New Technology Gives Brio Resident Back Her Voice
Colleen C., a resident at Brio Living Services’ Green House Homes® in Grand Rapids, has a blanket printed with her wedding picture. Her family gave it to her after her husband passed away. “My niece and nephew thought it would make me smile,” Colleen is able to say through a new device that helps her communicate with others.
“Colleen has MS and her speech has become so impaired, she is difficult to understand,” says Allison Kampmueller, a speech pathologist for Porter Hills Home Health who has been working with Colleen since 2022. Allison was able to get Colleen approved for a 30-day trial of a Tobii Dynavox communications system.
“It’s basically an iPad with several apps and programs Colleen can use to communicate,” explains Allison. “She can type what she wants to say, and it can be personalized with information about her family and her common requests/phrases so she doesn’t have to type them over and over.”
Allison has worked with Home Health for more than 13 years. “My favorite part of my job is that I get to really make a functional difference in someone’s life,” she says. “In home care, you get to see the client’s real life environment and goals and really work with their situation to make them successful.”
Allison reached out to the local Tobii Dynavox representative about possible ways to assist Colleen. “He met with us with some options he thought would be most appropriate,” says Allison. “We wanted to make sure we got something that would be mobile for her in order to be the most functional, as well as be able to change with her needs in the future.”
The trial period is intended to make sure it’s a good fit for her although, in just her first week with the device, Colleen is already getting the hang of it. Colleen shares that she was a stay-at-home mom and neighborhood babysitter, but took typing in high school and used a computer at home for email. “So she’s pretty comfortable with the technology,” says Allison.
The iPad is lightweight (Colleen can lift it with one finger), portable, and can be attached to her motorized wheelchair. In addition to communicating, Colleen can use her iPad for FaceTime and texting, playing games, and watching movies. “I should not have had my family buy me an iPhone,” Colleen says. “This can do all of that.”
Before, Colleen would receive a lot of nodding and smiling from others who couldn’t understand what she said, according to Allison. “People would eventually not want to ask her to repeat herself, and everyone would be frustrated. The new iPad is changing that.”
Says Traci Potter, Director of Clinical Services at the Green House Homes, “Colleen is still ‘there.’ She has a lot to say and has a great sense of humor. Now, she can express herself, and our team can know her better and know what she wants.”
Allison agrees. “Colleen has so much to say and knows what she wants and doesn’t want. With this system, she has a means of communicating with others. It should make things 1,000% easier for everyone.”
Learn more about Brio Living Services’ Green House Homes and Home Health services that are making a positive difference in the lives of older adults.