For my last neuro note, I wanted to look into a condition that I wanted to learn more about. For me, this neurological condition was Huntington's disease. Huntington's Disease is truly an awful disease. Not only is it a combination of symptoms of Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's disease, but it also is an inherited disease that is passed down through family lines. If you have the gene you have a 50/50 % chance of either having Huntington's or being a carrier for it and passing it on.  In this Ted talk, Danielle Valenti shares her experience with the disease, and in a raw and honest way describes what it was like to watch her mother waste away from this disease, and then the process of finding out that she herself was a carrier of the gene. After watching her mother refuse food in order to end her own life, Danielle had to make a choice. How can you live knowing that your life will end? For Danielle thinking through this question has been a long and drawn out process. In her own words, she says, " I had to decide to start living. Just because I said I wanted to start living, that doesn't automatically equal happiness. This was something I was going to have to commit to every single day. I was going to have to find small things that made my soul smile and put them back into my life little by little." For Danielle, finding a new normal and searching for what makes her happy is allowing her to face death yet still live a full life.
This, from an OT perspective, was so interesting to watch. Our role with working with Huntington's disease, especially in the early and middle stages is to identify what brings the client a sense of purpose and of happiness, and then we find a way to create a new normal. We will be the one's walking with them through the good days and bad days as we problem solve and fight against time to provide our clients with fulfilling lives. If I am being honest, I wish that Danielle's mom had had someone to walk with her even in the dreaded end stage of the disease. It's hard for me to swallow the fact that she chose to end her own life by refusing food, because I believe that there was still so much that could have been done to help her. That is an area that I think I will always struggle with in this job. becuase I want my clients to see their value and still find purpose even in the ends of their lives. This ted talk gave me alot to think through, and also have an up close and personal account of living with huntingtons and processing what that means for the rest of your life. I highly recommend watching it and I am posting the link below!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JRwCdmewl0

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For my last neuro note, I decided to watch a movie that I have had on my watchlist for a while now called "The Fundamentals of caring". This movie rocked my world for many reasons that I am going to share with you today, and if you haven't watched it yet, it is well worth it (and it's on Netflix!)

 The fundamentals of caring centers around the of a teenage boy name Trevor,who has multiple sclerosis, and his caregiver named Ben. Both have had their fair share of hardships and grow closer to each other and help one another throughout the movie. That was one of the aspects of this movie that I loved so much, because they didn't portray Trevor, the character with special needs and the one who needed a caregiver as the only on that was hurting, but Ben the caregiver, the strong and constant helper, that needed Trevor to help him to. Trevor didn't have a dad and Ben  had lost his son, and they needed each other and a road trip to teach them that the fundamentals of caring for someone go past black and white and understand each other. This really hit home with what we have been learning about the role of OT's with our clients. We work in a gray zone that isn't as black and white as the medical field, and form personal relationships with our clients to understand what makes them tick, their hopes and dreams, and how to get them back to doing what they love to do. We ourselves have to learn the fundamentals of caring for our clients that both fits their needs and provides them with professional care.
The other reason why I chose this movie and why I loved it so much, is because I wanted to learn more about working with teenagers with disabilities. I'm not actually sure how old Trevor is in the movie but he is an older teenage boy who loves what every teenage boy loves : girls. It was sweet to see how Ben really walked along side of Trevor through this. Helping him out and teaching him what he needed to know. This also relates to ot because we not only help people do the things they love, but may also be the first people that clients feel comfortable enough to ask questions about girls or boys or yes even sexuality.

In conclusion, I really really enjoyed this movie. The raw emotions portrayed by the characters really made me think about what it would be like to be a caretaker of someone with a disability, or even what it would be like to be a teenager that had to have a caretaker​ because of a disability. The movie made me laugh and cry but even more importantly allowed me to use my OT think while processing it. If you haven't watched it yet, head to Netflix and check it out!

