Neuro Note #4

For my fourth neuro note, I watched a TED Talk by Alanna Shaikh titled How I’m Preparing to get Alzheimer’s. In her speech, Alanna Shaikh tells the story of her father, a very bright college professor who is now affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s affects 35 million individuals globally and is set to reach 70 million people by the year 2030. Shaikh describes the two typical responses to the disease: denial or prevention. We, as humans, either think “this won’t happen to me” or we believe that we can prevent it, thinking “this disease won’t catch me because I’m going to ward it off.” Shaikh offers a third reaction – preparing to get Alzheimer’s Disease. She recognizes that nothing (not eating right, exercising nor increasing mind activity) is proven to completely prevent the condition.

Alanna Shaikh explained her three tactics in preparing to get Alzheimer’s: changing what she does for fun, increasing her physical strength and balance, and becoming a better person. In changing what she does for fun, Shaikh is creating a habit out of familiar, open-ended, hands-on leisurely activities. For example, painting, origami, and knitting. This way, she will be able to maintain her leisurely habits should she get Alzheimer’s. She is training her hands how to do these activities so that she will have more fun activities to do if/when she develops Alzheimer’s and her brain is unable to entertain her.

Shaikh’s second method in preparation to get Alzheimer’s is to increase her physical strength and balance. She explains that many individuals with Alzheimer’s become afraid to more in fear of falling and becoming injured. Shaikh’s thought process is that if she has more strength and balance, gained through weight bearing exercise done in the present, she can feel confident longer in her mobility.

Shaikh’s third method is becoming a better person. She explained that when he became affected with Alzheimer’s Disease, her father lost his intellect, his sense of humor, and his ability to communicate verbally. Even without these aspects of his personality, the love he has for those around him made caregivers enjoy time with him. As Shaikh said, “his naked heart still shines.”  Shaikh strives to have this same quality, so that if/when she becomes dependent on caregivers, she, too, can be a ray of light for those around her.

I chose this topic because Alzheimer’s Disease affects so many individuals and that number is rapidly growing. The worst part is, as Alanna Shaikh mentioned, is that we cannot do anything to prevent it or ward it off. I think it is extremely adaptive and “OT-ish” of her to change her habits and ways of living so that she can be happier if/when she gets Alzheimer’s. I believe that if more individuals looked at progressive diseases like Shaikh does, the diseases would become less of a looming doom and more of an obstacle that can be worked around. Life can still be enjoyed, even with a neurological condition. And that is a very important message. Much of dealing with neurological conditions, for both the person affected as well as the family and caregivers, is the mindset. A positive outlook of the situation can cause a big difference.

In addition to benefiting her life in the future, Shaikh’s tactics will mostly likely benefit her current life. Physical exercise has countless benefits and we all can stand to be a bit of a better person. While changing what she does for fun might not directly improve her current life, it is an opportunity to learn a new task and bond with others over it, which has many cognitive and social benefits. While I do not currently worry about my chances of getting Alzheimer’s Disease, Shaikh’s method and thought process are inspiring and transferable to all walks of life.

References:

Shaikh, A. (2012, June). Alanna Shaikh: How I’m Preparing to get Alzheimer’s. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/    

Media Project: Pipe Cleaner Putt-Putt

The most significant thing that I learned from this assignment is that any household item can be used as a tool for occupational therapy. At first, I was very concerned that I would not be able to transform pipe cleaners into a therapeutic intervention. But all it takes is some creativity and investment in the client, and it is, in fact, possible. While some items may be more useful to certain clients than others, it does not take a lot of money or fancy equipment to create activities for clients to engage in.

            Because of this project, I am much more confident in myself as far as picking/creating interventions for my future clients. I had originally assumed that there is a set “tool box” of activities and interventions for each type of client. But through OT school (and especially through this assignment), I have learned that that is not the case. Each client is unique and may require a slightly different intervention from the last. This is one of the many reasons I love this career.

            Looking into the rest of OT school and my future career, I am excited to utilize my newfound confidence and “OT-creativity” to create new and innovative methods of engaging my clients. I now know that I can take any ordinary item and convert it into a therapeutic tool.

See pictures of my project below!

My Memphis Rolliln' Grizzlies Experience

            Last night, our class had the privilege to watch a Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies wheelchair basketball team practice. This experience was truly enlightening and these athletes have my utmost respect. In talking with the coach, we learned a little about each of the players, the rules of the game and how they differ from “normal” basketball, and other unique aspects of the game. For instance, each player is given a score based on his degree of injury. The higher the score, the lower the degree of injury. For example, a player with a single leg amputation who does not have any balance issues would have a higher score than a player with a lumbar spinal cord injury who struggles with balance. At any point in a game, there is a limit to team’s total scores of the players. This way, one team cannot have an unfair advantage because all of their players have very minor injuries while the other team has very severe injuries. I thought that this was a very interesting and important rule to keep the games fair and safe.

            One thing that I believe surprised all of us was that some of the players do not need a wheelchair or adaptive equipment when they are not playing the game. Two of the players walked into and out of the game. This is because their ability to walk has not been compromised, but it is not safe for them to play “normal” basketball because it could be life threatening should their spine get injured. This is a concept I had not considered before this experience.

            My final take away from this practice is that shooting a basketball from a wheelchair is much more difficult that shooting from standing. After practice, the players were kind enough to let us sit in their wheelchairs and try out the game. While the chairs were easier to maneuver than an average wheelchair, because they were made to be agile in athletic events, shooting the basketball was a different story. I had never thought about how much we use our legs and hips in shooting a basketball. When you are seated, all of that leverage and “umph” is gone. I found myself trying to jump while I was seated which, clearly, did not work. Not only are you further away from the basket, you are relying solely on your arms to shoot the ball. And I was sitting stationary in the middle of the court without anyone attempting to take the ball away! I am so thankful for this experience and I have the greatest admiration for wheelchair sports everywhere!