Analysis of The Fundamentals of Caring (Neuro Note #1)
This movie tells the story Ben, a former writer and newly-trained caregiver, who takes his first caregiving job with a teenage boy named Trevor. Trevor has been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The two become great friends through spending countless hours together, and Ben begins to notice that Trevor has created a map of locations across the country that he would love to travel to. That leads to the process of Ben talking Trevor's mother into taking him on a road trip across the country to see landmarks such as the World's Deepest Pit. Along the way, they pick up a couple of friends who need a ride and all bond through simply accepting, including, and caring for one another. Although Ben is fighting personal battles of his own, including his son's death and wife's desire for divorce, he finds purpose, friendship, and joy in being Trevor's caregiver. The two become inseparable, and the movie ends with them making it to the World's Deepest Pit with their two new friends, one of which has her baby right there at the pit. The movie painted a beautiful picture of the impact that a caregiver and client can have on one another. It also illustrated the universal idea of how important caring for those around us really is.
I chose The Fundamentals of Caring as my topic because it is such a well-produced, creative, and comical movie that paints a beautiful picture of the impact that a caregiver can have on his or her client. It also offers insight into the daily life of an individual who relies on a caregiver and what functions are impaired with a neurological condition such as muscular dystrophy. This movie is so positive and witty, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
I believe that watching this movie has furthered my learning in the fact that it emphasizes the realistic responsibilities of a caregiver. Ben and Trevor's relationship is simply beautiful and makes it evident that a caregiver not only assists their client with self-care activities, mobility, and other occupations, but they are also a source of emotional and mental support. Trevor formerly did not have much support from friends or family, but once his mom hired Ben, he had someone to talk to and laugh with. Trevor's dad never fulfilled the role of his father in his life, therefore I feel like Ben began to fill that role for Trevor. Additionally, Ben's son was killed in a tragic accident, therefore this relationship held so much meaning for the both of them.
After watching this movie, I have learned what a day in the life of an individual with muscular dystrophy looks like and how this genetic disorder impacts his strength in performing daily activities. The disorder is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, which can begin as early as three years old. It is most common in males and first affects the muscles of the hips, pelvis, thighs and shoulders before slowly spreading to the skeletal muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. By the early teen years, the heart and respiratory muscles also are weakened. In the movie, Ben was responsible for bathing, dressing, and grooming Trevor. He also was in charge of administering all medicines to him, stretching his muscles passively, and placing him on a C-Pap at night to assist with breathing. Although Trevor was very weak and relied on a motorized wheelchair for mobility, he was capable of moving his arms and could hold a light grip on objects to eat. There were even instances that it looked like he used a tenodesis grip by extending his wrist and relaxing his fingers. Overall, I learned that muscular dystrophy causes one to be extremely weak in all muscle and some breathing movement, however their cognitive status is still very much intact. This is something I should be aware of as a future OT practitioner. Trevor was extremely witty, constantly made jokes, and wanted to talk about serious subjects that mattered, and the opportunity to bond with Ben and travel across the country with him was proof that he could still live a full life and be adventurous, regardless of his diagnosis. Although his life expectancy may not exceed thirty, he lives his life as though his next day is not guaranteed.
This movie is available to watch on Netflix.
Additional resources used:
The Muscular Dystrophy Association. (2018). Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Retrieved from https://www.mda.org/disease/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy
I chose The Fundamentals of Caring as my topic because it is such a well-produced, creative, and comical movie that paints a beautiful picture of the impact that a caregiver can have on his or her client. It also offers insight into the daily life of an individual who relies on a caregiver and what functions are impaired with a neurological condition such as muscular dystrophy. This movie is so positive and witty, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
I believe that watching this movie has furthered my learning in the fact that it emphasizes the realistic responsibilities of a caregiver. Ben and Trevor's relationship is simply beautiful and makes it evident that a caregiver not only assists their client with self-care activities, mobility, and other occupations, but they are also a source of emotional and mental support. Trevor formerly did not have much support from friends or family, but once his mom hired Ben, he had someone to talk to and laugh with. Trevor's dad never fulfilled the role of his father in his life, therefore I feel like Ben began to fill that role for Trevor. Additionally, Ben's son was killed in a tragic accident, therefore this relationship held so much meaning for the both of them.
After watching this movie, I have learned what a day in the life of an individual with muscular dystrophy looks like and how this genetic disorder impacts his strength in performing daily activities. The disorder is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, which can begin as early as three years old. It is most common in males and first affects the muscles of the hips, pelvis, thighs and shoulders before slowly spreading to the skeletal muscles in the arms, legs and trunk. By the early teen years, the heart and respiratory muscles also are weakened. In the movie, Ben was responsible for bathing, dressing, and grooming Trevor. He also was in charge of administering all medicines to him, stretching his muscles passively, and placing him on a C-Pap at night to assist with breathing. Although Trevor was very weak and relied on a motorized wheelchair for mobility, he was capable of moving his arms and could hold a light grip on objects to eat. There were even instances that it looked like he used a tenodesis grip by extending his wrist and relaxing his fingers. Overall, I learned that muscular dystrophy causes one to be extremely weak in all muscle and some breathing movement, however their cognitive status is still very much intact. This is something I should be aware of as a future OT practitioner. Trevor was extremely witty, constantly made jokes, and wanted to talk about serious subjects that mattered, and the opportunity to bond with Ben and travel across the country with him was proof that he could still live a full life and be adventurous, regardless of his diagnosis. Although his life expectancy may not exceed thirty, he lives his life as though his next day is not guaranteed.
This movie is available to watch on Netflix.
Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452386/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt
Additional resources used:
The Muscular Dystrophy Association. (2018). Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Retrieved from https://www.mda.org/disease/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy
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