Dr. Remy Hadley was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD) in 2007. Even though her mother died from HD, Dr. Hadley did not want to be tested, but suspected that she had inherited the gene. In 2008 she noticed tremors and now is in the beginning stages of HD. Her symptoms include issues such as increased upper extremity tremors, minimal memory problems, and impaired coordination. Challenges and barriers that she is currently dealing with include issues eating, drinking, balancing, tripping, and coordinating fine motor skills. Dr. Hadley is determined to continue her current life of working in the hospital, exercising, and maintaining her independence as long as possible. OT intervention wants to focus on decreasing energy expenditure, such as giving her a recording device for documentation purposes, and finding other adaptive strategies that will aid her in her independent living.
The older I have grown the more I have seen the crippling effects of societal mindsets. Simply looking at the various changes in roles of women, men, children, and races has revealed the side effects of societal norms. From working on plantations without rights to their own bodies to finally becoming integrated and viewed as equal, African Americans have suffered the stigma associated with their race. Alongside this is the issue of women's rights and their desires to become involved in the workforce. Over time and gradual mindset changes equality and rights have been achieved, but I believe the real issue behind societal expectations can be found in the definitions of words and how they are used. Aimee Mullins does an incredible job emphasizing the importance of word definitions and how they are used in her Ted Talks about the demeaning impact of the word "disabled" to refer to an individual with special needs. By reading the synonyms listed with this...
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