Media project

The assignment I completed for this reflection was the media project. This project was unlike any project I have had before. The reason it was different was because I was randomly assigned a material and required to create an activity with the selected item. To make the assignment more challenging, I was assigned a client with a specific diagnosis to center the activity around.  I found this project beneficial because it required me to think outside of the box. At first, I was unsure what activity I could come up with using a hula hoop. The first activity I had come to mind was to create an obstacle course. However, my client is a 76-year-old female with Parkinson’s disease, so I had to quickly change my idea for safety reasons. This project made me realize that my creative skills are not as poor as I had once thought. It gave me the confidence to create an activity like I have never created before. As a future OT, it will be my job to create an activity out of anything. The “ah-ha” moment for me when completing this project was realizing I could wrap a bed sheet around a hula hoop to resemble a skirt that will also assist with lower body dressing. This was fascinating to me because it does not require many materials but will be beneficial to my client.

              Before completing this project, I did not realize that OT’s can make activities out of almost anything. For example, they make activities out of egg cartons, milk bottles, hula hoops, hot sauce bottles, etc. I knew that OT’s had to be creative and come up with activities, but I feel like this assignment opened my brain up to many different ideas for future activities. Also, I enjoyed talking to my classmates about what ideas they created. It was a fun topic to hear about what everyone came up with because of our unique materials we were assigned. I think this assignment will help me in the future because it required me to use problem-solving and creativity skills. Also, this assignment showed me a new side of what an OT does. I feel excited after completing this project because I know I have the potential to be a great OT!

neuro note 4

For my fourth neuro note, I chose to watch a TED talk on a woman whose father has frontotemporal lobe dementia. The woman in the videos name is Beth Malone and her father has had dementia for over a decade now. The video centers around how she copes with her father’s illness and her process of learning to heal. She considered bringing her father to Oregon to buy heroin and kill him. Although this sounds inhumane, her intentions were to put him out of his pain and not to murder him. Her family helped her realize that was not the best way to go about helping her father. They put him in many nursing homes until he was arrested for pulling women out of their wheelchairs. After that incident, he was kicked out of the nursing home and was moved into another facility. Eventually Beth went to go see a psychic to figure out what she needed to do to cope with the disease that was killing her father. The psychic told her that she needs to resume their roles as father and daughter. This advice really helped her learn to cope and made her more at peace with the situation.

Dementia is a very common disease among the geriatric population. Currently, my great-grandmother has dementia and I know first-hand the pain of seeing a loved one slowly losing their memory. However, optimism is very important in these types of situations. In the video, Beth expresses her struggles before she finally became at peace with what was happening to her father.  As an OT, I will have many encounters with client’s with dementia. My role will these clients will be to assist with their ADL’s and IADL’s. While I will not be able to aid in their memory loss, I will be able to assist in their independence. When working with a client that has dementia, I will also be working closely with their loved ones. I know how important it will be to be empathetic to not only the client but their family as well. I enjoyed this TED talk video because it showed a woman’s raw emotions surrounding her father’s disease. She was not trying to hide anything back and she wanted to be an aid for anyone going through the same or something like her situation.  I would recommend anyone interested in learning more about dementia watch this video!

Malone, B. (2017, June). Retrieved August 19, 2019, from https://www.ted.com/talks/beth_malone_how_my_dad_s_dementia_changed_my_idea_of_death_and_life#t-415812

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.