Liz Burton MOT/S

 My client has suffered a complete C7 Spinal Cord Injury resulting in loss of sensation in everything distal to injury level, as well as flaccid paralysis of both upper and lower extremities. The client wears a Halo Brace, only tolerates up to 10 minutes of upright sitting, and requires maximum assistance for ADL’s, transfers, and mobility.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNdUOrYphg8 Reflection A few values my client holds important include his wife and family, his small business, and his Korean culture. His concerns include understanding his injury and outcomes, and he expresses this with his major frustration. One of the goals he has is to provide for his family and regain strength and independence needed to be discharged to a rehabilitative hospital.  With all of this in mind, I wanted to focus my OT intervention on body positioning, mental health promotion, and client/caregiver education. By using a sturdy, laminated manila folder and metal clip, I am to provide a ba...

In this TedTalk, Kristen Powers talks about her personal experience with Huntington's Disease, and how it has shaped her outlook on life and how she chooses to pursue living it to the fullest.  (Click here to watch)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6JiBiMqiI4 Kristen speaks about her mom's experience with Huntington's, and gives the analogy of if someone was to combine Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, Alzheimer's, ALS, and Bipolar Disorder, you would get some kind of variation of HD. Huntington's Disease is a genetic and progressive neurological disease that results in the inability to walk and communicate. To learn more facts about HD, click the link below: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-huntingtons-disease I think it is important to not only acknowledge the stress and burden the individual diagnosed with Huntington's Disease faces, but also the caregiver's future responsibilities and emotions as well. Kristen touches on a very sensitive subjec...

 Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes shaking, stiffness, and problems with coordination.  Here are some of the quick facts:  Parkinson’s Disease affects more men than women  One of the main risk factors includes an increase in age, especially the ages of 60 and above  Occurs when the neurons responsible for movement die or become impaired  There is no cure, however, medications, surgery, and/or therapies can be beneficial for symptoms  Parkinson’s Disease results in trouble producing neurotransmitters such as Dopamine and Norepinephrine  Now that we have covered the basics, here are 10 extra resources available to learn more about Parkinson’s Disease: For a brief overview of the disease, and to gain basic knowledge, click here:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease Click here to learn more about the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkin...

Since beginning OT school, the field of assistive and adaptive technology, along with the development of numerous creative softwares, has continually amazed me. I am in awe of the ways people work to bring independence and unique opportunities to the lives of individuals with disabilities. There truly is nothing like witnessing someone  use their technology to showcase unique abilities and talent. The Ted  Talk linked below features a young man with Cerebral Palsy who uses technology to create and develop music. https://www.ted.com/talks/tod_machover_dan_ellsey_inventing_instruments_that_unlock_new_music#t-551473 Cerebral Palsy is caused by an abnormality or injury during brain development, and usually occurs in children before birth. CP can affect the whole body, or only partial limbs and can include the following symptoms: High or low muscle tone Spasticity Ataxia, which we have learned in class, means problems with movement and coordination  Rigidity  Inv...

In order to learn more about the brain and it's role in social isolation, I watched the TedxMidAtlantic Talk with Rachel Wurzman. She focuses on a specific area of the brain, the striatum, which she believes helps us better understand our body's habits and urges when social isolation begins to take its toll on our overall well-being. The striatum is an area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement and control. Studies have shown that the striatum actually contains neurons which are related to our movement and reward, more specifically, our social interaction and the internal reward that comes as a result. Rachel goes on to explain the many different social isolation situations that can severely impact our need for reward such as social media comparison and trouble connecting with others because of physical differences. However, due to current events, my mind couldn't help but relate everything she spoke about with COVID-19 and social distancing. (We will circle ba...

One word I can use to summarize the TEDx Talk (TEDxDalhousieU) with Sanford Hare is: GRATITUDE.  Sanford was simply a teenager, entering into his last year of high school when he suddenly woke up one night with a tingling sensation in both his feet and hands. This tingling continued and escalated into severe pain and weakness to the point he couldn’t even lift his hands over his head. Immediately, his parents rushed him to the ER where diagnostic imaging tests such as CT Scans, X-Rays, and a Spinal Tap were used to reveal he had Guillain Barre Syndrome.  Guillain Barre Syndrome is a rare, autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the Peripheral Nervous System, which is responsible for controlling movement and sensation. I was eager to learn more about some of the specifics of this syndrome, so I visited the CDC’s website and examined the risk factors associated with GBS. I learned that only 1 in 100,000 individuals have GBS and that it is more prevalent in men...

A Social Determinant of Health is what you do and live everyday that directly impacts your health. Many times, we are unaware of how our environment shapes our overall health, therefore, the conditions worsen or go unresolved. For example, in the TED Talk, a patient named Veronica was asked about her home situation and whether or not she had mold, insects, and/or water leaks. After admitting to all three issues, Dr. Manchanda was able to conclude her chronic allergies and migraines were a direct result from her living situation and environment. With the help of a community specialist, they were able to do what they could to help relieve the symptoms by altering from home. In return, her chronic symptoms improved and even helped with her children’s asthma, creating an improved overall mental state for the whole family as well. Social Determinants of Health play a huge role not only in our physical health, but our cognitive/mental health as well. If an individual is living in a dangero...