure to follow these principles and practice being ethical in all situations. Upholding these code of ethics ensures the best treatment for the client. It also builds a strong therapeutic relationship with the client while also building professionalism for the OT. All six of these principles are vital to making up the profession of occupational therapy. These principles identified by AOTA serve as a reference for occupational therapists especially in situations where they may be unsure how to proceed in a situation or when an ethical dilemma arises. Without these principles put into place, the definition of OT would not be the same. Occupational therapy is a highly ethical profession not only for the betterment of the client, but also for the betterment of the practitioner.

Occupational Therapy: A Holistic Approach

One of the most important aspects of  OT is the fact that this profession focuses on viewing an individual as a whole rather than just a problem or condition. Throughout the course of Foundations of Occupation-Centered Practice, this was heavily focused on teaching. Before beginning this course, I honestly was more likely to identify the problem of someone and then just work on treating that problem. Although we all know that there are so many characteristics that make up an individual's health and well-being, we are taught and programmed to look at the biggest issue and forget the rest. In a society where everything is so fast pace, it can be so easy to overlook underlying issues and just work on one in an attempt to accomplish a "quick fix". As an OT, one needs to realize that the healing process is not necessarily a fast process and that a person's well-being is more than just the obvious physical or cognitive impairments. Treating the person as a whole will always result in a more effective intervention providing the best results that have a longer duration for the client.