Incremental Change

I don’t always see it. Sometimes it takes a person from the outside, because of a longer time gap, to see real change. Progress in Annie’s cognitive skills has not – as many Doctors suggested – reached a plateau point. I think this time it is the project she has just finished. Having work has kicked her up yet another notch.

From the very beginning it was painfully clear there wasn’t a whole lot known about brain recovery. I’ve believed environment has a lot to do with recovery and of course the particulars of the injury. I wrote previously about the German Doc’s at the National Institute of Health saying their biggest challenge in brain injury recovery is the environment the survivor returns to. If there isn’t a stimulating environment the survivor will not progress. That stimulation may be not helping them do something or challenging them in such a way (seemingly negative to some) that they are forced to adapt. One such was making Annie work to walk by saying she couldn’t go somewhere if we had to take a wheelchair. Sure, it was self centered desire (try hauling one of those things in and out of a car day in and day out – my hat to those who’ll put up with it), but she was also motivated. The same goes for the work she has recently completed. She would be left out if she couldn’t do the work so she figured out how to get it done. And the process gave her new confidence.

We remain very proud of her.

On a side note, a direct approach is always better with the handicapped. If it is too much trouble to deal with them – spontaneous trips, last minute outings, extra driving – just say so. Annie knows bringing her along requires some planning. Homes, restaurants and theaters have to be reasonably accessible, cars have to be relatively easy to get in and out of (e.g. my brother’s Tesla is almost out of the question), and you have to allow for extra time. She may protest a little but a hard “no” is better than a soft ‘well, maybe we are, maybe not” or “we haven’t planned”, every time. She’ll get over a hard “no”.