Today I visited a new participant who had a stroke about 5 years ago. This affected the left side of his brain. He is unable to speak and barely communicate, other than to nod his head yes and no and through body language. The stroke also affected the right side of his body, which he is unable to move. Both legs have also been amputated from the knee and he is in a wheelchair.
Something he really wanted to do was learn how to communicate again. As the Support Coordinator, I spoke with a local speech therapist who specialise with stroke patients. I asked if there would be any assistive technology to assist him with his communication. We had the first appointment and she went over some assistive technology that he could use. One was a iPad with a app that speaks for him, by pushing certain buttons that the speech therapist can create according to his needs.
Just at the thought of being able to communicate again, made him smile from ear to ear. It is moments like these I really enjoy my job and making a difference in someone’s life.
