tailieunhanh - Ebook Neural tube defects: Part 2

(BQ) Part 2 book “Neural tube defects” has contents: Ethical issues, families that have children with spina bifida, new urological trends, new orthopedic trends, review of current neurosurgical issues, adults who have spina bifida - work and mental health. | 8 Adults Who Have Spina Bifida: Work and Mental Health Gregory S. Liptak Department of Pediatrics, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, . The past is never dead; it’s not even past. —William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun, Act I, Scene iii INTRODUCTION Adults who have spina bifida carry the past with them, both personally and culturally. Their personal past includes their abilities, physical impairments, coping strategies, and social skills. These affect their well-being and functioning as adults. As reviewed in earlier chapters of this book, impairments and disabilities that occur with spina bifida include nonverbal and verbal learning disabilities as well as problems with attention; and executive function these can affect performance in postsecondary education, employment, communication, and socialization. Adults with spina bifida typically have limited mobility with paraplegia and may have impaired fine motor skills. They may have problems accessing transportation. They may have recurrent medical problems such as urinary tract infection, skin breakdown, and ventricular shunt malfunction that can limit them from participating in school or work for an extended time. They may have urinary or fecal incontinence, which can affect social interactions and self-esteem. For each of these challenges, they possess coping skills, with some individuals being more resilient than others. 117 118 Liptak In addition, they carry their cultural heritage, which, in many places, includes diminished opportunities for work or education for individuals who have disabilities. It may mean limited access to knowledgeable mental health professionals (1) as well as the inability of part-time employees to obtain adequate health insurance. If a job that they can manage physically (., a part-time job) does not offer them adequate insurance coverage, they may be better off financially remaining unemployed and relying on governmental assistance like Medicaid. The physical .