Friday

Jean went back to Mom and Dad's Friday to go with them to speech therapy. The therapist, Marge, as I mentioned before, has been trying to get a special machine for Dad to help him communicate more easily. The rep for the company was in Burnet Friday and met with Mom, Dad, Jean and Marge.

The machine (I will find out its name so I don't have to keep calling it that!) will be provided through a program called STAP (Specialized Telecommunications Equipment Program). STAP is a state-wide program that provides specialized assisted equipment or services for Texans having a disability that interferes with their ability to access the telephone network. Apparently, on our phone bills each month is a small charge, $2 or so, that funds this program! For instance, STAP provides specialized phones for the hearing impaired.

The rep from STAP took Dad's information and will seek approval for a communication machine for Dad. The approval process will take 6-8 weeks and, once he is approved, it takes about a week to get the machine to him. During the interim, we are all jotting down things that we say on a frequent basis that would be hard for Dad to communicate otherwise. Those types of thigs are what will be programmed into the machine!

The machine is a small computer and monitor, similar to a lap-top computer. It comes with either a 6" or a 12" screen. The 12" screen is the best choice for Dad. It runs on a battery that lasts about 5 hours before it has to be recharged (which seems rather short to me, but maybe we can get a longer life battery or leave it charging when he's not using it...). It has a touch screen with tabs across the top. It is designed for total customization. For instance, we can program a tab with all the family and friends' names. Dad can go to the "People" tab and touch the name or picture of the person he wants to talk to Mom about. Then he can go to another tab that says something like, "call," or "visit," or "have you talked to him/her lately," etc. Dad watches over their vehicles, so a tab could be set up for "Vehicles" and under that tab could be things like, "Suburban" and "oil change," rotate tires," etc. It doesn't allow arbitrary questions, only what is programmed into the tabs' verbiage, but it will absolutely make an appreciable difference compared to how he communicates right now!

This machine will allow Dad to be much less passive and become so much more involved in every-day conversations! Certainly he and Mom communicate well together, after all, after 64 years they can practically read each other's minds!!! But, Dad is pretty quiet around other people most of the time because it is such an effort for him to get his message expressed. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think of the possibilities this can open up for Dad in communicating with the rest of us! Technology is fascinating!!!

I will keep you posted on this! As always, I pass good news on to you as quickly as I can! Please help me pray that SPAT approves Dad for the machine! Amen!