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Before | First Nine Months | At Home
Coming home meant a lot of preparation had to take place. A Life Care Plan for the nursing home, HMO and families was prepared and submitted to the administrators for review. Please feel free to use this form for your preparation and planning.
Instrumental to Joe's coming home was Georgia Dingman and Eunice Kallio of the Family Independent Agency, formally known as the Michigan Department of Social Services in Livingston County. This agency was extremely helpful in assisting me in completing both the social security forms for Medicaid as well as supplemental funds for home health aids, without which we could not sustain Joe. Thank you Georgia and Eunice, you exemplify the true meaning of social service.
Eunice Kallio, Adult Services Counselor
Joe came home on August 1, 1996 and has been smiling and responding ever since.
Joe also began a program of complementary nutritional supplements as well as physical, occupational and speech therapies.
Joe's father's brothers and sisters (all six of them) came to help when Joe got home. Without them the adjustment of caring for Joe would have been extremely hard. We will be forever in their debt for all their help and support during this critical and difficult period.
Joe's first smile for the camera in early August, 1996.
One year after the
accident Joe responds with hand gestures, head movements, and
is beginning to mouth words. The whole Buurma family have been
very supportive throughout this whole ordeal. The Buurma family,
including the grandparents, visit Joe often.
Joe giving us the thumbs-up sign with Greg Buurma, a friend of our family in early November, 1996.
Joe said NO loud and clear. He also can lightly say other words like WHO and OH. He is beginning to speak. It has been one year and one day since the accident.
The
family celebrates Thanksgiving with the Seeley-Wrights. Eileen
and John have been very kind offering to give Joe's parents some
much needed rest from Joe's care.
Wednesday, November 27, 1996
Joe made clear attempt to say the words Mom, My, Mow, Mike,
Lie, Low, and Lay.
Cathy Barnaby (Speech Therapist)
We have a clock chimes in the living room which just finished chiming 11 times and I asked Joe if he ever listened and counted the chimes to see what time it was. He nodded yes. I then asked if he knew what time it will be when the clock chimes 12 times? He quickly and spontaneously answered "twelve". It startled me because I wasn't expecting a verbal response and it seemed to surprise him too. This was the first time he spontaneously answered a question verbally since the accident.
One possible reason for the increased verbalization could be the fact that last Friday he got the hole stitched in his neck from his trach. Now he has no air loss from his throat. Prior to this he had two small holes which were open.
December, 1996
Joe continues to speak more words and show more alertness.
January, 1997
Changes are coming
slowly but they are definitely coming. He is moving his left hand
quickly and moving his right hand more and more while improving
his limited vocabulary. He easily shakes his head yes and no while
responding yes and no appropriately and can repeat as well as
read many words. He is working on strengthening his tongue to
speak more clearly.
He wrote his name on 1/19/97 with his right hand for the first time since the accident.
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