Katlyn Dupree's Blog

Here's my my video! ttps://youtu.be/B8MzeYILGcU

Hearing about doing the media projects on syllabus day filled me with anxious anticipation. I have never been the most creative person, so I immediately dreaded this project. After reading my case study and receiving my object the wheels in my brain started turning. I am the type of person once I get something stuck in my head it is hard for me to start looking at it in a different way, but I tried my hardest not to do that on this project. So with that said, here is a little about my media project. My client is an 83-year old married man named Maurice. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease ten years ago. He also has bilateral cataracts, which gives him extremely poor vision. The material I picked was a pair of gloves of any kind. I decided to focus on Maurice's social interaction and the wellbeing that comes with being socially active. Because of his PD Maurice has to deal with mask-like facial expressions, which means he cannot express his emotions using facial expression...

For my fourth and final Neuro Note, I had the opportunity to watch a Memphis Rollin Grizzlies basketball practice. It was truly a privilege to witness their tenacity and athleticism. For those who do not know, the Rollin Grizzlies are a part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). I was amazed the entire time I watched them play. It was absolutely incredible to see their skill and love for the game.  Once I got home from the practice I researched a little more about the eligibility requirements. Players must have a permanent physical disability of the lower extremities that keeps them from performing "running" basketball as able bodied players. There are different functional classifications that the players are categorized by. This all has to do with their level of injury if they have a spinal cord injury or is categorized by the functional control they have of their lower limbs and trunk. The higher the classification number the higher independence and move...

For my third neuro note, I read an article titled, "Ot's Role in Helping Grandkids Understand Dementia." I really enjoyed this article, and I think it is important for anyone, especially those who have a family member, who has any type of neurodegenerative disease, to read. This article shares the personal story of woman named, Kathryn Harrison, whose mother had dementia. Kathryn found a great way to teach her children what was going on with their grandmother, and why she had started acting so strange. Kathryn compared dementia to weeds in a garden, which is a great and understandable metaphor for younger children to comprehend why their grandparent is no longer the same. I chose this article for my neuro note because the title fascinated me, and I was interested in a good way to deal with children, who are just too young to really understand what is fully going on with family members, who have a neurodegenerative disease. These diseases are hard enough for adults to und...

    References for pictures    BioVoice News Desk. (2016, November 10). Venkateshwar Group sets up West Delhi's largest hospital. Retrieved from         https://www.biovoicenews.com/venkateshwar-group-sets-up-west-delhis-largest-hospital/    Classical school building and school bus isolated on white background. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.123rf.com/photo_43946412_stock-vector-classical-school-building-and-school-bus-isolated-on-white-background.html   Deer Hill School. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cohassetk12.org/domain/396   Down Syndrome Physical Therapy, Down Syndrome Occupational Therapy, Down Syndrome Speech and Language Therapy | Omaha, NE. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dsamidlands.org/new-parents/pt-ot-slp.html J Johnson, K., & Johnson, K. J. (2015, May 06). A day in the life of an occupational therapist. Retrieved from https://inside.akronchildre...

For my second Neuro Note I watched a TED Talk titled, Parkinson's, depression, and the switch that might turn them off. Andres Lozano, a Neuro Surgeon, explains in his TED Talk how it could be possible to use deep brain stimulation to excite the areas of the brain affected in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression, and dystonia. This TED Talk made me really excited for the future of this procedure. I can see deep brain stimulation helping many people in the future. I recommend this TED Talk to anyone who is even a little interested in neuroscience, because it was really interesting. Dr. Lozano used a few examples of this study throughout his presentation. The first example he uses is of a woman who has Parkinson's disease. This lady had uncontrollable tremors that made it almost impossible for her to touch her nose and then touch the doctor's finger. The deep brain stimulation was then applied to her motor functioning cortex and immedia...

I really enjoyed reading Inside the Obriens  by Lisa Genova. I have heard of HD before, but I never really knew how awful this disease really is until learning about it in Neuro aspects. This book is a great representation of HD, and the repercussions this awful disease has on a family dynamic. This book really hit close to home for me because my dad is a Memphis police officer, and Joe Obrien, who is the father diagnosed with HD, is a Boston police officer. I think this helped me empathize with the family a little more than I would have otherwise. Reflecting on my thoughts of the book the thing that struck me the most was the progression of Katie's and Joe's relationship. Katie always felt less than her sister Meghan, so I think it was important for her to develop this special relationship with her dad during this tough time. Towards the end of the book Joe started doing yoga with Katie, and this time together meant so much to both of them. My greatest take away from this book...