Campaign season
Gilly managed the evening much like any other one of late. It seems we have our man back, except his use of words is still tricky. He asked Tamara if she had her ‘snow machine’ fixed yet, meaning ‘computer.’ I think I know what he’s trying to say, so I ask if my reading is correct. Again, it’s back to ‘leading the witness.’ He does not always agree with my interpretation, so it is possible that when he accepts my version, it’s the correct one. I suppose that by living with and loving someone for 24 years you have some idea of what he may be thinking. In any case, I feel relieved to know that comprehension is still there.
We made it to physio on time this morning. I decided to let him go in himself to make sure he still knows how to get there. He couldn’t reassure me by explaining it to me, so I knew I’d have to take time from my usual work day to see for myself. I parked the car, and entered the building with some trepidation, hoping I’d find him easily. He was there, alright, but the session was scheduled for tomorrow! Thi was absent last time, and so Natasha saw him and scheduled 2 appointments with him for this week, unbeknownst to me. Imagine if I had left him there and gone off to work, as I usually do. My mother normally does the pick up. This is not a good week to tamper with routines. Tuesday will not do, since I have to be at work for 8:00.
My mom will take Gilly tomorrow and try to untangle the confusion, and explain to Natasha that I am the one who schedules appointments, and why. I have no idea what happened to Thi; perhaps he’s sick, or out of town…I will need to get to the bottom of this and put measures into place so as to avoid snags that could potentially create a safety issue for Gilly.
We returned home and I remained there to work for a few hours. He made a pot of coffee when he tired of watching me work (he said he was watching me relax, but I clarified that I was trying to work so as to remain on top of my game; relaxed would not be an accurate word to describe my state). I had to leave for a seminar and meeting, but Yaron was home for most of the day. Anita was sweet enough to offer to come and stay with Gilly in Yaron’s absence (he had his last driving lesson), but he was adamant that he would be fine. He promised to remain on one level; I worry about him falling down the stairs. All went well. He called me once, and he answered his cell when I called him; we were in touch. He was in good spirits and as ‘with it’ as he ever is these days.
He greeted me warmly when I arrived, and seemed happy to spend time with me. He’s not all that demonstrative in this regard these days, so I happily hung out with him. He continued to try to express himself, but the words, this time, were simply stuck in his head. He said ‘forget it’ instead of inserting words that seemed nonsensical. Regardless, he was more verbose than usual this evening.
I asked him if he feels frustrated that he cannot express himself well, and he acknowledged that this is true. I asked if it makes him feel lonely, and he said no, not really. I tried to help him express his feelings on the matter further by asking him several questions, but I did not hit on the right assumption.
My next campaign is to organize some sort of communication tool for him. There are some techniques used in special education, and I will investigate further to see if I can find a device that could work for him. I haven’t forgotten about any of my other unfinished campaigns; this is just a new one to add to the list. Anything I can do to improve his quality of life is worth trying. I almost had him agreeing to work with plasticine today to create molds and design plaques with different textures out of Plaster of Paris. I hope to have some time to show him how to do this. I think he might like it. Yet another campaign.
We made it to physio on time this morning. I decided to let him go in himself to make sure he still knows how to get there. He couldn’t reassure me by explaining it to me, so I knew I’d have to take time from my usual work day to see for myself. I parked the car, and entered the building with some trepidation, hoping I’d find him easily. He was there, alright, but the session was scheduled for tomorrow! Thi was absent last time, and so Natasha saw him and scheduled 2 appointments with him for this week, unbeknownst to me. Imagine if I had left him there and gone off to work, as I usually do. My mother normally does the pick up. This is not a good week to tamper with routines. Tuesday will not do, since I have to be at work for 8:00.
My mom will take Gilly tomorrow and try to untangle the confusion, and explain to Natasha that I am the one who schedules appointments, and why. I have no idea what happened to Thi; perhaps he’s sick, or out of town…I will need to get to the bottom of this and put measures into place so as to avoid snags that could potentially create a safety issue for Gilly.
We returned home and I remained there to work for a few hours. He made a pot of coffee when he tired of watching me work (he said he was watching me relax, but I clarified that I was trying to work so as to remain on top of my game; relaxed would not be an accurate word to describe my state). I had to leave for a seminar and meeting, but Yaron was home for most of the day. Anita was sweet enough to offer to come and stay with Gilly in Yaron’s absence (he had his last driving lesson), but he was adamant that he would be fine. He promised to remain on one level; I worry about him falling down the stairs. All went well. He called me once, and he answered his cell when I called him; we were in touch. He was in good spirits and as ‘with it’ as he ever is these days.
He greeted me warmly when I arrived, and seemed happy to spend time with me. He’s not all that demonstrative in this regard these days, so I happily hung out with him. He continued to try to express himself, but the words, this time, were simply stuck in his head. He said ‘forget it’ instead of inserting words that seemed nonsensical. Regardless, he was more verbose than usual this evening.
I asked him if he feels frustrated that he cannot express himself well, and he acknowledged that this is true. I asked if it makes him feel lonely, and he said no, not really. I tried to help him express his feelings on the matter further by asking him several questions, but I did not hit on the right assumption.
My next campaign is to organize some sort of communication tool for him. There are some techniques used in special education, and I will investigate further to see if I can find a device that could work for him. I haven’t forgotten about any of my other unfinished campaigns; this is just a new one to add to the list. Anything I can do to improve his quality of life is worth trying. I almost had him agreeing to work with plasticine today to create molds and design plaques with different textures out of Plaster of Paris. I hope to have some time to show him how to do this. I think he might like it. Yet another campaign.
posted by Gilly at 6:12 PM
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