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What to Get…………?
Gift ideas for brain injury survivors
By
Heike Kessler-Heiberg, MA-CCC, Associate Professor, Acquired Brain Injury
Program, Mesa College
The holidays are coming. A
birthday rolls around every year, not to mention Mother’s Day, Father’s Day,
Valentine’s Day and various anniversaries. It occurred to me that friends and
family looking for the perfect gift for those who were blessed and lucky enough
to survive a brain injury might be able to use a few “professional” tips.
What kind of a present might really make a difference in a brain injury
survivor’s life?
Given the fact that I’m a
speech-language pathologist and teach Memory Strategies, Study Skills and
Advocacy through the Community College District, you can probably guess I’m
not going to answer the above question with “a tie.” Let’s consider the
“high tech” possibilities first. Small voice
memo recorders are the auditory version of self-stick notes and are an
easy-to-use, hand-held gadget to record messages to oneself throughout the day,
such as “call Mom when I get home” or “take the steak out to defrost.”
Their recording time varies from 30 seconds to several minutes and they’re
small enough to be carried in a purse, backpack or even in a pocket. It’s best
to get one with adequate recording time, buttons large enough for the person’s
motor skills, good recording quality and a light or some signal to let the
person know there’s a message(s) waiting. Prices range from as low as $15 to
about $200; there are plenty of versions in the $30-90 range. Voice memo
recorders are especially ideal for people who are unable to write legibly due to
aphasia or motor problems and who have a hard time consistently using their Day
Planner. They’re also great to “capture” thoughts that pop up at the
moments when we can’t write-these can then be listened to later and
transferred to a planner or to a To Do list. By the way, many of my students
(who are still waiting for this perfect gift) use their telephone
answering machine in the same way. If they have something really important
that they’re worried they’re going to forget, they call home and leave
themselves a message! (and write it in their planner…and put it on a Post-It
on their bathroom mirror and….)
Electronic spell checkers rank high on the list, as well.
These, again, can range in price from $15 to $150 or more, depending on the
features. A good spell checker can be purchased for $20-$60. Words can be typed
in as they sound (or as the person thinks they are spelled) and the device will
“search” for the correct spelling. Many inexpensive versions also provide a
thesaurus (synonyms) feature and include word games, which are excellent for
practicing word retrieval skills and enhancing vocabulary levels. Almost all
survivors complain that spelling is more difficult for them post-injury and a
spell checker is an essential tool for anyone going to school or having to do a
lot of writing. It has clear advantages over a traditional dictionary, in that
the device can find the correct spelling when the word is typed in more or less
phonetically. You’d be looking a long
time for the word “sikologee” in a paper dictionary since it requires
accuracy at least on the first 2-3 letters! Some types even have a voice feature
to pronounce the word, which can aid recognition. I do not recommend spell
checkers for people with severe aphasia who have difficulty writing at the word
level. The machine will not be able to find the correct word if it is
significantly misspelled and often times, a person with severe aphasia will not
be able to recognize the word they wanted from the choices the checker provides.
The big ticket item would be electronic
planners or organizers, into which information can be entered via a keyboard
or by using a stylus and actually writing on the screen. Electronic organizers
can run from $50-$500 and can store your daily calendar and phone numbers.
Additional features often include a calculator, spell checker, a “memo pad”,
among others. There’s a simple version of the Palm Pilot out now for about
$150.
Although some people swear by
these fancier devices, there are many advantages to an old-fashioned paper-pencil
day planner, especially for beginners. A calendar or paper day planner
doesn’t have a long list of instructions to decipher or complicated sequences
of buttons to push. It may be easier to read than a small display screen and can
show you your week in context, rather
than just one day or one item at a time. People are also more likely to want
your Palm Pilot than your Day Runner planner notebook, so there’s less to
worry about if you leave it somewhere (or get it wet!). Generally, I recommend a
planner that is at least 5 ½ x 8 inches big, has preprinted
dated pages and an address section and shows a week at a time when opened. Monthly calendars with a grid of small
boxes do not have enough space to record details of appointments and lists.
