Media Project: Ice Cube Tray Dressing

     For my media project, my client's name was Harris. Harris is a 22 year old who was in a car accident which left him with a complete SCI at the T3 level. He is now a paraplegic and has troubles with his sitting balance in his wheelchair, maximum assistance in dressing and troubles propelling his wheelchair with the arm cast. He is a student within 4 months of graduating and enjoys golfing and going to the movies with his fiancé and friends. His goals included returning home, graduating on time with a computer science degree and getting out of rehab and getting on with his life. The media I was assigned to use with Harris was an ice cube tray. It took me multiple days and numerous different ideas before I finally settled on my ice cube tray dressing idea! I wanted to focus on his goals, struggles and help make the activities he enjoyed the most easier to do! My "ah-ha" moment was when it finally clicked that he was maximum assistance on dressing, an ADL important to be able to return home, go to school and get on with his life! He is right hand dominant yet his right arm and hand are in a cast, so this is why dressing is so difficult for him now! My dressing ice cube tray will allow Harris to practice doing multiple dressing actives like buttons, zippers and velcro with his weaker hand! This will also help him strengthen his hand, and increase fine motor skills which can transfer over into his school work and having to work on a computer and manipulate items like his backpack and his golf bag. This activity will help make reaching his goals easier and also help with leisure activities he enjoys! 

    While working on this project, I had to learn a little more in depth about the different levels of SCI and what function each level had! I have never worked with a SCI patient in the past so it is definitely an area that I need more practice in, so this assignment allowed me to learn more about a topic that I do not have much experience in. I also learned how important it is to look at your client's specific client factors and make your intervention and approach client centered. This makes thinking of ideas a little bit harder, but in order for OT to be successful you want the client to feel that they are doing their therapy for reasons important for them! Another thing I learned from reading Harris' case study is that as an OT, it extremely important to educate the client and the family. One of his goals is to "walk out of here and get on with my life" and as much as I want that goal for him too, with the injury he sustained he will not be walking out. This is something that I would want to explain to him, but not in a way to make him sad or depressed but just to inform him and let hime know that we can help him get better and work with his injuries while they are healing and help him get on with his NEW life! While making my dressing ice cube tray I also had to reach out to my mom who started to teach me how to sew, which was important for sewing on the buttons to the front of the shirt! I am excited about this new skill I am learning because I know I will be able to use it with my future clients! This media project assignment will help me when I am working on other assignments and while working with clients in the future by making me be more creative and think outside of the box. If I am working with a client and am having trouble thinking of an intervention that is client centered and still works on their goals and struggles, I will think back to this assignment and remember that ANY material can be transformed into a fun intervention or adaptive equipment with creativity and some thought!  I am now more confident in my ability to be client centered and to make meaningful activities for a client. I feel better prepared for future assignments because of my ability to apply my knowledge of client factors to an intervention.  It also helped me work with an area that I do not have a lot of experience but want to learn more and get more experience with patients interventions related to SCI! At first this assignment was very overwhelming to think about and I was nervous that I would not be able to think of something good enough. However, I am extremely happy we were challenged by this assignment and forced to use our creativity to help expand and apply our knowledge and participate in this awesome experience!   

Follow this link for my video presentation about Harris' Ice Cube Tray Dressing 

https://youtu.be/Vg3-KB9oM3Y 

                

TransFatty Lives (Neuro Note 5)

     For my 5th, and final, neuro note I decided to watch a movie titled TransFatty Lives. This movie follows a filmmaker named Patrick O'Brien, also known as DJ TransFatty, through his life after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons. This means that as the disease progresses your muscles will start to waste away and you will no longer be able to move or control your body. However, your mind and cognition will stay completely intact. Patrick describes this as having your brain "unplugged" from your body. 

