Unilateral Neglect and Occupational Therapy
I listened to a Glass Half Full podcast episode, "Unilateral Neglect" with Jess and Natalie. I chose this because the condition is new yet so interesting to me. In this podcast, these two OT practitioners share their knowledge on and experiences with unilateral neglect following a stroke, and shed some light on some very important aspects of this condition, including OT's role in addressing it!
Some important things that I took from this podcast had to do with the etiology of unilateral neglect. A stroke that occurs in the inferior parietal lobe, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal cortex will likely lead to neglect in some form or fashion. While a stroke can occur on either hemisphere, a right hemispheric stroke that results in left neglect is increasingly harder to treat for a number of reasons. The main reason left neglect is tricky is because of the decreased level of self awareness often experienced by clients. If a client is unaware of their condition, it is especially hard to teach a client any compensatory methods or work on scanning skills. Without a consistent intrinsic reminder that you are working towards being able to function fully and safely, there will be far less motivation to work at all.
They explained the three types of neglect: personal neglect, peripersonal neglect, and extrapersonal neglect. After they described these, I realized I didn't truly know what unilateral neglect was! I originally associated spacial neglect with difficulty processing only visual stimuli, but now I know this is a perceptual or attention disorder that causes problems with processing tactile, auditory, and/ or proprioceptive stimuli as well as visual stimuli.
I loved that they went into detail about the OTs role in addressing this condition. They talked about different types of screening tools, that which are sensitive to all three types of neglect, that could be used to assess a person's awareness of their condition and the severity of it. They talked about different methods for interventions, including compensatory approaches and restorative approaches. The one restorative approach that stuck out to me the most was the prism glasses, which shifts a person's field of view towards their affected side! They also touched on the importance of considering a client's context, family education, and even documentation. I loved how practical this podcast was!
Barnes, N. & Kersey, J. (Hosts). (2018, March 4). Unilateral Neglect [Audio podcast episode]. In Glass Half Full. https://glasshalffullot.com/podcast/unilateral-neglect/
Some important things that I took from this podcast had to do with the etiology of unilateral neglect. A stroke that occurs in the inferior parietal lobe, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal cortex will likely lead to neglect in some form or fashion. While a stroke can occur on either hemisphere, a right hemispheric stroke that results in left neglect is increasingly harder to treat for a number of reasons. The main reason left neglect is tricky is because of the decreased level of self awareness often experienced by clients. If a client is unaware of their condition, it is especially hard to teach a client any compensatory methods or work on scanning skills. Without a consistent intrinsic reminder that you are working towards being able to function fully and safely, there will be far less motivation to work at all.
They explained the three types of neglect: personal neglect, peripersonal neglect, and extrapersonal neglect. After they described these, I realized I didn't truly know what unilateral neglect was! I originally associated spacial neglect with difficulty processing only visual stimuli, but now I know this is a perceptual or attention disorder that causes problems with processing tactile, auditory, and/ or proprioceptive stimuli as well as visual stimuli.
I loved that they went into detail about the OTs role in addressing this condition. They talked about different types of screening tools, that which are sensitive to all three types of neglect, that could be used to assess a person's awareness of their condition and the severity of it. They talked about different methods for interventions, including compensatory approaches and restorative approaches. The one restorative approach that stuck out to me the most was the prism glasses, which shifts a person's field of view towards their affected side! They also touched on the importance of considering a client's context, family education, and even documentation. I loved how practical this podcast was!
Barnes, N. & Kersey, J. (Hosts). (2018, March 4). Unilateral Neglect [Audio podcast episode]. In Glass Half Full. https://glasshalffullot.com/podcast/unilateral-neglect/
Comments
Post a Comment