Goals are part of any marathon challenge. (See the reference to many marathons in our last posting.)
And Isabel has new goals for her marathon for improved health and well-being. Isabel's therapists told her that they expected a list of typed goals to start off the autumn, and Isabel's one flying finger zipped around her laptop. More mobility in her fingers, hands and arms; and increased strength and balance to help with transfers topped the list that was printed out to hand to her therapists last Monday morning.
And what was the result of Isabel presenting her list?
Extra walking each week; daily electrode shock therapy to three paralysed fingers; a new regime of a 45 minute intensive workout while sitting on Rufus (her power-chair); cycling on a stationery bicycle; and new exercises to strengthen her weaker ankle.
There is an amazing team of seven therapists doing amazing work on Unit 2-6 at Wascana, and Mum, you are the amazing leader of this inspired team!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Marathon Weekend
Dateline: September 14
We are grateful again for a visit from Cousin Joy from Scotland who took up residence in Wascana's hostel for the weekend. Joy and Isabel had a marathon 8-hour visit for 8 hours each day. It was satisfying for Mum to show her Occupational Therapist cousin all the progress she has made since Joy's visit last fall.
On Sunday, Isabel was delighted to welcome her grand-niece Amanda and extended family (including Cousin Joy) following Amanda's third win of the Queen City Marathon (Women's Division). The marathon ended a block away from Wascana Rehab Centre in Wascana Park.
There are marathons of many sorts being run in the vicinity of Wascana these days. And Mum, we continue to be so inspired with the one you have undertaken. Your progress continues to amaze your staff and us!
We are grateful again for a visit from Cousin Joy from Scotland who took up residence in Wascana's hostel for the weekend. Joy and Isabel had a marathon 8-hour visit for 8 hours each day. It was satisfying for Mum to show her Occupational Therapist cousin all the progress she has made since Joy's visit last fall.
On Sunday, Isabel was delighted to welcome her grand-niece Amanda and extended family (including Cousin Joy) following Amanda's third win of the Queen City Marathon (Women's Division). The marathon ended a block away from Wascana Rehab Centre in Wascana Park.
There are marathons of many sorts being run in the vicinity of Wascana these days. And Mum, we continue to be so inspired with the one you have undertaken. Your progress continues to amaze your staff and us!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Bloom Where You are Planted: Revisited
On June 19, we posted Isabel's "theme" ~ "Bloom where you are planted". That's a discussion topic of Isabel and her new neighbour as they enjoy the abundance of flowers that have emerged each week in the terrace garden. Friendship has grown between these two gardeners week after week as the summer progressed. The terrace garden is a moment's "wheel" from Mum and her neighbour's rooms.
The window sills are wide in the residents' rooms at Wascana, and in addition to the beauty of the terrace garden, Isabel and her new friend have enjoyed many bouquets from the gardens of family and friends. We have learned of the flower-farmer at the Regina Farmer's Market, and bouquets from this Qu'Appelle entrepreneur have also found their way to Isabel and her neighbour's rooms.
There is one particular Saturday morning story that begs telling.
We were part of the hustle and bustle of the Farmer's Market, and quickly chose a colourful bouquet for Isabel, and two 20-blossom lilies ~ one for Isabel and one for her neighbour. There was a long line-up of shoppers for the flower-farmer's stall and we didn't dawdle. When we reached the car, we decided that the bouquet was too beautiful to have purchased only one, and back we went for a second for Mum's neighbour.
We were surprised to find that the line-up at the stall had disappeared, and the flower-farmer and her assistant were carefully creating more bouquets. We told these two women about the two gardeners at Wascana. The flower-farmer took a deep breath upon hearing the stories of Isabel and her neighbour, and responded, "I must make a special bouquet for Isabel's neighbour." And for five minutes, silence seemed to descend on the market, and no customers interrupted her task. And so she carefully chose 20 uncommon flowers ~ one from each of 20 pails from her garden. We recognized only a few, and she didn't know some herself.
And so two bouquets and two large lilies found their way to Wascana. And later that morning, Isabel and her neighbour sat beside their own terrace garden and studied the bouquets, and in particular the one with the uncommon flowers. We watched in awe as Mum's neighbour with a voice hardly above the whisper of her ventilator, named each of the 20 uncommon flowers by their Latin and common names. When she was stuck for a moment, we "googled" a possibility on the internet, and in 20 seconds 10 brilliant photos of a Russian perennial appeared on the screen, and she said "Aha"!
We were in the presence of a Master Gardener.
