Life,_Support,_Music_Documentary

The documentary, Life, Support, Music touches so many issues. The story of Jason Crigler can be described as heartbreaking to fascinating. There are so many challenges that the Crigler family had to face. I will be discussing some of these challenges, along with the impact these had on their psychosocial world. As well, the client care that he received and how that ties into the field of human services. Watching the documentary and then having the opportunity to meet Jason in person was an experience that I will always remember fondly. The psychosocial world of the Crigler family, at the time was very complex. They faced so many hurdles during this time of crisis. The world that they were living in and was familiar to them became completly foreign to them. They had to place all of their trust, faith and confidence on the doctors. Their psychosocial world all of a sudden became a place of uncertainity and unknown. They weren't sure what the outcome would be and what exactly was even wrong with Jason. When the doctor's gave their assessment about Jason that he "won't be able to make it through the night and there won't be much left of him", I felt a range of emotions. I felt my heart sink at the thought of what kind of life Jason would have. However, along with feeling sadness I couldn't help feeling a bit of anger at the way the doctor's "announced" their assessment. It seems that doctors working in an environment where they see patients like Jason so often that they seem to lose their sense of compassion. It can be said that they become "immune" to seeing those suffering from various health conditions. I realize that doctors are just performing their duties in informing the respective parties of the health conditions of the patient. Doctors are not supposed to sugar-coat things, they are supposed to be honest and forthcoming. However, in doing so doctors sometimes appear only to be negative. They need to realize that families need something positive to hang onto. The term psychosocial means how an individual develops psychologically in regards on one's social environment. For Jason, from the time he was taken to the hospital and to the time he was discharged, his psycholosocial world kept changing. On the one hand the doctors had painted a bleak future for him and did not see much hope for his recovery. If the family had accepted this, Jason's psychosocial world and recovery would have turned out to be very different. I would look at Erik Erikson's psychosocial development stages theory in the case of Jason. If the Crigler family had taken the doctor's prognosis and not played such a big role in his recovery, Jason may have not gone past the first few stages (Erikson's theory) of pschologial development. Jason't psychosocial world which began as one of insecurity and uncertainty at the hospital became one of encouragement and support. The firm support and love that he received from his family led him on the road to recovery The Crigler family faced a host of challanges. Firstly, starting with the negative assesment that the doctors had given. They were told to keep low expectations of Jason's recovery. Secondly, the limitations of the health care coverage. After reaching the lifetime cap on his health coverage and then having Medicaid refuse any further coverage at Spaulding, there weren't many options left. The Crigler family did not live in Boston initially, they had to relocate from New York to Boston. Upon which they had to take the primary caregiver role in Jason's recovery since they outruled the option of putting Jason in a nursing home. Jason and his wife had a newborn to look after as well. Despite so many challenges, the Crigler family persevered. They were optimistic that Jason would recover and return to them. When Jason spoke to the class he mentioned that his family noticed small things that the medical staff would overlook or take lightly. These small things gave the family hope and gave them the encouragement. For instance, when the nurse/therapist is asking Jason if he is a musician he is unresponsive, however, his family notice the slightest smile. They took this as a sign that Jason "was still there" and that there was hope. They felt that Jason need more stimulation and more exposure than being in a institution, be it a hospital or a nursing home. They brought him home and were constantly with him. They took him around the city for walks and did activities such as board games, in the hope of providing with him increased stimulation. This film does shed light about the kind of care clients/patients receive. It was disappointing to see that after his health coverage ran out in New York there weren't too many option left for the family. The family did apply for Medicaid and was eligible for it in Boston at Spaulding. It seems that the family was quite pleased by the treatment received at the hospital. However, after a certain point the doctors at Spaulding said that it was time for Jason to move on to a nursing home because they felt that they could not do anymore. There are limits as to how much Medicaid will cover. Once the doctors determined that Jason's recovery would not progress further, Medicaid refused to provide further rehabilitaition benefits. It is at this point that the hospital suggested to put Jason in the nursing home. It is a very sad truth for so many living in this country and they cannot receive the appropriate medical care that they deserve simply because they cannot afford it. Hopefully, with the new health care bill that has been passed under the new administration we can start to see some positive changes in this realm. In regards to the care that Jason received at Spaulding in Boston, I think that the Crigler family looked quite pleased by it. It seems that the staff tried many different techniques and approaches in its therapeutic care. The sessions with Jason were taped, and when watching them show the different techniques the staff were using. However, the red tape which surrounds the medical system puts a limit as to how much hospitals and doctors can do. I think that there is very little that one can do in regards to client advocacy due to the nature of the medical system. However, the Crigler family decided that Jason would do better at home instead of being in a nursing home. There are various aspects of this film that I could apply to the field of human services, such as being informed and up to date on the policies and services that are available. Be it medicaid or medicare or info. about agencies in town, it is important as a human services worker to be up to date on services that are available to clients. Working as an Intern at the Department of Social Services in Charlotte, NC, I would see so many individuals just confused about what health care services they were entitled to. What I learned about myself' Well, I know that sometimes life's smallest challenges get in the way and I lose sight of the big picture. I value my family very much and feel so fortunate to have a loving and caring family. I learned that I am so lucky to have a wonderful support system and that I should not let the small challenges and hurdles of everyday life become a road block for me. As Jason quoted at the end, "...I've proved them all wrong", sometimes it's important to prove not only to others, but also to yourself that life's challenges can't get in the way and one has to forge ahead and not give up.