You're Not You - Neuro Note #4

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Movie: You’re Not You – Amazon Prime $3.99
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0m-N-b1VA

You’re Not You is a movie with great insight on the neurodegenerative disease, ALS.  After Kate was diagnosed with ALS, they hire a caregiver, Beck. Beck has little experience working with individuals with this disease and that’s made evident throughout the movie. Throughout the movie we see the relationship between Kate and Beck grow into a close friendship. I liked this movie because of how real it was. Beck is so real and honest with Kate. This movie also shows how progressive ALS is and how it can take a toll on not only the individuals life but the lives all around them. Another thing I liked about this movie was the fact that Beck treated her like a friend and took her out to do things. It’s a great reminder that just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they aren’t able to participate in fun activities that everyone else gets to enjoy. 

One thing I took away from this movie was the fact that Kate said that Beck didn’t treat her like a patient. That reminded me of our goal as occupational therapist and the client centered approach. Treating these individuals as people rather than their disease is what makes our profession so unique and what makes clients feel valued. No one wants to feel less than or treated differently because of their disease. It’s important to remember when working with clients that they are people too. Another thing that stuck out to me was Kates husband and his affair. Sadly, I feel like this can be a common issue with individuals who are diagnosed with any type of disease that is life altering. It’s important as occupational therapist to recognize that although it is life altering to the client it can also be life altering to the spouse or other family/caregivers. Client and family education and support groups are a couple ways to provide support to them both. 

I chose to watch this film because I wanted to gain more insight on ALS. After watching Gleason and Transfatty Lives (both documentaries), I was interested in what this movie was all about. They were all great!! You’re Not You told a great story and portrayed the disease just as I have learned. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys watching good movies. I felt like this movie did a great job on spreading awareness on ALS. Its real, with great emotion and humor. 

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