And now in these mid-days of September, many of the 1200 multi-coloured gladioli from Isabel's neighbour's garden in rural Saskatchewan grace the rooms of Wascana. The gladioli garden is tended by her husband and daughter as this Master Gardener and Isabel together enjoy their own garden at Wascana and muse on what it means to "bloom where you are planted".
The window sills are wide in the residents' rooms at Wascana, and in addition to the beauty of the terrace garden, Isabel and her new friend have enjoyed many bouquets from the gardens of family and friends. We have learned of the flower-farmer at the Regina Farmer's Market, and bouquets from this Qu'Appelle entrepreneur have also found their way to Isabel and her neighbour's rooms.
There is one particular Saturday morning story that begs telling.
We were part of the hustle and bustle of the Farmer's Market, and quickly chose a colourful bouquet for Isabel, and two 20-blossom lilies ~ one for Isabel and one for her neighbour. There was a long line-up of shoppers for the flower-farmer's stall and we didn't dawdle. When we reached the car, we decided that the bouquet was too beautiful to have purchased only one, and back we went for a second for Mum's neighbour.
We were surprised to find that the line-up at the stall had disappeared, and the flower-farmer and her assistant were carefully creating more bouquets. We told these two women about the two gardeners at Wascana. The flower-farmer took a deep breath upon hearing the stories of Isabel and her neighbour, and responded, "I must make a special bouquet for Isabel's neighbour." And for five minutes, silence seemed to descend on the market, and no customers interrupted her task. And so she carefully chose 20 uncommon flowers ~ one from each of 20 pails from her garden. We recognized only a few, and she didn't know some herself.
And so two bouquets and two large lilies found their way to Wascana. And later that morning, Isabel and her neighbour sat beside their own terrace garden and studied the bouquets, and in particular the one with the uncommon flowers. We watched in awe as Mum's neighbour with a voice hardly above the whisper of her ventilator, named each of the 20 uncommon flowers by their Latin and common names. When she was stuck for a moment, we "googled" a possibility on the internet, and in 20 seconds 10 brilliant photos of a Russian perennial appeared on the screen, and she said "Aha"!
We were in the presence of a Master Gardener.
And now in these mid-days of September, many of the 1200 multi-coloured gladioli from Isabel's neighbour's garden in rural Saskatchewan grace the rooms of Wascana. The gladioli garden is tended by her husband and daughter as this Master Gardener and Isabel together enjoy their own garden at Wascana and muse on what it means to "bloom where you are planted".
Friday, August 21, 2009
Queries about Isabel's Speech
Several of you have recently inquired how Isabel is doing with her out-loud speaking.
She recently said the following in a letter to friends who do not have access to this blog:
"I am talking some now as the paralysis in my throat has partially lifted. The nurses or my girls need to deflate the cuff of my trach for me to talk. I can't swallow well so have lots of saliva but I can talk! Some of the muscles in my mouth are weak so I have trouble saying some words. I can say aluminum, linoleum, geranium and cinnamon buns, but I can't easily say “k” sounds such as “cat”, so I sometimes spell it out c-a-t. The speech therapist has ordered a speaking valve, which may make it easier to talk."
With a letterboard, the Alphasmart, and occasional outloud speaking, Isabel is finding a variety of ways to share her stories with us all.
She recently said the following in a letter to friends who do not have access to this blog:
"I am talking some now as the paralysis in my throat has partially lifted. The nurses or my girls need to deflate the cuff of my trach for me to talk. I can't swallow well so have lots of saliva but I can talk! Some of the muscles in my mouth are weak so I have trouble saying some words. I can say aluminum, linoleum, geranium and cinnamon buns, but I can't easily say “k” sounds such as “cat”, so I sometimes spell it out c-a-t. The speech therapist has ordered a speaking valve, which may make it easier to talk."
With a letterboard, the Alphasmart, and occasional outloud speaking, Isabel is finding a variety of ways to share her stories with us all.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A Summer Holiday
It is two years this week since the West Nile Express roared through our lives ~ a tumultuous week of sudden illness for Isabel with outcomes that have shocked and amazed us all.
Who could have guessed that one mosquito bite could do so much neurological damage?
Who could have guessed even six months ago that Isabel would be walking and talking again? Mum would be quick to say "walking with a frame and two therapists; and talking with difficulty", but walking and talking she is.
We are thankful for so much amid the losses that we, and especially Mum, continue to keenly feel.
In the midst of these second anniversary reflections, there has been time for celebration and holiday spirit.
Two weeks ago, Isabel's Cousin Drew arrived from Los Angeles to explore some of his favourite haunts and to receive some classic Saskatchewan hospitality from his many households of cousins.