    In TransFatty Lives, Patrick was diagnosed with ALS in the spring of 2005 when he was 30 years old. He reached out to a doctor when he noticed his leg was trembling and he couldn't make it stop and when he fell backwards out of a chair for no reason at all. In a room full of Patrick's family and loved one's, the doctor confirmed that he did indeed have ALS and he would have between 2 and 5 years left to live. After this diagnosis, Patrick and his production team began documenting his story and how he was living with ALS. It showed in very real detail the many struggles he faced with doing his ADL's and how even with help like his friends and father activities like taking a shower could become extremely dangerous and even impossible. It starts with us seeing Patrick walking with a walker and having to take frequent breaks all the way to him being completely reliant on others and machines for survival. The film gives you a very real look into what happens as ALS progresses including doctors visits, adaptive machines and equipment and the role of caregivers. 

    Something that I found so unique about this story was that in 2006, a year after his diagnosis, Patrick starting dating a women who eventually became pregnant with his child. The baby, Sean, was the reason that Patrick wanted to fight for so long. Through the struggles of needed constant care, a G-tube for feeding, a tracheotomy for breathing, and only being able to communicate through typing with his eyes he wanted to live to see his son grow and answer any questions he may have while growing up! Patrick spent all of his money to stay in nursing homes full time and to stay alive for his son even though him and his mother ended up breaking up and he was unable to see Sean much. ALS is a debilitating disease that affects not only the patient and their loved ones physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Patrick had many people support him in the early stages of ALS and then walk out of his life throughout the film which left a sad, lonely hole in him. This movie does an amazing job of showing the realness of ALS and the stress that it puts on everyone involved but also the importance of loving and ALWAYS supporting the patient. Thankfully, in Patrick's case there is a happy ending. Patrick was offered at spot The Leonard Florence Center For Living in Boston, which was a specialized facility only for patients with ALS. Through his films, blogs and Facebook posts he raised enough money to be flown to Boston and afford to stay at this facility. During this time, he also got to spend time with his son and family! When Patrick finally arrives at the facility and is surrounded by people who are dealing with similar struggles to him he types with his eyes that he feels "humbled" and starts to cry. 

    I original chose this movie because I wanted to learn more about ALS since I had very little previous knowledge about the disease. I wanted an opportunity to learn more and get a different perspective! I would highly recommend this movie because it shows you what ALS does to not only the patient but the one's around the the patient and also gives you a new perspective of what the patient is going through! I really enjoyed this movie!  

TransFatty Lives. (2015). https://www.imdb.com/tv/watch/tt4221762?ref_=tt_wbr_fdv. 

 

The Jordan Hand Challenge (Neuro Note 4)

I recently participated in The Jordan Hand Challenge, which was created by Jordan Bone. Jordan is beauty blogger on YouTube and has over 200,000 followers. She also is paralyzed from the chest down (tetraplegic) from a car accident when she was 15 years old. She shares the uniques struggles that she faces not only physically but emotionally and mentally on her website, vlog, and on her many social medias. She also has made it a priority to speak to schools and colleges to raise awareness for road safety and spinal cord injuries. In one of her YouTube videos she challenged her viewers to do their make-up, the way she had to. This means no use of your fingers, a small amount of use in your thumbs, and only flexion and extension of your wrists. Knowing the limits Jordan has with her hands, you wouldn't think that her makeup would flawless... but you are SO wrong. When you see Jordan your jaw will likely drop to the floor because her makeup is AMAZING, like it was done by a professional! I accepted the challenge and did my best to apply just some basic makeup to myself like Jordan has to! I opened all of my products before I started and then put a rubber band around my fingers to keep myself from cheating. My makeup does not turn out nearly as flawless as Jordan's... but it really made me view life in a different perspective. Jordan is truly an inspiration to everyone and we all can learn from her! I would definitely suggest that everyone take on this challenge just to get a first had experience on how it would be to have to live your same life... just differently! Below my full video of the Jordan Hand Challenge, as well as links to Jordan's website and instagram! I hope you enjoy! 

Watch MY Jordan Hand Challenge here!!!  

Click here for Jordan's website about her life!  

Click here for Jordan's YouTube Channel