Neuro Note 1

For my first Neuro Note, I chose the movie Me Before You. In the beginning of the film, Will Traynor is a young, successful banker who is in a relationship with a woman named Alicia. Will falls victim to an accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down and using a motorized wheelchair. After his accident, Will’s life changes dramatically. He and Alicia split up and he becomes fully reliant on caregivers.

Fast forward a few years, Will’s mother hires a woman named Louisa Clark as his caregiver. She is happy, upbeat, quirky, pretty much everything Will is not. She has no experience as being a caregiver, but Will’s mother believes that she will be good for Will. They have a rocky start; Will has a hard time with Louisa’s upbeat attitude. They begin to form a bond and eventually become close friends. Will falls ill, and while the nurse is taking of him, Louisa notices some scarring from a past suicide attempt. Louisa discovers that Will has decided to pursue assisted suicide.

Upon discovering this, Louisa decides that she is going to change his mind and plans a series of trips and outings. Through this process, Will and Louisa become extremely close and develop feelings for one another. They have a great time on their adventures, but Will informs Louisa that he still intends to follow through with the assisted suicide. Louisa is heart broken and quits as soon as they make it back home. After quitting, Louisa’s father convinces her to go be with Will in his last moments.

I chose this movie because it is a personal favorite of mine. I had already seen this film a few times before, but because of the insight I have gained from the various O.T. courses I have taken, there were things I noticed watching the film this time that I had not noticed previously. This film does a great job of portraying the realities of a higher-level spinal cord injury. It shows the toll it takes on family, the client, and caregivers.

The movie really focuses on the hardships that come with a spinal cord injury, especially a higher-level lesion. Will goes from being an active and independent man, to being totally dependent on others for his care. This takes a serious toll on him mentally. This is ultimately the deciding factor behind his decision to seek assisted suicide. In his words, he does not want to live a “half life”.

Another thing I noticed is that the film also does a great job of portraying an accurate client-caregiver relationship, up until the falling in love part, that is. Even when Will is angry and rude to her, Louisa still has to fulfill her position as his caregiver.

My biggest take away from this movie is how Louisa’s attitude affected Will. Even though she ultimately did not change his decision, overall, she had a positive impact on his life. In relation to Occupational Therapy, this goes to show how important a client-centered relationship is.

Overall, I would recommend this movie anyone who works with, or plans to work with individuals with spinal cord injuries. It gives accurate insight into the struggles, both physically and mentally, individuals with spinal cord injuries deal with. It shows the good, the bad, and the ugly of the client-caregiver relationship and the importance of client centered practice.

References:

Sharrock, T. (Director). (2016). Me Before You[Video file]. United States: Warner Brothers Pictures. Retrieved July 29, 2019, from https://www.amazon.com/Me-Before-You-Emilia-Clarke/dp/B01GIIVF6K