For this neuro note, I searched for a podcast to listen to because I was hoping to get a great client's perspective on living life with a disability. The podcast that I chose is part of a series called Senior Rehab Podcast. This podcast series is guided by a physical therapist named Dustin Jones with a mission to give a voice to the aging population. In the podcast I listened to was an interview between Dustin Jones and a lady named Lisa Maczura.
Lisa is a women who has lived her life with cerebral palsy (CP). In the podcast, she describes her experiences in life but especially within her physical therapy (PT) treatments. She describes her childhood and the physical therapy services she received through her school up to the sixth grade. From her therapists in elementary school she gleaned that she could get better if she worked hard enough. It was later in her teenage years that she realized the reality of her chronic disability. When elementary school ended, she felt as if her PTs just dropped her and said, "you can walk, you will be fine." She felt disregarded and had pretty negative feelings about PT.
Lisa encountered physical therapy for a second time when she went to the doctor for lower back pain. The back pain was due to poor hip flexors and the doctor referred her to PT. She was nervous about going because of her previous experiences and feeling her physical handicaps were misunderstood. The physical therapist was testing some of her leg strength and there was a move she could not complete. She expected the therapist to freak out and scramble and not know what to do. Instead, he was calm, had her do an exercise to increase movement, and had her try the move again. This time, she could move her leg some. This was so important to her because it gave her a small victory and she knew that her therapist was there to help her. Over time, she developed an even stronger relationship with her PT and she now fully trusts him with her care.
Lisa asks for therapists to take the time to ask what is important to the client. She pleads for therapist to pursue the client's wishes instead of their own agenda. She would like for therapists to ask about previous therapy treatments and what worked and what didn't. Mainly, she wants the therapists that see her to have empathy.
I learned a lot from this podcast about the care I should be providing for my client. Even though therapy will be my job day in and out and will seem like I'm seeing the same types of clients, I need to remember that each client is their own person and has their own personality and story in life. I need to be aware of how I treat my clients and the relationship and trust I am forming with them. I need to be certain not to be discouraging in my initial evaluation because people are often looking for someone else to just reject them.
Please go listen to this great client's perspective to learn how you can become a better caregiver. The link is below!
Jones, D. & Maczura, L. (2016, June 20). 32: Patient perspectives: Lisa Maczura. Senior Rehab Podcast. Retrieved from http://www.seniorrehabproject.com/srp/patient-perspectives-lisa-maczura
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