Neuro Note 3

For my third neuro note, I chose to watch a TED talk on a woman named Danielle Valenti’s story about her mother with Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is described as one of the worst diseases known to man because it makes the person lose their memory, muscle function, and coordination. Also, this disease is known to cause psychiatric behaviors. Danielle’s mother had this disease for two years prior to telling her daughter. The reason her mother kept it a secret was because she did not want to worry her and did not want to be a burden. However, when Danielle found out she quickly wanted to help as much as she could. They transferred Danielle’s mother to a specialized Huntington’s’ nursing home where she lived the remainder of her days. Her mother chose to kill herself by refusing food for 67 days. After 67 days, her body shut down and she passed away. Danielle explains that she had to make the decision to either force her mother to eat or respect her mother’s wishes and allow her to starve herself. Ultimately, she respected her mother’s wishes and did not stand in her way. Danielle explains how that was the hardest decision she probably would ever have to make but she is happy her mother is now at peace. After her mother passed away, she decided to have the genetic test done to see if she was a carrier of the disease. Unfortunately, her results came back positive meaning she will become symptomatic at some point in her life. Danielle explained how after her results she found herself feeling sorry for herself and depressed. However, she did not want to live out the rest of her life waiting to become sick and wanted to find happiness. This is one of the reasons she became a spokesperson for Huntington’s disease.

            I found this video inspiring because of how brave Danielle appeared to be. She stated how everyone advised her against the genetic testing because there is no cure for the disease, and she would 100% get it if she was a carrier. However, she could not move on from her mom’s death without knowing her fate. As an OT, I will most likely encounter a client with this disease, and I think this video helped me understand it better. I chose to do this neuro note on Huntington’s disease because it is somewhat confusing to me. However, after watching this video I feel better informed on the disease. I encourage everyone with an interest in this specific disease to watch this TED talk!



Talks, T. (2015, December 04). Retrieved August 19, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JRwCdmewl0

neuro note 2

For my second neuro note, I chose to watch a YouTube video called “Alex Coriells’ Journey with ALS.” The reason I chose to watch this video is because I wanted to learn more about this disease. This video is a tribute made by Alex’s wife showing the progression of his disease and how he was affected. Alex was diagnosed with ALS is January of 2013 and passed away roughly 3 years later in November of 2015. About eight months after his diagnosis, he required a feeding tube to eat. A few short months after losing his ability to eat and swallow, he lost his ability to walk. He relied heavily on his wife to be his caregiver, while also caring for their three sons. Alex’s family was very important to him and was a reason to find joy in the remainder of his ever-evolving new life. Also, Alex had strong faith in Jesus and believed in his plan.  Throughout his progression, he was able to talk but required assistive technology to be better understood. Alex was able to use his nose for a while but eventually had to switch to the use of his eyes. I think it is amazing there is technology in our day in age that allows communication using body parts other than mouths and hands. Once Alex lost the ability to walk, he had to switch to a wheelchair. I loved how the video was not all sad aspects of his life. For example, parts of the video showed Alex and his three children riding on his wheelchair while going into a store. One thing about ALS that sets it apart from other diseases how it hardly affects cognition. This means that the person’s body is slowing shutting down, but they are fully aware of what is going on and are essentially helpless. Because cognition is barely affected, mental health is a big part of this disease. It is important a person with ALS can hold onto hope and joy, so they do not stoop into a dark depression. Alex did a good job of not becoming too depressed by finding joy in his family and activities like sports. I could tell that he was a great husband and father and is truly missed by his family. However, he is in a better place and no longer in pain.

            Currently, we are learning about this disease in our neuro class. After watching this video, I feel that I have a better understanding of the disease because I was able to see how it affected an actual person. Although this video did not have many facts about the disease, it was beneficial to watch because observation is essential in learning. Personally, I am a visual learner and benefit more from seeing a person with a disease than learning about it through reading. I would recommend this video to people to watch because it is informative and a sweet tribute. The video is somewhat of a tear jerker, but in a positive way because it showed the good in Alex’s life as opposed to the bad.



