Creative Solutions and Adaptations for Life with Parkinson's

For this neuro note I decided to watch a Ted talk on simple adaptations that can make life easier for individuals with Parkinson’s.  Mihela Soneji was the speaker for this talk titled Simple Hacks for Life with Parkinson’s, and she personally became interested in Parkinson’s after her uncle was diagnosed with the disease.  She noticed the way he struggled with basic, everyday tasks, so she wanted to develop simple solutions to make his life easier and help him to do basic things that he wanted to do. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the talk because everything she talked about aligned with occupational therapy and our heart to help people adapt to their situations and do activities that are meaningful to them.  She mentioned that we needed to develop simple, human-centered solutions to the complex problems people might have.  Client-centeredness and creative solutions to one’s challenges are at the core of OT.  She also mentioned that we needed to develop empathy and curiosity to help those with Parkinson’s and other diseases which are characteristics OTs must exude as we work with neurodegenerative disorders and other disabilities or challenges. 

Mihela ended up creating a mug for her uncle to be able to use to drink coffee or tea in public that would not spill when he had tremors.  She also was concerned about his ability to walk up and down stairs because he was so shaky as he walked with a walker on flat ground.  When he demonstrated how he walked up and down stairs to her, she was shocked to see that he is able to do that with no problem.  She used this strength her uncle has to develop a staircase illusion with the rest of the house.  She made his walking path throughout the rest of the house look like a staircase to provide him with the illusion that he can walk freely.  This simple solution has allowed her uncle to feel like his normal self and helped him to feel more confident walking around his house. 

I chose to further my learning by studying some of the side effects of Parkinson’s.  Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by low dopamine-producing brain cells.  The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremors, stiffness, slowness, impaired balance, and shuffling with a gait.  Anxiety, depression, and dementia are secondary symptoms.  Like Mihela’s uncle, as symptoms progress it can be difficult to complete simple tasks like walking, eating, and talking. 

I would definitely recommend every OT student to watch this video.  The kind of simple, creative solutions Mihela came up with to help her uncle are the kinds of adaptations and modifications we want to make for our clients as well.  After she developed the staircase illusion for her uncle, he said it was the first time in a long time that he felt like himself.  We want our clients to feel value and worth and be able to accomplish the tasks and activities that give them meaning and purpose, even if they are small like walking without tremors. 

Heyn, S. N., & Davis, C. P. (n.d.). Parkinson's Disease 17 Early Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Stages. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.medicinenet.com/parkinsons_disease/article.htm#what_is_parkinsons_disease

Soneji, M. (2015). Simple hacks for life with Parkinson’s. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/mileha_soneji_simple_hacks_for_life_with_parkinson_s