Assessment from the psychologist

Today Bob was seen by the psychologist on staff and I am told he was impressed by Bob. He said Bob is doing very well and that he is not depressed. He said Bob is a strong man. Bob is aware of the fact he had a stroke. He also knows where he is. The doctor said Bob's biggest obstacle is his aphasia. What is aphasia? I went to aphasia.org and found this definition:


Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing. 

After a few more clicks online I discovered that it can take a few years for a patient to recover some or part of their communication skills. It is too soon to tell what Bob will regain. My mom pushed the speech therapist to make a non-binding prediction yesterday and she thinks Bob will interface using many forms of communication such as gestures, sounds and writing. The psychologist today used a series of multiple choice questions to talk to Bob. So when presented with choices, not just "yes" or "no", Bob is capable of selecting the one that best answers a question. This was evident yesterday when he chose his food for today from the menu that was dropped off in his room. 

My husband, Jason, went to see Bob for lunch and brought him the newspaper. When Jason arrived Bob was almost done seeing his psychologist. Jason found Bob in good spirits and happy to see him. Once the session was over the psychologist asked Jason to answer some questions about Bob's background and fill in some blanks. Bob giggled and was amused by the fact that Jason couldn't remember Bob's mom's name. Jason of course remembered "Jean" as he was telling me about his visit. This tale demonstrates that Bob is aware of what is going on around him and is participating in the way he can right now - always with a sense of humor. It is incredible that he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

My mom went to Spaulding in the afternoon after spending the morning at her house taking care of finances and organizing the huge to-do list. She will have to take on all of Bob's responsibilities for now.


Bob had visits from Bruce and Simone, the couple that my parents were traveling with in Brasil. They talked a lot and Bob enjoyed the visit.


My mom met with the case worker today and they discussed Bob's initial assessment. I will talk about this with my mom and husband this evening and will report back in tomorrow's blog. Thanks for reading and keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming.