Locus of Control

When I did the Rotter Locus of Control test, I got a 10 out of 23. So, relatively on the lower end and more of an internal locus of control. Internal locus of control is when you believe that you yourself have control over the outcomes and events in life, rather than an external locus of control which means that people believe external forces and things other than their control are what control the outcomes of life. Locus of control is one dimension of core self-evaluations; along with locus of control, there are also other dimensions such as neuroticism, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. I did not know this, and it is interesting to me because it does give a very solid look at how a person views themselves and how they approach adversities and complications they may face throughout life. An internal locus of control will drive someone to believe that they must take responsibility for their actions and whatever happens following them, whereas someone with an external locus of control would blame things such as luck, the work of other people, or other circumstances going on around them.

I think my score of 10/23 was a very good representation of myself. I believe that you are responsible for the way your life turns out. You have a brain and you have morals, and it is up to you to make the decisions and choices that affect your life. I do understand, that there are external forces that can affect you. I believe a sickness in the family can affect how your life unfolds; I have seen this happen to my best friend and I know it happens to a lot of people. I believe that there is bad luck, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and things change from how you may have planned for things to go. I was always taught growing up that life isn’t fair and that if you want something you are responsible for getting it. I think growing up with that mantra from my Daddy has helped me get to where I am and has led to my more internal locus of control. While things from the outside can affect me, it is ultimately up to me to make of it what I can and get to where I want to be.

Peds SIM Reflection

I feel like, overall, my encounter went okay. There were definitely some areas where I could have improved. I feel like I went through all of my information quick and maybe didn't give myself enough time to really see if she understood what I was saying. She seemed very nervous and I don't feel like I addressed her feelings maybe as much as I should have.

If I could go back and do something differently, I would try to be more understanding when she seemed like she was about to cry. I also would have maybe brought up her constantly checking her phone, now that I have had time to reflective about how I would address it.

Two ways you can show a caring attitude towards your client is by being aware of your positioning and allowing them time to express their feelings and validating their feelings so they know they have been heard. Positioning is very important; making sure you are making eye contact and your body language shows that you are engages and interested. No slumping or body being turned away from the client because these automatically make the client feel as if you are not listening to them. Validating their feelings and actually listening to them is also very important. giving them time to express their concerns and frustrations and maybe let them vent to you is important for building a therapeutic relationship. It is also important to let them know that it is okay for them to be experiencing the feelings they are feeling, and that they should not be ashamed. Doing these things shows them that you care about them and their feelings and that they are not just another "patient."

I think I will take from this lab more about how emotional it can be working with a family. I feel like now that I have been exposed to it, I feel more confident in that situation for when I experience that in  practice. I know it is something I need to work on, but I feel better now that I have had a dry run with it and can see where I need to focus on improvement.

Neuro Note #4

My Conscious Decision

MamaJama · May 31, 2018. (n.d.). My Conscious Decision. Retrieved from    https://multiplesclerosis.net/stories/my-conscious-decision/

This blog post was written by a woman who is experiencing life dealing with multiple sclerosis. She talks about how during this 11 years of her diagnosis, she can tell you all of the things she has lost and what the disease has taken from her. However, she is so positive about it. She mentions how she doesn't want to dwell on what her life could have been or what she could have been doing because she knows nothing in life happens on accident. She takes her set backs and uses them as stepping stones. She mentions how she has learned what is important is to be genuine, smile at people and tell them that you love them because everyone deserves to be and feel loved. She wrote this post the night before her 45th birthday. She says that on this journey, she isn't taking anything that weighs her down. She wants memories and laughter and chocolate. 

I chose this because, like the other posts I have written about, she is positive and her outlook on life while dealing with a disease that is crippling is so positive. She focuses on the good; she is happy and while she can't do everything she used to do, she isn't useless. She isn't carrying the burden of "what if" around. It is really just so important to me to see people with a positive attitude. I like to think I am a positive person, and I would really hope that I would have the same sunshine-y attitude.

I think what I learned from this post greatly reflected what we had learned in lecture about multiple sclerosis. She doesn't mention which type of MS she has, but from the way she talks she never recovers to baseline. She has lost sensation on one side, she has problems with vision on one side and can no longer walk unassisted without a walker. one thing that really struck me was how she can't handle the heat anymore. I think that is interesting and I would want to know if she can't handle the heat from the disease and its affects or from the medications she has to help with symptoms from the MS. I would recommend this article to anyone, honestly. It is just a moving and uplifting post that just goes to show that even in the bad times, you can still be optimistic. 

