Foundations: Becoming Aware

Instead of writing a blog post about what I learned in class on a certain day, I'm going to discuss a trend that I have noticed since starting OT school...there are SO MANY WAYS the human body can go haywire.  Like any other educated adult, I was aware of various diseases or disabilities that happen in the human body; however I was not faced with the gravity of it all until coming to UT.  It is so remarkable to me that any of us have gotten this far without some sort of catastrophic disease/disability.  It is a miracle that most of us were born without a congenital disease; but even so, there are many other diseases out there that can plague the human body during the lifespan.  We take our health for granted every single day.  How lucky are we to be able to come to school and learn about OT!  We need to be thankful for the health of ourselves and our loved ones every single day.  As a future practitioner, I think this realization will help me because it has caused me to become aware of the fragility of human health and how it affects our clients.  I can look at their situation and not pity them...instead I will understand that this could truly happen to anyone, including myself.

Tyler's TBI

Tyler sustained a TBI in the T7/T8 area of his spine when he was on a helicopter for a drill with the Air Force and Army.  I found this story to be especially upsetting because he was a young man who had his entire life ahead of him.  He was all set to be a pilot when he graduated and even had job opportunities from companies like FedEx lined up for him.  However, those plans came to a screeching halt when someone made a mistake and forgot to strap him into the helicopter.  It is not difficult to understand why Tyler is so extremely frustrated with his current situation because his life was drastically changed at the hands of someone else.

What stuck out to me the most was when Macy explained that in the interview, Tyler seemed very optimistic and surprisingly happy despite his current state.  However, when she talked to her best friend who is closer to that family, Macy learned that Tyler is especially irritable and depressed because of the accident.  It goes to show that even though we hear these various stories of brave people overcoming neurological challenges, we should not forget that they are real people who experience real emotions.  We cannot expect these people to keep a facade that everything is OK and understand that it is normal to be depressed and angry during these troublesome times.

A Talk with Tourette

As I was glossing over the list of possible resources to use for the neuro note assignment, I stumbled upon a Ted Talk about Tourette's Syndrome called "Tourette Does the Talking".  I immediately clicked on the link because I have always had an interest in Tourette's Syndrome.  I think this is primarily due to the fact that I have never met someone with Tourette's, so it seems very foreign to me.  I have done some research about it over the years and I would love the chance to be able to sit down with someone who has it and talk about how it has affected his/her life.  I would like this opportunity because I believe it is one of the more challenging neurological disorders in our world.  It affects a persons life 24/7 and tends to start in childhood or adolescence (so they endure the hardships for the entirety of their lives!)

In the Ted Talk, college student Thomas White gives us a look at a day in the life of someone living with Tourette's Syndrome.  He explains that he has the common verbal and motor tics that most people who have Tourette's exhibit, but that he has Coprolalia as well.  Coprolalia is the usage of profane or offensive language that rarely occurs in those who have Tourette's.  Thomas is constantly insulting people he likes and even those he loves.  It is because of these challenges that he deems Tourettes to be an "unrelenting neurological assault."  He continues his discussion by giving us a play-by-play as to what his average day looks like.  He begins his day by stating "I hate you, you f*cking sh*t" to a friend in the bathroom and is answered with "Hey, how's it going Tom?"  He mentions that he is fortunate enough to have friends that understand what he goes through.  When putting his books away for the classes of the day, he hits himself in the head with each book.  Before watching this Ted Talk, I did not realize that Tourette's not only causes bizarre language patterns, but also causes someone to do things they would not normally do.  He continues on to describe the struggles that he faces on a daily basis.  However, he does not end on a pessimistic note.  He actually does not see himself as a victim.  He states that he has problems, just like each and every one of us does and if we as humans are going to overcome these hardships, we must stick together.

In this course, we learn about empathy and being sensitive to others who have these neurological conditions.  To empathize with someone, it literally means to share feelings with someone else. Thomas hit the nail on the head when he said that we are all in this together, no matter what the diagnosis or problem is.  He states that "we can triumph together when we see that we are in the same boat."  If we just look outwardly at what other people are feeling instead of getting caught up in our own hardships, we can work together to overcome.

