“Disability” – It is such a haunting and downright scary word for many, if not all. Surely, that is because the word “Disability” necessarily implies the world is not as it should be. Somehow and someway, something has gone amiss. A disabled person may not be able to live life the same way he or she did before the disability, assuming the disability did not happen at birth.
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Everybody wants to enjoy life free from limitations and unencumbered. Be that as it may, nobody wants to be disabled. However, many people find themselves disabled today. Disabilities impose inconveniences on those who are disabled. While many of these are life altering, others are not. Some are temporary and almost negligible to the disabled.
There are many causes of disabilities. People might be in some types of accidents, either vehicular or of some other varieties. Some falls, devastating or not, could happen. Birth defects such as cerebral palsy (see “CP: TWO LETTERS THAT STRIKE FEAR INTO EVERY PARENT ‘S HEART!!!”) might attack motor skills and attach the tag of disabled onto different people. The potential suspects for causing people’s disabilities are numerous.
I have always heard people say, “If you fall down, get back up.” To me, this is like saying “Get back up and go on with your life!” This is a great motto by which to live life. However, certain predicaments require more of an effort than simply standing back up and numerous people must miss work because of disabilities. Many live with limiting disabilities and, as can be seen from above, there are many different causes of disabilities.
No matter the origins, whatever the various causes of people’s disabilities, one thing all people with disabilities have in common is they all long for the unencumbered life I mention above. All look for some way to rectify or, at least, minimize their particular problems. This is where rehabilitation and therapy often come into play. Depending on the extent and severity of the specific disabilities involved, people may or may not undergo rehabilitation programs, sometimes extensive, sometimes not.
Like the blog on traumatic brain injury, this blog is near and dear to my heart. In the fall of 1989 I was a freshman in college. I was driving home for the Christmas break on December 15 and I fell asleep. I went across the median to the highway, and hit an oncoming vehicle. I sustained a closed head injury and lay in a coma (see “A COMA DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN DEATH!!!”) for approximately fourteen weeks. After I awoke from my nap, I would become more than all too acquainted or familiar with this beast known as rehabilitation.
When many people hear the word “rehabilitation”, the first images that come to their minds are ones of physical rehabilitation. After my head injury, I had many sessions per day with different therapists and therapy aids. In fact, my first daily session was with a physical therapy aid. Because my motor skills took the brunt of my injury and this branch of therapy focuses on motor skills, I had this session the first thing.
In this session we worked on things like stretching and walking. Stretching loosens muscles and facilitates a proper gait pattern. An improvement in one’s ability to walk correctly is often the ultimate goal of physical therapy. The latter of these two activities was often done in between two parallel bars (see picture).
These bars acted as a security blanket. They kept me from falling in all directions. I never really used a treadmill when I was in the hospital because I have to walk so slowly, but treadmills and stationary bikes are two tools many physical therapists use.
To stress the utter importance of physical therapy, my second session was with my physical therapist. While possibly, but not necessarily identical, we worked on many of the same techniques, drills, and reminders taught in the first session. This could certainly prove to be both tiring and frustrating, but it was something that needed to be done and that has truly paid off.
Occupational Therapy came next. This therapeutic discipline involves helping people be able to function or to live their daily lives. Specifically, we helped me regain the range of motion in my arms, shoulders, and other body parts. I practiced tasks like shaving and writing. Pet Therapy was a welcomed part of OT, as I used my arms to brush the dogs.
Neuropsych Therapy retrains the brain. Patients work with flash cards to help with memory and sequencing. These therapists play different mental games with patients. They try to make them think.
Speech Pathologists teach patients to speak properly. They work on things like diction and articulation. They may make patients read out loud. They often use tape recorders so the patients can hear themselves.