“Day”-at-a-glance type calendars may be optimal for people with severe
memory problems since they provide adequate writing space for the person to
write daily, detailed journal-like entries. Ring-bound (versus spiral bound)
planners allow the person to take out irrelevant sections and add in pages,
handouts and notices. An innovative present for someone who already owns a
planner would be, of all things, a (cook)book
stand! By consistently putting one’s planner, for example, open to the correct date, on a stand in the middle of the kitchen
table when returning home is a fantastic visual reminder to constantly check it
(and write in it!). Finally, a large master
family calendar for the refrigerator is always a good investment, too.
Other affordable devices include
watches, timers, alarm clocks, calculators, and regular tape recorders.
Frequently after a brain injury, people notice that their “internal clock”
is off and that they often lose track of time and end up late or feeling rushed.
A good watch, showing time and
day/date, is essential. Many inexpensive brands now come with alarm settings and
displays to program in phone numbers and even appointments. An alarm feature can
help survivors learn to take their medications independently or serve as a
reminder to check one’s Day Planner twice a day. For many people, it’s hard
to remember to look at their watch, particularly if they get involved in a
project or are trying to do two things at one (like filling out some forms while
waiting for the water to boil or while running a load of wash). Simple “kitchen”
timers can be found in most stores and despite their name, can be put in every room. They can be set and they ring loudly enough for the
people to be cued onto the next task (“I’ll set the timer for 30 minutes
because then I have to stop what I’m doing and get ready for my doctor’s
appointment.”). Alarm clocks now
come with extra large numbers displays and/or voice. Due to the difficulties
with self-monitoring that people with brain injury often experience, a
calculator with large buttons and a paper tape printout (or voice) works
well in helping them catch entry errors and see their work. This can be a
valuable device in allowing someone to resume handling his or her own finances
and checkbook. Tape recorders can be useful for people returning to school if they
have a counter feature. Most of us do
not have the discipline to listen to an entire 1-3 hour lecture again at night,
after every class, no matter how fascinating it was! However, while taking notes
or listening in class, you can jot down the place on the tape counter where you
“space out” or get lost or have questions and can simply fast-forward to
that portion of the tape later to get clarification.
Nothing can beat simplicity and
common sense, though. A lifetime supply of self-stick
notes, such as Post-Its, is a very thoughtful gift to buy in bulk. Stock up
on various sizes and colors (although dark colors tend to obscure the writing)
and help the person strategically place them around the house, the car, near the
phone, in their planner, etc. Automatic
shut-off appliances (irons, coffee brewers, etc.) can be lifesavers. Pillboxes
are promote independence and range from simple to more elaborate models equipped
with reminder alarms, built-in water compartments and straws and multiple
day/time divisions. An extra-large key
chain (some even come with a beeper-finder) can make life a lot easier, as
can a gift membership to AAA for roadside emergencies, etc. How about a car
emergency kit, a new Thomas Brothers map book, a Medic Alert bracelet or
necklace (telephone: 1-800-432-5378) or prepaid
bus passes? Educational and/or therapeutic gifts also include things like relaxation tapes if the person has trouble sleeping (a common
problem after B.I.), membership to a pool
or a gym or an exercise video, or
one of several good books about brain
injury. A book that most of my students find very interesting and inspiring
is Over My Head by Claudia Osborn. It
can be ordered through a bookstore or on the Internet via amazon.com.
Most of the gifts described in this article can be found in
electronic stores such as, The Good Guys and Radio Shack or in office supply
stores, including Office Depot and Staples or even in the appropriate department
of stores such as, Best Buy, The Sharper Image, Target, Longs, Savon or K-Mart.
I can also highly recommend the Yes, I Can
store in Escondido (1356 West Valley Parkway; Suite J (760) 739-7900), which
carries a multitude of disability-related products. Happy
shopping!!
