Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately, sleep continues to elude me so I focus on what new ‘reality’ therapy we can work on.
In addition to our home PT, today’s distractions were ‘Chores and Lists’.

I use large 5×7 index cards to write the day’s activities. We call them reminder cards. I prop them in front of Corey’s placemat so she can read them and reference what’s important for the day.

Card #1
Laundry
Write packing list
pick clothes for list

Card #2
Friday – rehearsal
Saturday – wedding
Sunday – brunch

We started with the Laundry (we have a stack washer/dryer)
Corey sits in a chair to sort the laundry, then loads the washer (bottom machine) and adds the detergent. During the wash cycle, we walk throughout the house eventually lapping back to the kitchen table to start our packing list. We had 3 separate papers for each day of the big weekend. We talked through the timeline for each day. Corey was in charge of thinking about what clothes, toiletries and accessories she would need to outfit each of us for each event. I was very impressed with how methodical she was and often thought of the smallest detail that I had not thought of. *She was always a great packer!

The thought process involved for writing a list of this sort requires a higher level of analytical thinking. You have to conceptually walk through each step, organize not only the event but the tangible and intangible items needed to properly ensure you can execute it smoothly with everything you might need.

The next step is equally as difficult. Corey has to physically write the list. That might seem insignificant to most but don’t take this step for granted. Writing a list, thinking of the word to describe what she needs, physically holding a pen to control the spacing and size of her writing, remembering how to spell the words, then remembering what she was writing about and reading what she wrote is a HUGE challenge for her. List writing and organizing a topic/items falls in the advanced cognitive therapy category. List writing is just one tool to not only help her strengthen her memory but empower her as well. She feels a sense of control and independence.

Tomorrow we go back to Bryn Mawr. I’m hoping we will hear we were awarded 24 more PT sessions…keep your fingers crossed, xoxo