Case Study: Allie Calhoun

In class today, we are discussing dementia and my classmate, Rachel, presented the story of Allie Calhoun.  Allie is one of the main characters in the movie the Notebook.  Allie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and she discussed how occupational therapy might help her and her family.  An occupational therapist might focus on decreasing confusion and panic, increasing education for caregivers, increasing routines, and increasing participation in meaningful activities.  Meaningful activities might include painting to music or cooking a meal, being these are activities that are important to her.  I was most interested to learn about sundowning syndrome, which is a phenomenon of a shift in mood around sundown in patients with dementia.  You can see Allie experience this when she has a panic attack about being confused in the movie.  It is important to not only provide treatment for the patient but also to provide resources and suggestions for the caregiver.