relating to severely disabled people

OK, imagine two hypothetical severely disabled people, both exactly the same in appearance and behavior, except one has total locked in syndrome and the other is in a minimally conscious state You are expected to spend 15 minutes interacting with each one of them. You know that one of them has normal or near-normal cognitive abilities but is completely incapable of voluntary movement, while the other reacts to stimuli but with minimal cognitive abilities.

How do you think you'd treat the two differently? What kind of things would you say?

edited 19th May '11 9:58:38 AM by Ettina

I'd perhaps talk to the locked-in person, because he's aware and it might comfort him.

The minimally conscious one is just as a piece of furniture.

I'd read a short story to the first and try to be as emotive and auditorially engaging as possible.

The second um.. nnn... er... maybe I'd ask someone beforehand if there's anything they find soothing. Last thing I'd want is them pulling a fit.

edited 19th May '11 10:05:23 AM by Bur

Which one would make you feel more uncomfortable?

The locked-in would make me feel more uncomfortable, because I'm not sure if they find my company refreshing or irritating

Either way, Bur's approach is probably best, since I'm screwawful at spontaneous conversation — I'd probably go for a dramatic reading of something moronic.

I might sing or something to the minimally-conscious one, in the hopes that whatever they are capable of perceiving will be soothing. The locked-in person, I might also sing, or read, or something... mainly I'd just be conscious that they understand the exact things I'm saying and they're not just picking up a vague impression of me.

I would probably find the minimally conscious person more disturbing.

edited 19th May '11 3:46:07 PM by LoniJay

Locked in syndrome.

I really hate to say this, but severely disabled people terrify me. Much like old people do. For the same reason too. That association with...frailty, be it of the mind or of the body...I can't stand it. I have an innate fear of aging and losing my abilities, and as a result, I find it very emotionally taxing to interact with people such as this.

I'd be far more uncomfortable around the severely mentally impared person. I'm small and they have no clue how to hold back their strength if something sets them off, assuming there's enough cognitive ability to become enraged.

edited 19th May '11 4:04:34 PM by Bur

^ But they'd be mostly paralyzed, too.

I would be more comfortable around the minimally conscious one. After all, if they're not going to understand or properly react to anything I say regardless, then that's a very low-pressure situation. I can't offend someone who is almost or completely incapable of being offended.

The locked-in person would be far more uncomfortable, since I would have no way of knowing whether they would feel irritated or condescended to by an attempt to talk to them, or if they would feel neglected by a failure to do so.

I'd feel better knowing there's somebody in there, somebody aware. That's one of my greatest fears, so it'd feel good to comfort somebody going through it.

The minimally concious one? Play 'em some Mozart? How likely are they to recover with any sort of appreciable cognitive ability?

I can't help but imagine it depends on any emotional attachment. My father, for instance, was effectively in the second camp for the last few days of his life.