Day 144 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

When I called to talk to Grayson tonight, I found out that he was at a screening of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at the Brighthouse Networks Amphitheater. The residents had the opportunity to attend this free screening, and Grayson wanted to participate. According to the few staff remaining behind, Grayson hustled through his chores, dinner, and therapeutic home program (THP's) so he wouldn't miss the bus. How fun is that!

If you read the posting yesterday, bees were a problem in Grayson's apartment. Tonight Grayson and his roommates had dinner in the temporary apartment. While the residents were at the movie screening, the RA's moved the "boys" back into their unit, as the bees had departed (with some encouragement from the beekeeper dispatched to deal with them.) The bees are back making honey, and the boys at the movie screening will get to sleep in their own beds tonight.

As promised, here is some more information from our patient conference on Tuesday. Tonight I'll speak to occupational therapy (OT). Grayson has improved his range of motion since the last report. His grip strength has improved, and he is able to perform tasks like opening a jar, or getting a milk carton out of the refrigerator without dropping it. His hand tremor has reduced, allowing him to more easily pour liquids, eat with silverware and drink from a glass. He is "scanning" very well, which is taking in a mental picture of a variety of objects in the area and remembering them for working recall. He loves puzzles, and if given a choice of activity to perform in OT, puzzles are always his choice. His sequencing is also improving (doing multi step tasks in the proper order).

Grayson's kitchen and social skills are also showing gains. As an exercise, Grayson will ask fellow patients in the OT area if they want lemonade. He will mix the lemonade then serve it to them. He is doing a good job of mixing, pouring and carrying the lemonade. He is having difficulty remembering who it was that he made it for. A similar situation is happening with the microwave. He is able to independently put the food in the microwave, read the instructions, set the controls, and determine that the food is done by hearing the beep. Unfortunately, Grayson can't seem to remember which of the microwaves that he put the food into. This is not a problem at the apartment, as there is only one microwave. It is a problem at the clinic, as there are 4!

God continues to bless us with Grayson's improvement. I'll share more of the patient conference tomorrow.

Pax!

Brant