Inside the O'Briens

Joe O’Brien: Age 43

OTS: Juli Stolpmann

Date of report: 4/20/18

Occupational Profile

	Reason the client is seeking OT services and concerns related to engagement in occupations (may include the client’s general health status)	Client is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and has issues with coordination, control of voluntary movements, anger outburst, and memory loss.
	Occupations in which the client is successful and barriers or potential barriers to his/her success in those occupations (p. S5)	Client is successful at being a cop, but memory loss is causing him troubles with his morning routine therefore, causing him to be late to work. He is also successful at being a husband and providing for his family. However, the recent anger outburst is causing issues in the marriage. Client is successful at most ADL’s, but involuntary movements are causing him to drop things such as a fork or pitcher of water.
	Personal interests and values (p. S7)	Clients interest and values include; baseball, being a good husband/ father, and being a respectable cop.
	The client’s occupational history/life experiences	Client has been a dedicated cop to the Boston PD for many years. Being a cop can be a high stress job. He enjoys a couple of beers when he gets home from work, but nothing excessive. Client’s mother died from Huntington’s disease. Wife reported that the anger outburst has been going on for about 7 years before he was diagnosed.
	Performance patterns (routines, habits, & rituals) – what are the client’s patterns of engagement in occupations and how have they changed over time? What are the client’s daily life roles? Note patterns that support and hinder occupational performance. (p. S8)	Roles- Husband, father, and cop Routines – Clients routine varies from day to day, but during the week he wakes up around 6:30, gets to work before 8 am for role call, eats lunch around noon, gets off around 4 (may have to stay later because he has to complete a report or work overtime), eats dinner with his family, he watches the news or the game until he goes to bed around 10. Habits- eating out of boredom Rituals- Sunday dinner
	Aspects of the client’s environments or contexts, as viewed by the client (p. S28)	Supports to Occupational Engagement:	Barriers to Occupational Engagement:
	Physical	He works relatively close to home and lives on the first floor of a three-story home	Street parking is limited so at times he has to park blocks away and walk home
	Social	His family and friends are very supportive of him and care about him	Even though his family loves him dearly, he feels guilt about having Huntington’s and passing on the gene.
	Cultural	He is religious, but does not attend church regularly. His family has Sunday dinner every week and values family time.	Having the role of a father, husband, and police officer can be draining. He grew up in a culture where the wife stays at home and he provides for the family.
	Personal	Client is in his 40’s been married roughly 25 years and worked as an officer for about 24 years.	Being in his 40’s the demanding job of an officer could be exhausting. His Huntington’s disease is a huge personal barrier.
	Temporal	Client is about 10 years away from retirement. He knows a rough estimate of how long he has left to live.	He just wants to make it to retirement so his wife will be provided for.
	Virtual	Client watches TV, has a cell phone, and uses a computer at work.	Because of his memory loss/ busy schedule, he forgets to check his phone which causes his family to worry and gets him in trouble.
	Client’s priorities and desired target outcomes (consider occupational performance – improvement and enhancement, prevention, participation, role competence, health & wellness, quality of life, well-being, and/or occupational justice) (p. S34)	Client wants to be a be a good father, husband, and grandfather. He wants to maintain his ability to do ALD’s, work, walk the dog, and attend family events. He wants to learn how to use adaptive equipment so he can safely complete his occupations when the Huntington’s progresses.

I thought Inside the O’Brien’s was an accurate representation of what life could be like for a person/family with Huntington’s disease. It was an extremely interesting book and captivated me from the start. I definitely found myself emotional reading through the journey of the O’Brien’s. I learned about Huntington’s disease in lecture, but I strongly believe I learned more from reading this book. One main take away was how a disease doesn’t affect just one person, it effects a whole family.