Bob sat for four to five hours today, he enjoyed this time sitting and did well. He continues to have good physical therapy sessions. Today the phono-audiologist stated she saw progress in his ability to swallow and is hopeful that this skill could come back. She encouraged him to write and he wrote "Robert" almost perfectly. When asked to write "Shella", he wrote "Robert" again. This illustrates how sometimes he understands and sometimes he doesn't understand what is being asked of him.
Bob communicated needs today, asking for the channel to be changed and the light to be turned off. My mom celebrated this as a small victory with him, as enthusiastic as can be. She said he reacted in typical Bob fashion: with a "so what?" face. I can clearly picture that face and it makes me smile to think it is still there.
The therapist encouraged Bob to play with his ipod touch and to try to comb his hair. Things that are familiar to him are stimulating and they all help to bring back the skills he used to have. I asked if he can read, he devours books, but she said it would be too much stimulation and he would get overwhelmed.
Baby steps. It hasn't been a week and we have to look at the big picture and then we see that under the circumstances, he is doing very well. There have been significant improvements and we have to focus on the positive.
My mom showed him pictures of the grandkids that were stored on her ipad and said Bob smiled at them. I'll leave you with that nice thought for today. Thanks for checking in and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.
I'm right there with you. I can close my eyes and see Bob's "so what" face and hear him saying "meh". Bob's so used to being the teacher. He's used to having the answers and giving instruction. Teachers make the worst students... I remember reading an article in college that discussed this concept. Here's a link to the article: http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9603/download.pdf
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's still on-line).
Here's one of the points of the article most relevant to Bob's current situation: "Learning is a risky business and takes courage and support... In spite of the fact that [professors] are highly sophisticated learners, embarking on a learning experience is no less risky for them than it is for their students. Becoming a learner again means exposing oneself to the possibility of failure, an unpleasant prospect to anyone accustomed to being very knowledgeable and in charge.... And as learners they need as much support and reassurance as their students do.... they need to feel that we know what we’re doing and are willing to support them while they take those first new steps."
It gives me great comfort to know that Shella and Juliana are there giving Bob support and reassurance and reinforcing the fact that his recovery team knows what they're doing.
Love Always & Forever.... J