Allie Calhoun, a character from the beloved movie, "The Notebook," winds up developing Alzheimers disease. Not only does she forget her loved ones (especially her grandkids), but she also experiences Sundowner's Syndrome where she changes to anger and frustration when the sun goes down. OT services will aim at helping create a schedule and routine for her to engage fully in activities which she loves, such as painting and playing the piano. Focusing on maintaining a schedule will hopefully reduce her confusion and panic. Also, the schedule will be sure to incorporate time where she can spend doing the activities she has always loved to do. OT should also focus on caregiver education as Allie's husband, Noah, is intimately involved in her care. Integrating family involvement and investing in their health is key in this situation in order to help Allie be involved in activities that bring meaning to her life.
Today we talked about Stephen Hawking, renown scientist and lecturer, and his fight with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The incredible thing about him is that while he now is completely dependent on the help of others, he is still pursuing his passion of writing, science and speaking. While he is dependent on a tracheotomy for breathing functions and cannot actually speak, he has found ways to communicate and live life to the fullest. In fact, Assistive Technology (AT) has helped him to communicate by use of cheek movements in selecting words and phrases on a computer. Even though his AT has helped, Hawking's therapy should focus on continued effort to find the most advanced AT and adaptive equipment so that his continued loss of function will not impede his ability to pursue his desires and interests. Goals for OT involve training caregivers on how to us AT, discovering new techniques and methods to incorporate in his daily life, and helping him to f...
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