Isabel hosted Drew for four of those days in Regina. The comfortable hostel at Wascana Rehab Centre; a large kitchen for home-made meals, 40 acres of Wascana Park, and SOME hours of sunshine added to Isabel's Saskatchewan hospitality. Isabel and Drew discussed their previous holiday time together in Vancouver in the 40s; Hawaii in the 50s; Saskatchewan in the 60s, 70s and 80s; Bristol, Quebec (their Russell grandparents' home) in the 90s; and Saskatchewan and Mendocino, California during this decade. They pored over old photo albums, and memories that Isabel wrote on her laptop in the last two weeks.
A highlight of the visit was a two hour private van tour through the University of Regina, Wascana Park, College Avenue (and the old normal school building that Drew's Dad attended in the 1920s), and finally, half an hour in the floral gardens of the Legislative Buildings.
We are so thankful that Mum's health is such that this outing including moving in and out of the van with "Rufus" (her wheelchair) was undertaken with relative ease on her part.
We are so appreciative of Cousin Drew's efforts to come to visit us all. Two years ago his medical research provided invaluable knowledge for Mum's medical team and for ourselves. Two years later, his visit provided Isabel with a much enjoyed "holiday" from the regular day-in-day-out activities of life at Wascana.
On this sunshiny day in Saskatchewan ~ Happy Summer, everyone!
Who could have guessed that one mosquito bite could do so much neurological damage?
Who could have guessed even six months ago that Isabel would be walking and talking again? Mum would be quick to say "walking with a frame and two therapists; and talking with difficulty", but walking and talking she is.
We are thankful for so much amid the losses that we, and especially Mum, continue to keenly feel.
In the midst of these second anniversary reflections, there has been time for celebration and holiday spirit.
Two weeks ago, Isabel's Cousin Drew arrived from Los Angeles to explore some of his favourite haunts and to receive some classic Saskatchewan hospitality from his many households of cousins.
Isabel hosted Drew for four of those days in Regina. The comfortable hostel at Wascana Rehab Centre; a large kitchen for home-made meals, 40 acres of Wascana Park, and SOME hours of sunshine added to Isabel's Saskatchewan hospitality. Isabel and Drew discussed their previous holiday time together in Vancouver in the 40s; Hawaii in the 50s; Saskatchewan in the 60s, 70s and 80s; Bristol, Quebec (their Russell grandparents' home) in the 90s; and Saskatchewan and Mendocino, California during this decade. They pored over old photo albums, and memories that Isabel wrote on her laptop in the last two weeks.
A highlight of the visit was a two hour private van tour through the University of Regina, Wascana Park, College Avenue (and the old normal school building that Drew's Dad attended in the 1920s), and finally, half an hour in the floral gardens of the Legislative Buildings.
We are so thankful that Mum's health is such that this outing including moving in and out of the van with "Rufus" (her wheelchair) was undertaken with relative ease on her part.
We are so appreciative of Cousin Drew's efforts to come to visit us all. Two years ago his medical research provided invaluable knowledge for Mum's medical team and for ourselves. Two years later, his visit provided Isabel with a much enjoyed "holiday" from the regular day-in-day-out activities of life at Wascana.
On this sunshiny day in Saskatchewan ~ Happy Summer, everyone!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Come to the Fair!
It's Aber Fair today ~ 102 years of never being rained out ~ and once again this small intergenerational community pulls together to create a family day of fun and friendship.
Over 80 light and heavy horses, pet show, children's races and face paints, horseshoes, tractor pull, a pie booth, an exhibit building filled with cooking and baking and preserves and handiwork and sewing; the curling rink filled with tables of vegetables and flowers and seeds and stalks; displays and children's entertainment throughout the fairgrounds; school displays and art & writing work; Old Tyme music and a pork and salad supper; and many a seat to sit or post to lean upon to visit an old friend or a neighbour you haven't seen for weeks or years. Fireworks at dusk.
During the long winter nights, Isabel dreamt up her contribution to this year's Fair ~ sponsoring a class for those aged 17 years and under called "A Good School Lunch".
The new class was a hit and ten aspiring lunch-makers packed their favourite foods in their lunch kits to compete for the honours. Sandwiches and muffins and veggies and fruit and yogourt in every possible combination and container.
Ah! Such satisfaction for Isabel as she hatched her idea at Wascana 70 miles from the Fairgrounds!
Old teachers never give up!
Did you miss this year's Fair? Mark July 24, 2010 on your calendar!
Over 80 light and heavy horses, pet show, children's races and face paints, horseshoes, tractor pull, a pie booth, an exhibit building filled with cooking and baking and preserves and handiwork and sewing; the curling rink filled with tables of vegetables and flowers and seeds and stalks; displays and children's entertainment throughout the fairgrounds; school displays and art & writing work; Old Tyme music and a pork and salad supper; and many a seat to sit or post to lean upon to visit an old friend or a neighbour you haven't seen for weeks or years. Fireworks at dusk.
