Skip to main content

Lou Gehrig's Battle with ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS, became well known when the former Yankee's baseball star Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with it. It only took a matter of three years for an athlete in great physical condition to be taken over by this terrible disease. ALS is a degenerative disease that takes over your body in a matter of years, until it results in death. Occupational therapy can help clients like Lou Gehrig who have ALS maintain as many ADLs as possible, while maintaining range of motion and strength. Since he was used to such a fast paced life, Lou had a very hard time adapting to a lifestyle in which he becomes fatigued very easily and finds simple tasks to be very difficult. His goals include being a NYC Parole officer for as long as possible, being able to attend Yankees baseball games to cheer on his previous teammates, and to remain as independent as possible. Because ALS is a degenerative disease, OT cannot make a huge difference in his physical well-being; however, it can optimize the functioning he has at this moment. ALS has unfortunately become more common and well known after Lou Gehrig's battle with it, but occupational therapy can help those battling this disease live as comfortably as possible for the time being.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Journal Article Review

The article I chose to review was titled  The Benefits of Group Occupational Therapy for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease. I found this article through AJOT, and chose it because I am very interested in Parkinson's Disease interventions. This study looked at how progressive physical symptoms of Parkinson's disease affect participation in activities of daily living.  The aim of the study was to see whether a group rehab program using an OT approach specifically designed for IPD, in association with ideal medical management, could maintain the functional status of these patients.  A two group experimental design was used in this study. Individuals with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving group occupational therapy intervention, or a control group receiving only medicinal treatment.  Immediately after randomization, the  experimental group received 10 sessions of group occupational therapy....
Post a Comment
Read more

Fighting ALS with Assistive Technology (Neuro Note 4)

I decided to do my fourth neuro note on an article involving assistive technology because I am very intrigued by the world of adaptive equipment and all that it has to offer. I stumbled upon an article from FoxNews Health titled " Device gives man with ALS ability to write novel, produce music." This article stood out to me after learning more about ALS and what a tragic disease it is, progressing in the body until you can no longer live on your own.  This article is about a man named Kip Jackson and how a device called the Tobii Dynavox I-15 has helped him have a more fulfilling life as he copes with the progression of ALS. This device was released in 2013 and is for clients with severe communication problems. It allows individuals to live more independently and happily. The  Tobii Dynavox I-15  can be turned on by looking at it through a program called "Wake on Gaze." This keeps the client from  needing assistance from a caregiver. This device also ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brain Injuries and Heartbreaks

In today's class we began to learn about traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries. Brain injuries can be caused by a variety of factors and can affect a victim in numerous ways. It can be very difficult to work with a brain injury patient because oftentimes they do not show physical symptoms, but instead emotional, social, and/or cognitive symptoms. It is fascinating to me how a brain injury can completely change a person's personality, however; this is what also makes this type of injury most traumatic for the loved ones of the victim. When you have a loved one who has suffered from a brain injury, it is possible that he or she is altogether not the same person you have always known. Though physically they may look the same, they are not emotionally or socially the person you loved before. We listened to a podcast before class about a nurse named Dawn who was attacked by a hospital patient, resulting in a TBI. The would lash out in frustrating situations and also had terribl...
Post a Comment
Read more