The Hook N' Hold Ad: Media Project Virtual Display

Is it difficult for you to perform fine motor activities?

Have you noticed that grasping objects is not as easy as it once was?

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Introducing the one and only:

Hook N' Hold!(patent pending)

What is the Hook N' Hold (HnH) might you ask?

It is a traditional worker's glove outfitted with custom shaped wire that gives users the ability to increase the strength in their grip by using the soon-to-be patented HnH design.

Unique Features of this glove include:

• Two hooks located on different fingers that allow variable grip positions
• One holding loop located ion the thumb to provide a home for the hook

We guarantee to make the simple things in life feel simple again.

Don't believe us? Ask one of our satisfied customers: Jane!

"Hi there! My name is Jane. I am a single 33-year-old nurse. Not long ago, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Along with the funny name the disease also comes with some obstacles. I was unable to perform fine motor tasks due to distal weakness in my upper extremities. My occupational therapist suggested we use the Hook N' Hold as adaptive equipment to improve my grip. She explained to me that this could help me hold my whisk when cooking, my shovel when gardening, and my toothbrush when performing self care activities (see my picture above). Instead of continually grasping an object, I can simply engage the hooks and relieve any stress on my hands. The device is so simple to use and it makes my life easier. I hope to be able to get to a point where I will no longer need the Hook N' Hold; with enough work I will reach my goals! Even though I have GBS, the Hook N' Hold can be used by anyone who has fine motor problems. I love my Hook N' Hold!"

Interested? Try the Hook N' Hold risk free for $19.99!

Call us at 1-800-HNHGRIP now!

Don't forget: you can't Rock N' Roll without your Hook N' Hold!

This Is: A Glimpse into Brain Cancer

I have formed a habit of searching through the provided list of resources for what I will write in my neuro notes.  I skimmed through the various titles and came upon something unusual...a photo documentary.  After I clicked on the link, I came to a page filled only with photos. The pictures themselves were the story. The only explanation of the documentary was provided in the left hand corner of the page: this was Josh and Jenna's story.  "This is..." is the name of the documentary filled with emotional moments captured by a photographer named Jennifer Keenan Giliberto.  She explains that Josh and Jenna were generous enough to allow her to capture some of the most intimate times during Josh's battle with Grade IV, Glioblastoma Multiform.  Just two days into their honeymoon, Josh and Jenna discovered that Josh had a brain tumor.  These pictures are the brief glimpses into the roller coaster of a journey they had.

I almost closed the window once I realized what this documentary was.  When I saw that there was no text to go off of, I was hesitant to write my neuro note on it.  However, when I looked at a couple of the pictures in the documentary, I could not stop.  The raw emotion that is depicted is unbelievably intriguing.  No matter how many times I have heard how terrible brain cancer is, there is nothing quite like seeing it.

The documentary begins by showing pictures of Josh and Jenna in a hospital room before his invasive brain surgery.  Josh looks relatively healthy...this is the calm before the storm.  We are then taken on a journey through his surgery, therapy, and adjustment to life.  We see the hard times, but we also see the good times.  Despite all of the sorrow that goes along with this disease, Josh and Jenna experience unbelievable joy with the birth of their child.
The documentary is concluded with images that suggest that Josh is dying: he looses an extreme amount of weight and is lying lifeless in his bed with Jenna.  The last pictures show Josh being hoisted off of his bed and Jenna in uncontrollable tears.  I am not completely certain that Josh died that day, but that is what the pictures suggest.

Through this experience, albeit a short one, I have put together a bigger picture of what a fatal disease looks like. In our courses, we learn a great amount about the science of neurological dysfunction, but we must understand how these diseases affect the family unit. It's not just a MRI or a PET scan.  It's not just malignant cells that eventually kill their host.  It's unbelievable pain that NOBODY can understand unless you have been through it yourself. Families are part of our client demographic, and as such it is paramount that we use our therapeutic use of self in our practice. I cannot understand what their pain is like, and God willing I never will. This documentary is unique because it puts you in a first person perspective into this utterly gruesome experience.  I can say without a doubt that this neuro note experience hit me the hardest. There is something to be said about the impact that pictures have on the human soul.

After this experience, I did some brief research on what this particular type of brain cancer is.  I came across this website: http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-information/types-of-tumors/glioblastoma.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
The research says that this type of cancer has a "median survival rate".  To me, that does not seem like a very positive prognosis. Looking at this website helped me put Josh and Jenna's story into perspective. I would recommend this site to those who are interested in learning about this type of cancer. 


Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/jkeenanphotography/photos/a.512697155472990.1073741838.441149622627744/1089317347810965/?type=3&theater


References 
JKeenan Photography. (n.d.) This is... Retrieved from http://www.thisisdocumentary.com/

Dementia: Ruby Jewel Bowen

Today I presented on the story of my grandmother, Ruby.  It was a really positive experience altogether: my peers seemed interested in her story and asked great questions as well.  Dementia is such an interesting topic to discuss because there isn't just one diagnosis that is attached to it.  Ruby had Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia there is.  What I got out of doing this report was that I used my "OT think" to solve problems that a loved one faced.  It helped me practice putting myself into my client's shoes because I was close to her personally.  As occupational therapists, we need to empathize and understand what our clients are going through.  If we think about the challenging parts in our lives and relate that feeling when we are working as OTs, we will better understand their struggles and pains.

