The Gifts of Letters and Words

This week we worked with Mum's Occupational Therapist to develop a system for Mum to be able to read on her own.   Mum has a new wooden easel (approx. 14 x 16 inches) that adjusts to whatever angle is needed for reading depending on her position in her wheelchair or lounging in bed.

Mum's gradual increase of movement with her left hand means more independence.  We three-hole punch her emails and letters and place them in a binder.  With the use of a rubberized finger tip on her left index finger, Mum is able to to turn her own pages.

This reading independence is a great gift for the many hours that Mum spends on her own.  The spines of books that do not allow them to open flat make book pages impossible to manoeuvre with this system, but it works well for emails, letters, magazines, and clipped articles from The Western Producer.

Many of you have asked how to be supportive of Isabel.  Letters about your day, the weather, your family, opinions on country and world events, and what is happening in your neck-of-the-woods including outside your window are always welcome.  For those of you who send hand-written letters, we encourage you to send them on paper that can be three-holed punched. It is easy for us to print your emails.

Isabel's address is:

Unit 2-6

Wascana Rehabilitation Centre

2180 - 23rd Avenue

Regina, SK

S4S 0A5

E-address is: <catherine.barnsley@usask.ca>

This week, Isabel "dictated" three lengthy paragraphs on her letterboard to be sent by email to her friends living in Orkney.  She is able to move her left index finger quickly across a small letterboard. A fast flick of her wrist means a NEW WORD.  We are busy with a white board writing down her letters to keep up with her.

Several of you have written asking whether Isabel can use an electronic communication device.  Mum is able to and her Speech/Language Pathologist is exploring various possibilities over the next few weeks. However, it will take considerable time to assess what will work best for Mum's needs.  There are many different devices and any one will take energy to learn.  In the meantime, Mum is satisfied with her small letter-number board. This "board" has the alphabet, numbers from 0-9, and two phrases -- NEW WORD and START AGAIN (for those of us who get mixed up!).

The advancements of this week may seem so small when we consider what Isabel's physical capabilities were prior to her West Nile Virus Neurological Syndrome diagnosis.  However, they are huge when we consider what Mum was able to do even a month ago.

In gratitude for the gifts of letters, words, eyesight, reading ~ and friends and family who write to Isabel.....