Henderson, W. (2018, February 03). Alex Coriell's Journey With ALS. Retrieved August 13,  2019,
from https://alsnewstoday.com/2018/02/01/alex-coriells-journey-with als/?utm_source=ALSNews&utm_campaign=856209f0b7RSS_FRIDAY_EMAIL_CA            PAIGN&utm_medium=email&utmterm=0_0593028b75-856209f0b7-71721017

neuro post 1

For this assignment, I chose to watch a movie called The Upside. This movie is about Philip Lacasse, a man with quadriplegia, who hires Dell Scott, a homeless man, to be his life auxiliary. Dell is a successful billionaire who unfortunately suffered a terrible accident while paragliding. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, requiring 24/7 care. I was very impressed by the movie because it displayed so many honest emotions from Philip about how he copes with his new life. He requires assistance with every aspect of his life. For example, he needs someone to help him with feeding, dressing, eating and showering. However, he does have a little independence when he is in his wheelchair because he is able to control it with his chin. Dell and Phillips relationship inspired me because they both had to let each other into their lives for the well-being of both. Dell relied on Phillip for his pay check and Phillip relied on Dell to be his care-taker. Towards the end of the movie, Phillip goes on a date but ends up getting put in the friend zone because of his disability. This completely devastated him and ultimately led to Phillip firing Dell and pushing everyone he cared about away. However, Dell does not give up on Phillip and they remained friends for life. I was empathic for Phillip throughout the movie because I put myself in his shoes and I could not imagine dealing with that amount of life change.

              The reason I chose to watch this movie for my first neuro note is because I wanted to further my knowledge on spinal cord injuries. As an occupational therapist, I am going to be working with people with a variety of spinal cord injuries. Over the past couple of weeks, I have learned how different every injury is. Spinal cord injuries not only change a person’s life physically but mentally as well. I recommend people watch this movie because it gives an in-depth idea of what people struggle with everyday when they are paralyzed. Depression is extremely common because of how different their life changes and how reliant they must be on other people. In the movie, Phillip struggles with depression and eventually tries to push every one that is close to him away. I think that part of the movie was important because of how severe his depression became. However, his friends knew they needed him then more than he ever had before. This is where an occupational therapist would come into play. As OT’s it is our job to help clients be as successful as possible in their daily life occupations. As for Phillip, an OT could have helped him find a reason that made his life worth living again. Overall, this movie was fantastic and I recommend everyone to watch it!

Burger, N. (Director). (2017). The Upside [Video file]. United States: Escape Artist. Retrieved July    22, 2019.

hierachy of mobility skills

The order for restoring confidence in mobility is somewhat complicated to understand but after careful review it makes sense the order. The order goes as follows: bed mobility, mat transfer, wheelchair transfer, bed transfer, functional ambulation for ADL, toilet and tub transfer, car transfer, functional ambulation for community mobility, and community mobility and driving. I understand why driving is the highest on the hierarchy because driving requires great attention span. When someone gets behind the wheel, their life is put at risk and the people around them. Also, it makes sense for bed mobility to be at the very bottom because it is the basis for doing everything else. The first thing a person does in the morning is getting out of bed. A person must get out of bed to operate a vehicle. I agree with this approach. I think it makes a lot of sense for the order it is in because each step builds on each other.

              The labs we have done where we are performing transfers have taught me a lot. It would be very stressful to not be able to move by myself and I am grateful the labs are teaching me to help people who cannot move by themselves. I think it is very cool the different types of transfers we have learned. Before lab, I did not realize there were specific ways to transfer a client, especially when they have a spinal cord injury. I am looking forward to becoming an OT and I believe what I have learned so far about the transfers will help me be the best OT as I can be!

blog post 9

Assistive devices are very beneficial to clients because they aid in their mobility. It is important to properly fit a client for an assistive device for many reasons. If the assistive device does not properly fit, then it could hurt the person to use. Also, if the assistive device is not properly fitted to the specific person then it could affect their balance and posture. For example, if a person is using a walker that is 4 inches too short then they would have to hunch over to use the device. In the long run, the walker would hurt the client more than it would be beneficial.