       
Did you do the ice bucket challenge? I did too, but I didn't really know why I was having my college roommate pour a bucket of ice cold water on my head.That is why I choose to do my neuro note on this ted talk video because I wanted to know more about this challenge that I participated in three years ago.
           The ice bucket challenge all started with a life-changing diagnosis was given to 27-year-old Pete Frate. The frate family's world was turned upside down that day, but that night as they gathered all together for family dinner Pete stood up and said "There will be no wallowing people. We are not going to look back we are looking forward. What an amazing opportunity we have to change the world and the awful face of this disease. " That was the beginning and a few weeks after that Pete's roommate posted a video on his fb wall of him pouring a bucket of cold water on his head and passing on the challenge to other friends and families. 4 weeks later, the ALS ice bucket challenge had gone global and had more hits on facebook and youtube than any challenge before. Everyone from college students like me to well-known celebrities participated in the challenge, raising awareness and funds for the terrible disease that Pete Frate was determined to fight.
Today, this challenge has raised over 160 million dollars for ALS research. This number absolutely blows me away because and an idea born over a family dinner table produced one video that then turned into a global phenomenon that is changing the face and research for ALS.
              As OT's our job is to inspire and work with our clients to help them do the things they love to do. Maybe one day I can help a client start something that allows them to fight their disease by seizing the opportunity to change the face of the disease. This video showed me that even a small idea could make a huge difference in the outcome of a disease, or in the life of a person. I encourage you to watch it and be inspired by this story by clicking on this   link https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_frates_why_my_family_started_the_als_ice_bucket_challenge_the_rest_is_history#t-1151482. can also watch my ice bucket challenge below!

The writer of "this land is your land", woody Guthrie was diagnosed with Huntington's disease at the age of 36 in the middle of a booming musical career. Woody, a well-known musician, artist, and public activist quickly deteriorated as the disease quickly took over his body. But even until the end, he continued to write and play music. It is interesting to think about how the disease began to affect his career because he was well known for never playing the same song the same way twice. This could have been due to his inability to remember or inability to control his hands while playing the song. His behavior also became more and more erotic as the disease progressed and he also lost his ability to talk and sing before he died. Woody Guthurie died October 3, 1967, yet he still is remembered thought his patriotism and his music to this day.

This class has built a strong foundation for my future as an OT. Learning about the basics of our profession, where we came from and where we are going has made me not only excited about being a future OT, but honored to be a part of this profession. Above is a word cloud of words that really have stood out this semester. I built in in the shape of a house because more knowledge will be added and built upon as I continue through this program!

I wanted to share a video that I created for my foundations class, that allowed me to process and define what occupational therapy is. Before school started, I thought I knew a lot about OT and its role in helping people. However once school started it did not take long for me to realize that most of my ideas about OT were incorrect. Occupational therapy really is such an incredible profession because of its depth and scope of practice. I love that this profession looks beyond someone's brokenness or disability on the outside and instead see's a person, a grandmother, a gardener, a cook, or any aspect that make that person an individual creation. We are being taught how to see clearly and how to take really hard situations and "make lemonade". It's beautiful and I am loving every second of this journey to becoming an OT. Here is the video that I designed to share what I believe OT is. It's like an elevator pitch and explains the profession in such a way that it is easy to understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrykJJYkKY

This is a reflective post on an assignment we did in our foundations class a few weeks ago. The assignment was to choose and activity and then break it down into steps in order to look at demands of each individual task involved in the performance of the activity. We had learned in class that you need to be aware of several things as you do an activity analysis: the sequence and timing of the activity, the objects, space, and social demands needed to complete it, and the required body functions, body structures, and performance skills. I choose to do my activity analysis on baking cookies, and let me tell you... even though you would think that baking cookies is a simple activity, its not. By the end of my activity analysis I had broken the whole process down to 37 steps. Then I had to really think about how different tasks might be harder for some individuals accomplish, especially with a disability. I really had to be creative in thinking of new ways to do an otherwise normal task so that the activity of baking cookies could be done by anyone. Although this project took a lot of time and effort, it was a good picture into what we as OT's do. We take things that are hard to do and make them doable and accessible to anyone and everyone. With some creativity, and a little bit of TLC, anyone can make homemade chocolate chip cookies!

The other night, I was scrolling on facebook and came across this incredible video. It's called Amazing Things Happen and it's a movie that explains what having autism is like so that even a child could understand. The writer, Alex Amelines spent two years working and designing the animation for the movie, as he himself tried to understand this complex disease. His ultimate goal in creating the movie was to explain what having autism is like from a child's perspective, and bring tolerance and understanding of autism. For being a movie written for children, this movie is profound! I have always been interested in autism, and have worked with several children over the years who have had it. This disease has always fascinated me and baffled me at the same time because every incredible child with autism I have worked with has been so different. This movie does a wonderful job explaining that if we look for ways to understand and reach out to our friends with autism, we will receive an amazing gift and amazing things will happen. Please go watch the movie below, and share so that we can continue to raise awareness and understanding for our friends with autism. http://amazingthingshappen.tv/