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.