Sunday Stroke Survivor ~ Video Games?

A new research study out of Canada is using video games for stroke rehab. I thought "Wow, that will be a challenge!" My second thought was, "How could I do it one handed?" My third thought was, "Doh! You old timer you."

The reasons my thought processes worked like this is I've long been a supporter of making rehab fun no matter what your age is. If something is fun then you are more apt to do it. In fact I've mentioned the computer/internet games that I "play" to rebuild my cognitive deficits. Those are easy with a click of the mouse, but video games?

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I've played video games since way back when. I even had one of the first Atari systems ever built. Yeah I'm a geek and proud of it. I was a computer programmer back then. Matter of fact, I still have it in my attic. It came with Space Invaders. I even bought a few more games for it before I switched over to a Nintendo. But I digress.

I've always like the way it built eye-hand coordination and logic skills. Before my stroke I even bought a X-Box 360 hoping to get my husband to play as a way to keep his mental acuity strong. I believe if you don't use it - you lose it. Video games would be a great way to rebuild cognitive deficits like logic, progression, and sequencing. Plus it didn't hurt to have it for my grandchildren either.

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But how would I play one handed? I've often thought since my stroke that it would be great to play with my grandchildren BUT I only had one working hand and it takes two. That pretty well left me out of the loop. I became the spectator cheering on others while they played.

Just like texting is faster with two thumbs, the control is not handicap friendly.

My third thought was when I realized that with a WII or X-Box Kinect it was possible to play the game without two functioning hands. That was was my Doh! moment. By moving my body for the body on the screen, it becomes a PT workout AND a cognitive work out at the same time. Unfortunately, I don't have the Kinect. I bought my X-Box when it was the "new" system out there. As with a technology based product, it has a life of six months before a new, better model comes out. Built in obsolescence.

I can see the movement, the eye- body coordination, balance training, stretching, and the fun factor helping us help ourselves. The more we attempt to move the more neuron pathways we build thus recovery. It's a win/win situation to me.

I PROPOSE MORE FUN IN STROKE SURVIVORS' LIVES! Lord knows, we've been through and still going through a lot. I've got an idea!

It couldn't hurt. Tis almost the season.

Nothing is impossible with determination.

Monday Mailbox ~ Typing One Handed Revisited

It's Monday again and time to answer your questions.
With the influx of new readers from the stroke communities my previous blog about Typing with One-Hand Tied Behind Your Back has received almost 500 hits. The blog itself has reached 5,000 hits since January.

Most of the questions in my email account were evenly tied between the typing blog and praise for my Platform blogs. Since I had already revisited platforms it was time to visit typing again.

With the advent of my stroke I went from typing with two hands averaging speed roughly between 95WPM to 120WPM which was extremely helpful in producing six books for sale last year. I could type as fast as my mind could create. Not only had I received cognitive damage, which I've mentioned the struggle many times here, but I also lost the use of my right hand.

I might mention here that the kernels for stories and characters never stopped just my ability to get them all down in an understandable way stopped. The creative juices are still flowing. I'm thankful for this blessing, but there are limits to what I accomplish. Last year I set a goal to type one-handed 45WPM corrected by the end of February. I'm only managing 40WPM sometimes and it is March. Did I fail? Nope. I set the goal too high. Am I going to quit? No on my life. I passed my typing class way back when by typing a meer 60 WPM and work my way up to 120WPM. I'll increase my spped with practice.

When I first started typing with one hand, it was more a hunt and peck type of typing. My fingers of my left hand didn't know where ALL the keys were. I had to learn a new finger position to type one handed. I searched the internet for ways to touch type one-handed. I'll admit all the sites wanted to sell me a program to teach me.

I looked at all kinds of specialty keyboards. Some I'd have to learn a whole new key system. You might be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but it takes forever to unlearn and relearn. The keyboards were sky-high in price and comparable to a new brace or splint. I just couldn't justify the cost when I was working towards getting the use of my hand back. It would become almost useless as the dozens of braces, splints, crutches, and other must haves for injuries in the past. Just collecting dust in a closet or in the attic.

Getting back to the keyboards, I hit upon a brilliant idea. Putting away my ergonomic split keyboard for future use. I broke out the original white keyboard which came with my computer. I took the chart above and took markers and colored my keys to match the picture above. It was slow going at first as with anything new you try. At first it was still the hunt and peck method but I was using all my fingers effectively now.

But I ran into a problem. My hand from pinky tip to thumb tip measures six inches. I have little hands and dainty fingers. My ring finger wears a size four ring but needs a five to get past the knuckle. A standard QWERTY keyboard measures eleven and a half to twelve  inches across. It was just too big to reach the keys without taking my fingers out of position from the home keys.

I started searching for a smaller keyboard. This is what I bought.  It's the Gear Head 89-key keyboard that's just 6.2 inches wide. A Windows mini keyboard that accounted for a 20WPM jump in my typing speed. No it doesn't have a keypad which accounts for fifteen of the missing keys off my 104-key keyboard. Yes I bought a separate key pad because most standard keyboards have the key pad on the right side of the keyboard which is very awkward for a left handed typist anyhow. AND it was cheap! Less than $20 for both.

"But Jo, instead of buying all these new things wouldn't it be easier to use you laptop?" Yes, it would be but my laptop shuts down after twenty minutes because of heat sensor issues.
"But they make fans to go under them." Yes and over the last three years I've bought seven of those. The problem with most laptops is the fan inside of them that is supposed to keep the CPU (central processing unit- the brains) cool are too small to do the job. I know, I know some of you have laptops which will run all day, but I bought mine when it was relatively a new thing. It should be replaced, but right now I've got more important things vying for my dollars.

It has taken a lot of time punching away at these keys to build my speed up to 40WPM. As you can see, the typing has gotten better. It used to take me an hour to type out a simple email or less than a two hundred-word blog. Today this has taken  less than half an hour for 800 words that includes searching for copyright free pictures. That's progress.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.