I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at Ferintosh House yesterday morning and find Gord in the kitchen with his Occupational Therapist, Anthony, cooking his own lunch. He made a grilled cheese sandwich and soup. I arrived and smelled something burning and wondered what the heck was going on in this place and lo and behold it's my Gord charring a piece of bread in the frying pan. He looked so cute pushing himself around the kitchen getting all the utensils etc. to do the job. After eating what he had cooked (and seeming to really enjoy it) he then had to clean up the stove and table, and do the dishes. He did it all and I think the kitchen was cleaner after than when he started. They are exposing Gord to all the every day things we go through just to see how much he knows how to do and how well he can do the tasks. He is doing very well.
As for the speech. It may never recover and it may recover almost completely - we learned that yesterday. There is no cure for Aphasia. My job is to find ways to understand what he is trying to say. The big job begins now. Also, in speaking with others in the same circumstance as us, it looks like we will be there for 6 - 9 months. OUCH! Good news is that Gord can definitely come home on weekends and holidays and the odd time take a 2 week break. It will be like having a job during the week and we will just have to deal with it. His intelligence is intact - he just has difficulty getting the words to express himself. I think those bushy eyebrows are going to be the best thing that Gord has for now so his facial expressions and gesturing can help us understand him.
Well, off I go for another day .....
Love to all
Sheila
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Aloha Sheila & Gord,
ReplyDeleteYa Hoo! It sounds like before long Gord will be cooking for you! To know that home is a likely a weekend destination before too long, is AWESOME! We love and miss you and think of you always - S & K
Hi Guys
ReplyDeleteSeems much progress is being made and we're sure time spent there will be well spent! Great to have breaks to look forward to along with the hard work.
Expect when we get back and can visit, we'll have a homecooked meal prepared by Gord...awesome! Will talk soon...luv you both, A BUNCH! H & C
Hi Sheila, Hi Gord:
ReplyDeleteSheila, your description of Gord spinning around the kitchen preparing his lunch creates a great visual. One can easily picture him busily at work “charring the bread” and then enthusiastically relishing the products of his own gastronomic labors. It’s a good picture. And, knowing Gord, it’s not difficult to understand why the kitchen would be one of the very first facility domains where he would want to establish his presence and master associated skills. Although common wisdom states that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, it’s likely that Gord may well demonstrate that the quickest route to a man’s sense of self-achievement is also through the stomach.
It is good to know that Gord is at last so close to ‘being home’ that he can at least touch base there occasionally. However, it’s hard not to be apprehensive about the close proximity of home potentially generating an increased sense of ‘homesickness’ and making six to nine months of residence at Halvar Jonson seem like an eternity, and more like a place of incarceration than a facility for restorative therapy and rehabilitation. Hopefully, not. But, at our ages, we all know that time will pass very quickly...Oh, don’t we know. And, as difficult as it may be at times, each moment at Halvar Jonson will have to be ‘appreciated’ for its value as an essential component in the effort to recover and restore that which has been damaged. It will be precious time well spent. And, as we also know at our ages, fine wine, and even a good grilled cheese sandwich, cannot be rushed.
Fortunately, Gord has all the requisite skills nexessary to absolutely excel during his time at HJ. As we are all aware, Gord is socially uninhibited, assertive, friendly, and good humored; he has an enthusiastic inclination for physical and constructive activities; he has an affinity for the assumption of leadership. These substantial personal attributes provide him the ability to not only commit to a vigorous program of personal therapy and rehabilitation, but to also push himself to great levels of achievement. Equally important is that Gord’s personality will induce him to actively engage others, to become a leader among those similarly situated, to set an enthusiastic example for them, and to encourage them. This will be a gift for his peers. But, ultimately, even in his challenging circumstances and environment, it will also greatly benefit Gord as it will help restore him in roles where he has always excelled, leader and friend.
So, even though each week at HJ may seem like working at a resident job site, and it will be work, there may be some value in putting it in the best possible light and considering it as being away each week at the “Halvar Jonson Boarding School”...a venue for mastering life enhancing skill...a place for developing life long friends and associates (We could really stretch and consider it the "Halvar Jonson Charm School", but even with all his attributes, Gord would need nine years, not nine months, to graduate). Regardless, you can trust that the latter will absolutely happen. There is no doubt that Gord will depart HJ with enduring friendships far deeper and stronger than he has likely known before. These friendships will be the consequence of relationships that evolve among those who face great difficulty together, who share success and failure together, and who work hard and ultimately prevail together. Such friendships are unique, special, and treasured. Gifts forged from adversity.
And finally...Gord and Sheila, why do we have a sense that following Gord’s tenure at HJ, all staff and future clients will enter the Ferintosh House kitchen through a doorway above which hangs a sign that clearly states, “Gord’s Galley”?
You remain in our hearts and minds.
Tom and Red