To properly fit a client for a cane the client should stand straight with their arms directly by their side. The handle needs to be in line with the wrist crease, ulnar styloid or the greater trochanter. For the axillary crutches and lofstrand crutches the hand grips need to be in line with the wrist crease, ulnar styloid or greater trochanter when the arms are at rest by the client’s side. The same goes for a platform walker, with the handgrips in line with the ulnar styloid, wrist crease or the greater trochanter when the arms are resting at the client’s side. The same goes for the rolling walker. When fitting for a cane or walker, the elbow needs to be relaxed, and flexed 20-30 degrees. To fit for crutches, the axillary will rest roughly 5 centimeters below the floor of the axilla. For each assistive device, it is important the client’s shoulders are relaxed and not elevated to get a proper fit. Loftstrand crutches are often used for people with long-term disables, whereas platform crutches are often used right after an injury.

proper posture and body mechanics

Proper posture and body mechanics are important for a person to practice for many reasons. Posture is defined as relative alignment of body parts. One of the reasons it is important for a client to practice proper posture and body mechanics is because it protects the spine from injury. The spine is crucial for a person because it provides mobility, stability, transmits and absorbs forces and protects the spinal cord. Another reason proper posture is important is because it prevents less fatigue. When a person does not sit or stand properly it overworks the muscles causing more strain, resulting in excess tiredness. Also, correct use of pushing, pulling and lifting are much easier for a person who practices good posture. Lastly, poor posture can result in abnormal development of bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and other soft-tissue. These reasons, among many others, are important to express to a client.

During an intervention with a client, I would first find out how often they sit or stand during an average day. If the client sits in a chair most of the day, I would advise they buy a chair that does not have a back to it, also known as unsupported sitting posture. For example, they could buy a balanced yoga ball so that it would require their back to sit straight up. This allows an open angle between the pelvis and thigh. If the client stands most of the day, I would go over proper ways to stand with correct posture. One way is to stand straight with the shoulders pulled backwards. Also, standing with the arms hanging naturally on the sides of the body will better a person’s posture. I would demonstrate these stances with the client, so they are aware of what it is supposed to look like. Also, I would let the client know every time they are either sitting or standing with poor posture, so they will become self-aware.

Man of the south

In the story “Man of the South”, an old man bets against a young soldier that he can light his cigarette 10 times in a row while running. If the soldier were the lose the bet, the old man would cut off his pinky finger and if he were to win the bet he would win the old man’s Cadillac. Assuming the soldier lost the bet, he would face many challenges regarding daily occupations going forward. Many believe the pinky finger is not very important, however it is significant to daily occupations such as fine motor skills and grip strength.  Since the young man is a soldier, he is required to perform many physical activities that require use of all his fingers to perform efficiently. Some physical activities the soldier must perform are pushups, pull ups and operating a gun. The main problem the soldier will face if he loses his pinky finger is grip strength. The pinky finger is incredibly important for grip strength and for opposition. The fingers align towards the scaphoid bone when making a fist, which will allow for a stronger grip to occur.

The main occupation the soldier would struggle with after losing his pinky finger would be operating a gun. Operating a gun requires tremendous grip strength. If the soldier is not able to hold the gun efficiently enough then his accuracy of his shot could be thrown off, resulting in possibly his life or someone else around him.

              One adaption the soldier would have to get used to is operating the gun minus his pinky finger. To maintain an accurate shot, the soldier would have to put in extra practice to get used to working the gun without his pinky finger. He would need to practice exercises for his fine motor skills and grip strength. Luckily for him, the middle finger is the most important part of holding the gun because that is the finger that pulls the trigger. However, the other fingers are important to because they help stabilize the gun for accurate shooting. The soldier would need to go to a shooting range and practice until he feels comfortable enough to work the gun around other people.