Through my work in the medico-legal sector, I have the privilege of working with a particularly amazing group of professionals, who provide essential, close and constant support to my clients who have an acquired brain injury (ABI). Their title might vary – carer, buddy, support worker, personal assistant or rehabilitation assistant (RA to be used … Read more
I have had an interesting history… I originally trained as a Physiotherapist. Not long after graduating I suffered a major Stroke which left me with significant physical impairments, one of which was that I lost the use of my vision. For me this ended my career as a physio and put me on a long … Read more
Today, I am a 68-year-old retired Speech and Language Therapist, enjoying a fulfilling life encompassing a number of roles: wife, mother, grandmother, artist and volunteer in two groups for stroke survivors with communication impairment. Six years ago I was struggling with the concept of retiring from a hectic Band 8 SLT post in a large … Read more
Sitting on my sofa just thinking… I am looking at cars, the people in them Going to work or walking to school There are birds on roofs, and hedges looking for food. The pavements are frozen – be careful I am still thinking… Thinking about this little island This island that has helped so … Read more
Today, I am a 42-year-old married woman with two small children (son – 4 and daughter – 8) doing a part time masters in HR and looking after the children, house and my husband with all the organising of clubs, playdates, school bags, bills and house maintenance etc. that entails. Ten years ago, before having … Read more
Throughout our MSc in Speech and Language Sciences at UCL we have been trained to use active listening. It’s a key clinical skill. As trainee SLTs we listen when we collaborate with clients to take case histories. But these are often about a snapshot in time. What happens when clients complete assessment and intervention? How … Read more
Following on from my last blog introducing my journey with Talking Mats (TMs), I have described below two examples of my use of TMs in practice. I specialise in working with people who have had sudden onset brain disorders, such as strokes, brain injuries and other progressive brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. … Read more
Talking Mats (TMs) I hear you say, is that a mat that talks?! And so begins my story of Talking Mats. Talking Mats is an evidence-based pictorial tool developed by Dr Joan Murphy in 1989. Since its creation, it is used in the UK and worldwide. What does Talking Mats do? It gives individuals with … Read more
As a speech and language therapist and researcher, Mark Ylvisaker inspires my work. Mark was both a speech and language therapist and philosopher, and someone who passionately devoted his life to working with people with brain injury. Back in 2007, he said “in the absence of meaningful engagement in chosen life activities, all interventions ultimately … Read more
Dom: ‘Post brain injury life is about staying busy and in touch with the world. To that end one of the things I go to is a group set up by my counsellor Cathy that we tentatively call ‘Culture Club’. No, we don’t sit around and discuss Boy George! Once every two months a group … Read more