During the long winter nights, Isabel dreamt up her contribution to this year's Fair ~ sponsoring a class for those aged 17 years and under called "A Good School Lunch".
The new class was a hit and ten aspiring lunch-makers packed their favourite foods in their lunch kits to compete for the honours. Sandwiches and muffins and veggies and fruit and yogourt in every possible combination and container.
Ah! Such satisfaction for Isabel as she hatched her idea at Wascana 70 miles from the Fairgrounds!
Old teachers never give up!
Did you miss this year's Fair? Mark July 24, 2010 on your calendar!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Introducing Isabel's New Laptop
Isabel has got herself a laptop. This latest acquisition is providing her with increased independence and the opportunity to learn yet again.
In early June, her Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) suggested that she try a "NEO Alpha-writer" to keep To Do lists for her daughters, and to write letters to friends and family. Isabel has continually rejected the idea of a specialized computer with voice function as not being what she needed for communication. As she said to a friend this spring, "my letterboard is my computer". However, the suggestion of a simple word processor without all the bells and whistles is what captured Isabel's fancy.
Within 15 minutes of the SLP's suggestion, Isabel had a borrowed one on her wheelchair table and was pecking out her first message. She now has a NEO Alpha-writer of her own and can write letters with her laptop on her new slanted laptop table any time she desires.
This simple machine saves every letter (A,B,C etc.) one types so there is little chance of losing your efforts. With wireless printing capability (soon to be hooked up) and a USB cord to download one's work to another computer, Isabel is set to go. The lists to the daughters get longer and longer, and the letters to friends are beginning to emerge.
Mum has never typed and with only one finger that "works" (left index) typing a letter is no small task. We are grateful for the research of friends and family who recommended that we convert her keyboard to Left-handed Dvorak. This placement of the letters means that someone with use of only the left hand (or one finger of the left hand as in Isabel's case) can type more easily than with a standard QWERTY Keyboard. The most-commonly used letters are placed together within easy reach of the left hand. (Yes, we used the equivalent of a kitchen knife to pry off the keys! Don't try this until you convert your keyboard internally first!).
Isabel's Occupational Therapist then added the "sticky key" function which allows Isabel to press the shift key and have it remain active until another key is pressed (for example, the question mark). As Isabel has use of only one finger, she needs "sticky keys" as she can't press Shift and Question Mark at the same time.
Does all this sound like Greek to you?
We'd suggest that you "google" the following to get further explanation:
* NEO Alpha-writer
* QWERTY
* Left hand Dvorak
* Sticky Keys
Oh, what we haven't learned these last 23 months!!!
In early June, her Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) suggested that she try a "NEO Alpha-writer" to keep To Do lists for her daughters, and to write letters to friends and family. Isabel has continually rejected the idea of a specialized computer with voice function as not being what she needed for communication. As she said to a friend this spring, "my letterboard is my computer". However, the suggestion of a simple word processor without all the bells and whistles is what captured Isabel's fancy.
Within 15 minutes of the SLP's suggestion, Isabel had a borrowed one on her wheelchair table and was pecking out her first message. She now has a NEO Alpha-writer of her own and can write letters with her laptop on her new slanted laptop table any time she desires.
This simple machine saves every letter (A,B,C etc.) one types so there is little chance of losing your efforts. With wireless printing capability (soon to be hooked up) and a USB cord to download one's work to another computer, Isabel is set to go. The lists to the daughters get longer and longer, and the letters to friends are beginning to emerge.
Mum has never typed and with only one finger that "works" (left index) typing a letter is no small task. We are grateful for the research of friends and family who recommended that we convert her keyboard to Left-handed Dvorak. This placement of the letters means that someone with use of only the left hand (or one finger of the left hand as in Isabel's case) can type more easily than with a standard QWERTY Keyboard. The most-commonly used letters are placed together within easy reach of the left hand. (Yes, we used the equivalent of a kitchen knife to pry off the keys! Don't try this until you convert your keyboard internally first!).
Isabel's Occupational Therapist then added the "sticky key" function which allows Isabel to press the shift key and have it remain active until another key is pressed (for example, the question mark). As Isabel has use of only one finger, she needs "sticky keys" as she can't press Shift and Question Mark at the same time.
Does all this sound like Greek to you?
We'd suggest that you "google" the following to get further explanation:
* NEO Alpha-writer
* QWERTY
* Left hand Dvorak
* Sticky Keys
Oh, what we haven't learned these last 23 months!!!
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