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!
