My Big Question :

What is the process of adaptation to Huntington’s disease like for someone?

The significance of my question:

My big question is is significant to my teams project because we really need to understand what Tim or anyone else who is suffering from Huntington’s disease is really feeling if we want to make a product for them that will actually make a difference in their day to day life. If we know exactly what is a struggle for them and exactly how their body reacts to it we can make a product that is perfectly adapted to their troubles and needs. My team and I made it our goal to make a remote that is easy for Tim to use. If we want to make this goal reality we need to do our research on how the body reacts to Huntington’s disease.

My research:

I split my research into three smaller questions, what the symptoms of Huntington’s disease are, how those symptoms affect a person in their daily life, and finally what are the best ways or products we can use to help.

a) what are some symptoms of Huntington’s disease?

Huntington’s disease is a disease that is inherited from your family that causes the nerve cells in your brain to breakdown. It. has a very big impact on a persons ability to normally function with things like simple movement and thinking. There are endless symptoms that could result in Huntington’s disease because every person is different but some of the more common ones are, difficulty with speaking or swallowing, slow or abnormal movements in their eyes, unable to control jerking or squirming movements, problems with muscles, impaired posture and / or balance. The biggest and most common is one I already mentioned but I thought it his important to know that it is usually very difficult for them to control their impulse outbursts of movement or behaviour.

b) how do these symptoms affect someone in their daily life?

These symptoms have a ginormous impact of someones life. If they start to suffer from Huntington’s disease their whole world will be flipped upside down, they will begin to struggle with simple things that they used to do without even thinking. A few examples of this is is, using a TV remote, picking up a mug or cup, putting on a jacket or clothes, writing your name, etc. This also includes mandatory actions such as eating (picking up a utensil), drinking, and a big one is speaking. Since Huntington’s is something that affects the brain your speech is something that will  change throughout your personal journey of Huntington’s disease. it is. different for everyone. but usually the troubles of speech include, loss of words, confusion and just not being able to get their words out when they know what to say.

c) what are ways to help?

One of the main ways to help that I have seen constantly on all the websites is to just make sure the person who has Huntington’s knows that you are there and that you care for them. Also make sure they feel like they are still a person, that Huntington’s is not who they are and does not take dominance in their life. Another way to help is to educate yourself so you know how they are feeling. If you can understand what they are going through they will definitely feel more comfortable. Again make sure that you.let them know they are still a person because even though Huntington’s is more a physical disease there are also major metal affects. There isn’t really ways to actually help stop it from happening but you can just be there when they need you for whatever.

My sources :

“Huntington’s New South Wales.” Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Huntington’s Disease | Huntington’s NSW, www.huntingtonsnsw.org.au/information/hd-facts.

i, Author Details Victoria Tan × Victoria Tan, and Author Details. “Huntington’s Disease Symptoms – Communication Issues.” Huntington’s Disease News, huntingtonsdiseasenews.com/hd-symptoms-communication-problems/.

“Huntington’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 May 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356117.

Liou, Stephanie. “My Friend Has Huntington’s Disease – How Can I Help?” HOPES Huntington’s Disease Information, 7 Sept. 2016, hopes.stanford.edu/my-friend-has-huntingtons-disease-how-can-i-help/.

How exploration helps:

This exploration made it a lot easier to see the big picture of this project, before I did this I think I didn’t really understand or see what Huntington’s really is.