Neuro Note #4

            For the final neuro note, I watched the movie The Fundamentals of Caring found on Netflix. I had heard from multiple classmates that this movie was a great watch and would be perfect for a neuro note, so I listened to their suggestion. They were not wrong. The Fundamentals of Caring is a movie about an 18 year-old named Trevor who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and his caretaker, Ben. Trevor is bound to a wheelchair due to his disability, so he needs a full time caretaker to assist him with toileting, dressing, grooming, and more. The movie begins with Trevor trying to scare Ben away by making his job seem impossible, but Ben shows that he is not there to be scared off and wants this job. Ben did not know much about caretaking and knew nothing about DMD, but quickly learned what it took to fulfill this role. As he learns, Ben realizes that Trevor is living too much of his life in fear and indoors, and comes up with the idea to take a road trip to see parts of the world that Trevor has been wanting to see but never actually got the courage to do. The mother quickly warns Ben that traveling with Trevor is impossible because of all of the equipment and management needed. Ben proves her wrong, though, and makes it known that Trevor is able to travel and should be traveling. Ben kept track of the medicines and equipment Trevor needed to survive and made sure that every location had a handicap-friendly entrance. I liked this message because many people with illnesses or disabilities may think that they cannot do what other people can just because of their limitations. Before this movie, I did not know much about Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We talked about the term muscular dystrophy before, but I had not heard of this specific type. I like that this is a movie on Netflix that anyone can watch, but it also teaches the viewer about this disability.

Over the course of the movie, Ben and Trevor, two lonely and unhappy people, end up finding friendship and happiness with the other person. While they may be an unlikely pair, they are honest and caring towards each other and it allows for them to create a strong bond. This movie is both educational and comical, drawing in viewers that may not be watching this to mainly learn about a disability. I would definitely recommend this movie to my classmates. Although we are done with neuro notes, it is still a great learning opportunity about a disability that we may work with in the future.

Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies

Going to the Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies practice was such an exciting experience. I was not sure what to expect beforehand, so I went in with an open mind just hoping to see something new. Right away, the players were kind and open to talking to us. When they came over to take a group picture, some of the players thanked us for coming. I was kind of shocked they thanked us because we were the ones crashing their practice! We immediately said no, thank you and told them how much we appreciate being able to watch this. Watching the actual game was very intense. They were just as aggressive and agile as any athlete I have ever seen, but in a different way, of course. I was very appreciative that the older gentleman that seemed like the he was in charge of the team came over and explained the rules to us since they are a little different than regular basketball rules. The skill it takes to be successful in wheelchair basketball is so crazy. After they played their game, we were able to sit in their chairs and try it out. I was surprised that I was able to make turns in the wheelchair fairly easily but once I added a basketball to it, it was very difficult. The power it takes to be able to get the ball into the hoop from a seated position is very great. I had to try many times before actually making a basket. While we were in their chairs, the athletes stayed around to answer any questions we may have. They were very sweet and wanted us to learn as much as we could. This was such a cool experience that I am so glad we could all be a part of. It has given me such a strong appreciation for those athletes and what they do.

Media Project

This media project was definitely one of the more difficult assignments that we have had this semester for me. I spent a large majority of the week leading up to this assignment brainstorming ideas both by myself and with classmates. I had a difficult time thinking of something to use the newspaper for that would benefit Joe that was also client centered. Once I was told to try and focus on what he can do, rather than what he cannot do, I read the case study closer and noticed that it talked about needing set up for grooming. I decided to try and make an item that would allow Joe to get ready for the day and perform his grooming independently. Newspaper is a fairly flimsy object, so I thought that using paper mache with my newspaper would allow me to build an item sturdy enough for Joe to use it to store all of his grooming necessities.

Before this assignment, we had talked in class about adaptive equipment and the idea of making interventions out of random objects, but we had not actually done it ourselves. This assignment got us thinking more than ever because we had to read a case study and use an assigned object to come up with an intervention. If it had lacked either of the two parts, this assignment would have required way less thinking and adapting. Since I specifically had to use Joe and newspaper, it definitely challenged how well I can think of interventions. Now after completing the assignment, I think that I have learned to not focus on the negative aspects of someone’s ability, but also look at the positives. I have seen my classmates create new interventions with their items as well, and that has also made me think more and more about different possibilities for this project.

This assignment has changed the way I will think for other assignments in the future. As said before, not just focusing on what the client cannot do, but also what he can do. I used this project as a means and an end, while many of my classmates use it as a means. My mindset was focusing on the means because that is what most people were talking about, but this assignment has taught me that everything is unique and mine can be completely different than theirs and still be just as correct. Joe wants to be independent in his ADLs and iADLs, and creating a box that will store all of his necessities for grooming will help him be able to get ready in the morning without any assistance, since everything will be in one place ready for him.