Media Project Reflection

I think the most meaningful thing I learned through this assignment was just the endless amount of ways you could take something as meaningless as an empty soda bottle and turn it into something beneficial for someone. I also think it is amazing to see just how many ways you can fit an item to a person in relations to their diagnosis, their needs, and who they are as a person.

I didn't realize before this assignment just how complex a diagnosis can be and just how specific an occupational therapist really has to focus on when planning interventions. Barbara, my client, not only had less strength in her upper and lower body, but also fatigued easily. When it came to designing an intervention, that was something I had to consider was that she fatigued easily and couldn't be up standing and moving around for a long period of time. It is like a puzzle and you are trying to make that last piece fit in; you have to figure out the "just right challenge."

Completing this assignment made me really feel like I was in the mindset of an occupational therapist. I really felt my OT think kick in when I was thinking of the different ways to use a plastic soda bottle. Making it into a craft, which was something that she enjoyed doing, and turning the empty bottle into a flowerpot that could be enjoyed by not just herself but also her family was a way to address her goals and do something that kept her interest. I think this assignment helped me shift my headspace into thinking of an OT more so than just a student.

Neuro Note #3

From high school to nursing home: 20-year-old learns to cope with fatal disease

Sioux City Journal
siouxcityjournal.com

This was a post made online in the Sioux City Journal about a young girl, Desiree Buettner, who began showing the symptoms of Huntington's disease at 18 years old. Her mom passed away form Huntington's when she was only 26 years old. Even though Desiree knew that there was a good chance she would get the disease, it still left her feeling depressed when having to cope with the symptoms at such a young age. She had to move into a skilled nursing facility because she needs so much assistance with tasks such as grooming and she even has difficulty talking. The staff has done a lot to make her feel comfortable inside the home, because she is by far the youngest resident. They made a bucket list with her and have been doing things on it like going to Disney World. Her room is decorated with posters and she has video games to play that not only entertain her, but it also keeps her hands and fingers moving and working those fine motor muscles. It mentions how she couldn't play sports because she was so clumsy (from the Huntington's) and she never got the opportunity to graduate high school. That is a big lifestyle change for a 20 year old girl, especially a young girl who knows her fate, but she is taking it in stride and dealing with it in the best way possible.

I chose this post because this girl is not that much younger than me. I know how much I have gotten to experience since high school and the opportunities I have had to be out on my own and learn and try new things. For her, this isn't an option. She can't be "out on her own." I just relate to it because I couldn't imagine, at my age, to have to live in a skilled nursing facility. I have spent a lot of time in SNFs, and they are not an environment for a young girl. 

What I learned most through reading this is how these types of diseases do not care. They present in someone when they want and how they want. This girl, who knew what her odds of developing this disease were, didn't even get to finish out high school before it took over to the point of where she needed assistance with almost everything. I also think it is interesting that her mom had juvenile Huntington's as well. While we know the this disease is a family disease, I was surprised to see that Desiree also presented with juvenile Huntington's since the disease usually doesn't present until the 30s. I also learned how important it is to have such a big support system; whether that be family, caregivers, or friends it is important to have people around you that care and want to help you experience all that life can offer when what is inevitable is known. The staff at her skilled nursing facility took her to Disney World because she didn't have the chance to go before. they rode rides and stood in lines for hours so she could get pictures with all of the Disney princesses because that is what SHE wanted to do. I think it is special to see that there are people willing to go to that extremes to help people and put a smile on someone's face.

Neuro Note #2

Ray's Little Ride
One Year

Rayslittleride. (2016, May 24). One Year. Retrieved from https://rayslittleride.com/2015/12/16/one-  year/

t    This blog post was written by a man who is telling his story of how his life is 1 year after the diagnosis of ALS. He talks about how he went from delivering babies and being on call at work to having to switch to strictly clinical work and then quitting altogether due to symptoms from his diagnosis. He went from being an outdoorsman hiking and adventuring to needing help getting dressed. he discusses how he is much slower now. He mentioned how he used to always have to wait on his wife to get ready whenever they went out, but now even if he starts getting ready before her she is still ready before him. His world flipped upside in less than a year. He discussed how hard it was for him to tell people. He didn't even know what to say and he has trouble saying "I have ALS." Everyone reacts different to being told about the diagnosis; some of his family blatantly ignored it and said they weren't going to deal with it until they had to while others didn't really understand what ALS was and had to research it before calling back being completely off-beaten by it. He talked about how they were having to modify and make adaptions not just to his clothing, but also their house. They lived in an old house that didn't have a bathroom downstairs. Installing a lift chair was too expensive, so they were having to see how they could make other adaptations for him to be able to be bathed ad showered since the stairs were beginning to be out of the question for him. 

