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

Leadership Summit Reflection

I met with my fellow classmates Rachel Scarbrough, Emily White, and Caitlyn White for my leadership summit. We discussed our ideas and current plans for group facilitation, as well as the theories that we based our protocols on. Rachel is presenting on budgeting, Emily is presenting on volunteer opportunities, and Caitlyn is presenting on care of pets. I enjoyed getting to hear their ideas since we all are facilitating different group discussions. Brainstorming with my classmates really helped me come up with more ideas for my group protocol. I think it is important to collaborate with fellow colleagues in the school and professional setting in order to not only help you think your own ideas through, but also to receive feedback from others who might be able to add more creativity to your plan. I will absolutely do this when I am a practicing OT. I enjoyed this experience and found it to be very beneficial for this group assignment.
1 comment
Read more

My Experience as a fUTure OT

Today I wanted to talk about my personal experience and thoughts as a current occupational therapy student. Since school started just a few months ago in January, my perspective of this profession has changed significantly. For example, I have always planned on working in a geriatric setting once I graduated; however, after just a few classes, my eyes have been opened to numerous OT settings that I could see myself pursuing a career in. I am constantly learning about new populations and settings that OT's work with, and even more emerging practice areas are coming about.  As the AOTA Vision 2015 states, " Occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living." Occupational therapists work with ALL people, not matter their background or disability. This profession is centered around allowing individuals to enjoy life though participat...
Post a Comment
Read more