I began my morning this morning at 6:00 a.m. by going out to the kitchen to eat my breakfast. What did I have you ask? I can not remember. Seems that I did not write it down I will not ever remember. Unless I have the same thing every day. Living with my brain injury has effected my short term memory. How do I remember enough each day to even write this blog. well at the end of each hour of my day I jot notes down in a three inch by five inch steno pad I keep in my back pocket. I am writing in it every hour on the hour. If I did not go through this process there would not be a blog. Repetition also helps me to learn the things I need to get along in my every day living. Since my stroke I had moved back in with my parents to make the heeling process a little easier, but I was living on my own prior to the stroke.
In order to learn the area in which I lived, I had to work with Occupaional Theropists, Speech Theropists, and rehab technicians to help learn the community in which I live. There were places I wanted to be able to access, like the gym, grocery store, bank, post office, and church to name a few. The O.T. had walked with to and from these destinations in order to write down directions, street names and land marks in order for me to learn my way.
I then also had worked with a rehab technician to learn the ins and out of living in my own appartment. It was the first time out on my own, so the two of went through my cupboards writing every thing down that was in each one. I then went on my computer to type up signs of the things that was in each one. I then posted the signs on each cupboard so that I could read the signs to find the item I was looking for.
Another task that had to be accomplished was the ins and outs of the appartment itself. You see I had moved into a five story appartment and on each floor were different things the building had to offer so instead of wondering around the entire building we located each one then organized it so they would be easy to access. The building had a library, chapel, and a t.v. room to name a few.
I eventually had to learn how to shop. I had spent many sessions with a rehab technician walking down the aisles of Hannaford to learn where the things were that I would normally include in my weekly shopping list. Sure the store has its own shopping guide, but to make it easier for me we personlized my own shopping guide.
That was just the begining. In order to know what I was to be eating for the week, every Monday I would sit down at my kitchen table to organize a grocery list and weekly meal plan. I would first go through my cupboards and refrigerator to see what I had and from I would begin to make my meal plan for seven days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. using first what I had. I then made my grocery list from there. I would go through this process each week with the rehab tech and she would take me shopping.
Once I had all my living skills all in place. I needed to be indipendent in getting around. It was now time to learn how to use the city bus. I started working with a theropyst learning bus routes reading the bus schedule and so on. It was now time for me to actually to put what I have been studying to use. For about three months I would meet one day a week with a theropist to actually plan a bus route with pick up times and to chose a destination so as to practice using the city link bus. Once I had become some what familiar with the process I then joined the group of clients who were learning the bus use. This was a little longer group. It allowed you to spend time at the destination the group had chosen.I evetually had mastered the group before spending a couple more one on one sessions before evetually becoming totally independent with the city link bus. At that point I had pretty much had master on how to live independently live on my own, but there was always room for improvement
Now it was time for me to go to work. I had hooked up with voc rehab. I had done a three month job assessment at T. D. bank in the Bates Mill complex in Lewiston, Maine.There again I had to learn how to get there, how to do my job, and to know my way around in the work place. It took me a while, but at the end of the assessment I think I had mastered it. It was the perfect position I had my own work station, computer, got to know the work place and the people in the work place, but at the end of the assessment there was no job opening.
My theropy at that time went back to one day per week to five days per week to keep active and functional. I was even involve in a community intergration group. Every Monday night six of us clients would get to gether with two theropist and cook a meal. eat, clean up, and do an activity whether it be going out into the comunity or stay at the facility and do and activity. The first Monday of each month a community support group happins which is opptional.
Then it happened. Just when I had my life pretty much together I was living on my own, utilizing the community in which I live quite well, but yet to have a job. I was working on it. The day I had my third stroke. It has had its set backs but I am getting there. The day was May 2, 2011. It has not been quite a year, but close, I spent one month at Eastern Maine Medical Center then two months at d'youville rehab before being released. I have at WestSide Neourorehab services ever since and working very hard in my theropy everyday, but that is another chapter in my life. I hope this has been an insightful explanation to as what a part of my life has been for me.
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