Zach Sobiech, just passed away on May 20, 2013, at the young age of 18, from a rare form of cancer. Upon discovering the terminal cancer at age 14, Zach decided not to succumb to his illness, but to live his dreams and become a rock star. Zach wrote and performed beautiful music and shared his inspiring story with the world. The following video shows Zach's incredible story and celebrates his life and the dream he made a reality.
June 6, 2013
June 5, 2013
The Goal is Improved Executive Functioning
As a caring professional, I refuse to believe that my
clients are not motivated. All of my clients
have goals or I would not be treating them.
However, their ability to achieve their goals independently remains the
reason that they require active therapy.
Previously, I wrote about executive functioning, and used the example of
moving to highlight how people with executive dysfunction may feel on a regular
basis when completing relatively simple tasks.
Treatment for executive dysfunction is as broad as it is
specific. It is broad because everyone
experiences brain injury differently, and comes into that type of trauma with
varying levels of ability to start with.
However, treating problems with executive function is really as simple
as taking a goal and breaking this down into component parts, manageable
chunks, and smaller goals within the whole.
So, returning to the moving example, assisting someone with executive
dysfunction with a pending move will involve making checklists, with
time frames, and checking on progress frequently. Personally, I like to take a project
approach: calling the goal “Operation
Move” and mapping out – start to finish – the metrics for success. Perhaps in month one an “apartment hunting
worksheet” is created to help a client summarize all the places they are
looking at, the pros / cons, address, and list of questions that need to be
answered (price, utilities included, length of lease etc.). Often I encourage my clients to use a
smartphone to take photos of the options then we cross reference these and catalog
them to keep things organized. From
there, the process continues with checklists for calls to make, addresses to
change, ways to organize packing and management of belongings. Ensuring the client is responsible for follow-up
via “homework” between sessions and holding them accountable for completion of
this aids to developing independence.
Really, the therapeutic goal is more than just ensuring the client is
able to move successfully. Rather, it is
demonstrating a model and method that can be used for any future transitions,
goals or tasks. This ensures success
that is transferable to other events at later dates.
Daily Dose of Inspiration
"I see trees of green, red roses too. I see em bloom, for me and for you. And I think to myself: what a wonderful world."
Louis Armstrong: "What a Wonderful World"
Find on iTunes
June 4, 2013
"You Only Get One Brain; Treat it Well!"
Concussions are a hot topic in sport. Yet the management of these continues to
vary. It is now felt that if someone sustains
a head injury during sports, they should not return to the game and should be checked
by a professional. Take a look at this
article about concussions and the changing guidelines for treatment. In the article, an expert, Dr. Jeffrey
Kutcher, states: "If in doubt, sit
it out," and points out the important fact that "you only get one
brain; treat it well!"
June 3, 2013
June is Brain Injury Awareness Month: How Is Your Executive Functioning?
Last month, I spoke at a conference with my colleague Tamara
Forbes (www.forbeshealth.ca) on the
topic of executive dysfunction. Executive
dysfunction is a common problem following brain injury. Simply defined, executive functions are the
capacities we require to achieve a goal.
They are commonly referred to as the “CEO” of the brain because they
provide the higher order processes that allow us to plan, organize, initiate
and complete tasks successfully.
Practically, think about the last time you moved. Moving, as an example, is a simple goal of
just wanting to relocate from one place to another. The goal is not the
problem: it is the processes and thinking required to manage the transition
effectively. Several months before
moving you are searching for a suitable place, weighing the pros and cons of
each location, checking your budget.
Then you make the decision of where to move and you need to deal with
your existing location. When do you need
to notify your landlord, or when should you list your house? Then, months and weeks before you move there are
calls to make to utility companies, mail to redirect, insurance to organize,
movers to book and packing to do. What
belongings are you moving? What should
be sold, donated, discarded? The day of
the move is chaotic, stressful, and exhausting.
Then for months after you continue to unpack, move things around, find
ways to arrange and store your stuff.
Your level of executive functioning, or your ability to
delegate and enlist support for your areas of weakness, will determine the
outcome of your move. Now imagine, with
brain injury, that you feel the same sense of stress, fatigue and frustration
with more simple daily tasks, such as planning a meal, sorting your mail, or
scheduling your time. This is often how
people with brain injury will feel on a regular basis. The goal then of occupational therapy will
be to simplify daily tasks and help a client break activities down into smaller
and more manageable chunks. More on this
to come…
Daily Dose of Inspiration
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
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