Jack Osbourne and Multiple Sclerosis

Jack Osbourne, the son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2012.  Before his diagnosis, Ozzy was an extremely active individual with his own TV show "Jack Osborne: Adrenaline Junkie".  Unfortunately, MS is a disease that causes someone to fatigue easily and often, so Jack had to slow down his high-speed lifestyle.  Even despite this setback, Jack participated in the hit reality TV show, "Dancing with the Stars".  This show demanded a great deal of energy output for Jack, so there was a learning curve that he had to get a handle on in order to manage his disease properly.  Jack has Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis which means that he can experience symptoms at one point in time and they will fade away at another time.  This kind of MS is interesting to me because Jack experienced blindness in one eye for a time, and then his vision would suddenly come back.  I believe this characteristic of MS makes it unique and also more manageable for someone.  Even though MS is a disease that alters someone's life in a negative way, at least the symptoms can be alleviated for some people.  Also, it is very fortunate that this disease is not fatal and allows people to have a normal life expectancy.

Putting Ice in the Bucket

Putting Ice in the Bucket

Nancy Frates was just your typical mother of a baseball loving son, Pete.  She had a happy, typical life until the unthinkable happened: her 27 year old son was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.  It began with a hand injury from baseball that just didn't seem to heal; when he went to the neurologist, he was told that it wasn't an injury... it was a degenerative, fatal disease that would turn his world upside-down. Nancy Frates describes this journey in her Ted Talk: "Meet the Mom who started the Ice Bucket Challenge."  Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Pete made a powerful statement to his family: they were going to team up and create awareness about this "rare" disease.  His goal was to get this disease in front of big wig philanthropists such as Bill Gates.  Their entire family jumped on board: aunts, uncles, cousins, and other loved ones were given various responsibilities to make this possible.  The pivotal part in this story was when "the ice started to fall" and Pete's roommate made a call to action.  He poured a bucket of ice over himself and challenged others to do the same...all of this in an effort to raise money for ALS research. This simple gesture started a cascade of events that had worldwide impact.  Nancy describes the most groundbreaking moment was when Bill Gates himself did the challenge; it was so monumental because that was the goal that started all of this!

I chose this Ted Talk because I had seen the ice bucket challenge on social media and wanted to relate a face to the movement.  It's easy to look at a craze like the ice bucket challenge and forget that there is probably a story behind all of the hype.  Watching this video gave me insight into the internal battle that occurs when you or someone you love is diagnosed with a fatal disease.  Nancy said that many times she just wanted to curl up in a ball and not get out of bed.  However, she knew she had to get up and live life for her son.  If he could be this positive about his situation, she had to be brave as well.

After watching this Ted Talk, I looked for the ALS Association's webpage about the ice bucket challenge.  On this page, they have a video of Nancy & Pete's story which was great to supplement with the Ted Talk.  Here is a link to the site: http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Frates, N. (2014, October). Meet the mom who started the ice bucket challenge [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_frates_why_my_family_started_the_als_ice_bucket_challenge_the_rest_is_history#t-564856

Pictured above is Bill Gates doing the ice bucket challenge. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/15/bill-gates-als-ice-bucket-challenge_n_5682914.html

Huntington's Disease: Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie was a musician who was diagnosed with Huntington's disease which affects both cognitive and motor abilities.  Woody struggled with erratic behavior and impulse control more and more as the disease progressed.  Some of his inappropriate/dangerous behaviors included shoving sawdust into his son's mouth and writing erotic letters to many women.  His motor skills also greatly affected his beloved occupation of singing and playing the guitar. It would be important to address this occupation early because that is what he loves to do the most.  What was interesting to me was that his mother likely had Huntington's as well, but she was never diagnosed with it.  Instead, she was institutionalized because medicine had not progressed that far during that time. Now there is a test to see if you have the gene that often leads to Huntington's.   

Main Take-Away from Foundations

Main Take-Away from Foundations

As obvious as it may seem, the most important thing I have gained from this course is understanding the OT Domain & Process in the OTPF.  Even though the document itself is long and kind of dry, it is an integral part in our profession.  Before this course, I did not know occupations were split up into categories of ADLs, iADLS, work, education, etc.  I thought occupations was just a blanket term to cover everything we do in life.  I also did not know that we place emphasis on client factors, performance patterns, context & environment, etc.  The domain of OT is definitely the most strange thing that become familiar to me in this course.  I knew there was an OT process before taking this course (and I had a rough idea of the components in it), but I learned that it is not as cut and dry as I had once thought.  In this case, the familiar became strange to me.  I thought evaluation, intervention, and outcomes were more simple than they actually are.  I did not know about occupational profiles, client interviews, adjustment of intervention, and so on. I'm glad I understand the OTPF now because it seemed very overwhelming to me when we were talking about it in our Evidence-Based Practice course.  Thank you for making it a lot less intimidating!