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Cerebral Palsy Affect A Patient's Life

Decent Essays

To what extent does Cerebral Palsy affect a patient’s life compared to someone without the disability?
Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term for a group of disabilities associated with movement and posture (Victoria Government, 2014; What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014). Every patient of this disability will look different and move differently due to the affected location within the brain (What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014). Cerebral Palsy will appear as a muscle disability, however, it is caused by the cerebrum being damaged. The cerebrum is responsible for memory, learning ability, muscle control, and communication skills; this is why some people with cerebral palsy struggle with communication and learning (Nordqvist, C, 2015).
What ages are people commonly …show more content…

Ataxia means a lack of balance and coordination. Intelligence and communication skills are not effected but have a chance of erratic speech. Unsteady, shaky movements called tremors are shown. Balance and depth perception are affected, this refers to the ability to misjudge where objects are, causing patients to walk with their feet far apart
CEREBRAL PALSY TYPES
(What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014; Victoria Government, 2014; Nordqvist, C, 2015; Brereton, 2016; National institute of neurological disorders and stroke, 2016).
The six types of Cerebral Palsy are clear in how they each affect patients. No matter what type of Cerebral Palsy they have, they will struggle with everyday activities whether it be intellectually or physically.
What treatments are necessary for patients?
There is no cure for Cerebral Palsy (Marriott, 2016; Mazzeo, 2016). Furthermore, every patient is affected differently, meaning there is no main treatment, what is used for one patient will not always be appropriate for another (Cerebral Palsy Symptoms, 2016; Rosie, 2016). Medical professionals tend to focus on relieving chronic pain and improve other symptoms related to Cerebral Palsy including intellectual disability, mobility needs, poor vision and poor hearing (Marriott, 2016; National institute of neurological disorders and stroke, 2016).
Treatments include:
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Depending on the injured brain, diagnoses can take up to five years, but eighteen months is the most common (Golland, 2014; Rosie, 2016; National institute of neurological disorders and stroke, 2016). Even though patients are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, the cause of their diagnosis is not known (What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014; Victoria Government, 2014). Sadly, there is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, this affect patients extremely knowing there is no hope to get better (Marriott, 2016; Mazzeo, 2016). Patients suffer chronic pain throughout their lives which makes life uncomfortable for them compared to someone without the disability. Cerebral Palsy patients have a risk of intellectual disability, poor mobility, poor vision and poor hearing. This strongly affects patients by them not being able to do everyday activities. (Marriott, 2016; National institute of neurological disorders and stroke, 2016). Signs and symptoms vary among people because different parts of the brain can be injured even though Cerebral Palsy is mainly revealed by a stilted gait, movement and posture from muscle spasticity (What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014; Marriott, 2016). An individual living with Cerebral Palsy is estimated $43,431 each year and approximately $1 million, in addition to normal living costs (Cerebral Palsy Australia, 2016; Cummins, 2016; Marriott, 2016). This cost is a huge burden placed on them and their families

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