a young occupational therapist

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of voluntary movements with an increase in involuntary movements. This disease can show symptoms around 35 and continue on into the 40's where most are diagnosed. Symptoms commonly include chorea (jerky involuntary movements), loss of balance, falls, slurred speech, and anger outbursts. HD only affects around 37,000 Americans. There is currently no cure for HD. If you're like me, and probably most of the population, you may have heard of this disease, but have never really known anything about it that was concrete. After reading the book, Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova, I have felt an unwavering empathy for those affected by this disease. It courses its way through family generations and doesn't discriminate - children, grandchildren, male, female. Each child of someone with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation, which is why it is often called a...

All my life I've grown up watching different sports whenever my aunt was in town - basketball, baseball, football, men's, women's. It didn't matter to her, it was just a love of athletics. I also developed this love as I aged, and participated in many sports throughout my school aged years. As I continued to grow up, she would talk about specific sports, teams, and even coaches. She had a real admiration for a specific coach, Pat Summit. I mean really who can blame her though, whether you were a Tennessee fan or not, you knew greatness when you saw it. Pat was a legend. From the way she coached her players, to the way she presented herself off the court, even to her interactions with her son. She was an individual who changed the face of UT Lady Vols basketball and for all who loved the game. This is why when given a second assignment over neurological disease, I knew I had to look into the disease that affected an icon. If you don't know much about Pat (like I re...

The Cognitive-Behavioral Frame of Reference (FoR) looks at different levels of cognition and it has 5 aspects of an individual's life and states that these factors are interrelated. The following include the 5 aspects: 1. Thoughts 2. Behaviors 3. Mood/emotion 4. Physiological responses 5. Environment Each factor can improve or deteriorate the other. Also, social and physical environments play a role. The client population for this FoR has a wide range of variety from child, adolescent, adult, all the way to the elderly, and it incorporates all disabilities in a variety of settings. This FoR can be used with the Model of Human Occupation Model of Practice. A case is developed by looking at the client's problems, thinking, behavior, emotions and environements. An OT might use this FoR with a client with anxiety issues. The therapist might recommend deep breathing exercises or meditation to lower the client's anxiety levels. Some key terms include: - automatic tho...

Health literacy is something that as a student in a health field I don't really think about. Our professors have enforced the concept of relationships with your client and making sure to speak to them in ways that is comprehensible to them. But today, in my foundations class, I realized why we do that. A lot of people don't know the jargon and lingo we use when we're describing conditions and treatment. As health care providers, we need to ensure our client's understand so we know they're comfortable with treatment, understanding precautinos to take while at home, to even understanding how to take their medications correctly. It is definitely something I take for granted and hope that in the future when talking with clients I can find the way to teach them on their level while not being condescending. Healthy People 2020 can help with this goal, as well as the IHI Triple Aim. OTs can help maximize and health and well-being in their patients through education and c...