My Perceptions

Our LS field trip has had me thinking very hard about my perceptions of the people we met. When Ms. G asked us why we so easily gave hugs, it really set me thinking. Because they seemed more childlike and so eager to please, it was easy to treat them as less than adults and think they didn't have the sexuality of a "whole" man. My experience with the cognitively impaired has been mostly of elderly in the SNF I volunteered at and the generation gap was such as to see them as grandparents and therefore "safe" to hug. The occasional "dirty old man" was pointed out and I kept out of reach but he was usually w/c bound and frail. When our guest speakers spoke about behavior mgmt and the ABCs I can see how my perception of a client as childlike could allow me to treat them in a way that might be received in a way I didn't intend and the fallout I would have to deal with. I read a story on Sexuality and Brain Injury about a woman's struggle w/ caring for her husband and not wanting to have an intimate relationship with him anymore. Towards the end of her story, she tells how she goes about dealing with this while still taking care of all his other needs. Though her story is a personal one with a sexual history, the strategies she employs are relevant and we as OTAs need to remember that these men we may encounter are not children or asexual just because they have cognitive deficits.