     It amazes me his positivity and strength he shows throughout his blog post about facing this disease. The mental aspect is such an important part in any progressive disease like this, that has no cure. He ends his post by saying that despite everything, he is still standing. He might be a little bruised and beaten now, but he is still standing. His outlook on his life is remarkable; he sees it as a new adventure everyday that they have to face. I think an attitude like that is what keeps people like him fighting and carrying on, despite the fate they have been dealt.

     I chose this because I think it is so important to see positivity and light in something others see as dim and hopeless. His outlook of facing every day head on as a new challenge to face and overcome is so special. it is an attitude I would hope I would have if I were ever to be in a circumstance such as him. we are all dealt cards in life and we have to play that hand. I just hope that I can play my hand as optimistically as Ray.

      In this post you could see the deficits the disease was starting to leave Ray with. He no longer could dress himself and needed adaptive clothing to make dressing as easy as possible. You could see his physical health decline throughout his story of a year of his diagnosis. Also, you could see how quickly the disease progressed with him. His diagnosis was in the end of December and he already had to leave his job by the next August. Also, you could see the family dynamic that is in Ray's life. His family was there around him to help and comfort him and you can see how that has helped him throughout this process. Hearing something from a first hand experience always makes it more personal and you get a deeper understanding of how the disease plays a role in the daily life of someone. It isn't just words on paper anymore, it is someone who is a father, husband and friend.

Neuro Note #1

How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's.

Ted Talk Video

Shaikh, A. (2012, June). How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_how_i_m_preparing_to_get_alzheimer_s?referrer=playlist-the_fight_against_alzheimer_s#t-355912

I watched a Ted Talk video given by Alanna Shaikh on how she is preparing to get Alzheimer's disease. Because she is currently living with her father fighting this disease, she has personal insight along with knowledge of it and the effects it has on the people who are diagnosed with it and the people who care for them.

I chose this Ted Talk because my great-grandmother has Alzheimer's disease and I have seen wha tit has done to her over the years. It is scary how much this disease can really take from you and this video grabbed my attention because Alzheimer's does run in families. I loved the idea of a powerful and positive approach to the fact that Alzheimer's is a big possibility for her, as it is me.

In this video, Alanna goes on to talk about the statistics of how prevalent Alzheimer's is and what the number is expected to be by 2030 (70 million). She talks about how she has watched her dad essentially disappear over a decade. While most people automatically associate Alzheimer's disease with the cognitive deficits that develop, there are also physical deficits that also create more difficulty for these people. Physically they lose balance and because of falls, they begin to live a more sedentary lifestyle out of fear. The people who most often had pretty active lifestyles before begin to fear being active because they are scared to fall. This, along with the well known cognitive issues, leave people basically in a shell of a man. Alanna knows that she is at a greater risk because of the family history, but instead of being in denial or trying to do everything under the sun to prevent the disease from coming, she made a list of things to help her prepare for when and if she is diagnosed. She is already doing the things the doctors all recommend, being physical active everyday and eating healthy. However, she extended upon that to make sure that she was as prepared as she could be. She is changing her hobbies, improving her physical strength, and working on being a better person.

Hobbies. It can be anything from reading, relaxing with tv, or being out working in a garden or cooking. When Alzheimer's begins, a lot of those abilities are lost. So, she is working on hobbies that she would still be able to do if she were to be diagnosed. Because the more things her hands are used to doing now, it will be easier for her to do them and enjoy them when her brain is no longer working normally. She has started incorporating exercise that improves her balance like tai chi and yoga. That way, when she starts to lose her balance she will still be able to be mobile. Lastly, she is working on being a better person. She said her father was always kind and loving, and she was never as loving as him. Because her dad has always been so kind and pure, it makes it easier to be around him now when it seems that he isn't the same Dad. She wants a heart so loving a pure, that once it is stripped by dementia and Alzheimer's her heart will shine through like her father's.

She mentions that the monster is going to get you if it wants you. It doesn't matter how great of a person or how smart you are. If Alzheimer's wants to get you, then it will. Her father was bilingual and a college professor, and it still got him. She wants to be prepared to face the monster head on if it comes to that. She wants to be prepared.

The way Alanna Shaikh looks at life is so important. We have learned so often that a person's outlook and determination is a big part of dealing with a neurological disorder like this. She is already getting ready; she is facing it with a smile on her face and a card in her back pocket because she doesn't want it to destroy her like her father. I think that is a great way to look at it. There is no denial that it won't effect her. She knows the possibility. She knows that statistics. She is ready.