After watching the video, I did a bit more research on Tourette's, and I came across the website for the Tourette Association of America (https://www.tourette.org/), which has a vast array of information about Tourette's.  It also has testimonials from different people of different age groups of those living with Tourette's, which I found to be very conducive to my learning experience.

White, T. (2014, February). Tourette does the talking [Video File]. Retrieved from http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Tourette-Does-the-Talking-Thoma;search%3Aneurological 

Foundations: Thoughts on Clinical Observation

Clinical observation is the most intimidating part of the OT process, in my opinion.  For example, I am considering working in pediatrics when I become a practitioner.  When I imagine myself doing a clinical observation of the child, I am worried that I will be able to accomplish it successfully.  It seems rather difficult trying to juggle interaction with the child while taking note of their performance.  Not to mention, you have to document everything you see! I am worried that I will either forget something the child did or I will be too focused on documenting what the child is doing that it affects the way I interact with that child.  I understand the process is an art that will be refined with practice, but that is just how I feel at this point in my career as an OT student.

Foundations: OT Process

Today we learned about the OT Process, as described by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework.  Above you will find a graphic that includes a sort of word collage of terms that relate to each aspect of the process.  I found this graphic helpful because it helps me associate what belongs in each part of the process at a glance.  I love learning about the process of occupational therapy because it is the meat of what we do.  Learning about our domain is interesting of course; however, I find the process of OT captures my attention more because I can visualize myself in each of these steps.  I am getting more and more excited just thinking about going through this process with my clients.  Before today’s class, I did not realize how important proper documentation was in the process.  It’s amazing to me that even leaving a single blank empty can be a tragic mistake!  I see how this kind of strictness is important to our profession; mistakes in our documentation can negatively affect our clients.

Neuro: Thoughts on Today's Lecture

Today has truly been an emotional day for our class.  During our first pathology class, we discussed with Prof. Sasse some problems we have dealt with and overcame in our life and during this class we saw various ways that brain injuries have dramatically changed the lives of others.  It's so easy to get caught up in our own problems and what is important in our lives that we rarely look at other people and realize that they have problems just like we do.  What is amazing about occupational therapy is our ability to look past our own selfishness and look at the individuals we are caring for.  One of our core standards we hold ourselves to is embracing altruism in practice.  I love how occupational therapy is so unique in this way.  I cannot think of another health profession that is as selfless as occupational therapy.  When people get services from us, they know for certain that we are looking at what matters to them because that is exactly what our job description is!  Seeing these cases of traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury have definitely humbled me and made me realize how often I take my own health and the health of my loved ones for granted.  I know that one day I may have to deal with illness (whether it be my own or one that a loved one has) that is difficult like these are, so I need to understand how gentle the health of humankind really is and appreciate it while I still have it.

Foundations: Universal Design

As far as theories go, my favorite so far has been the Universal Design Theory.  I never realized how much of our everyday experiences are linked to helping people with disabilities.  It did not occur to me that automatic doors and automatic soap dispensers were made to accommodate those who have trouble getting around in the world we live in.  I thought those things were made to make our lives more convenient! It is true that this type of equipment does make everyone’s lives easier, but that is not the point here.  This kind of mindset I had just proves that able-bodied individuals often have issues with relating to those people with disabilities and understanding the everyday obstacles that they must overcome.  Understanding Universal Design Theory has given me a new lens in which to look at my world.  I will now notice if something is disability-friendly or if it is not.  

Reaction to Aimee Mullins Ted Talk

In her Ted Talk, Aimee explains that words can hinder someone from being the best version of himself/herself.  She illustrates this by showing what a thesaurus came up with when she looked up the word "disabled".  I believe this principle can be applied to everyone, not just someone with a physical or mental disability.  No matter who you are, words have the power to change your entire mindset about who you are.  I was inspired that Aimee did not allow negative thoughts and statements about what she was capable off affect the way she saw herself.  This Ted Talk was specifically called Ted Med, so I believe that the audience consisted of medical professionals.  This is important because she emphasized the importance of seeing people for who they are, not just as a diagnosis. As holistic practitioners, occupational therapists are all about this concept.  I think this holistic approach is one that needs to be shared in other fields of medicine, not just occupational therapy.  I am pleased that Aimee gave this call to action and I hope that physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals embrace this mindset as well.