My Last Appointment For This Week.

 
'La Mirada Eterna' circa 1947.
Angel. Planells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Planells

My last appointment of the week was at 13.30 this afternoon with Johanneke, my occupational therapist.

It was a useful meeting with Johanneke; we discussed various things such as the support I will be getting for sitting in bed.

We also talked about the software I will need to keep me online, Johanneke is going to make an appointment with HES, to have a look at Brainfingers.

I reassured her that I am not fixated on Brainfingers above all else, but would like to see what it has to offer.

Then if it is nothing we can get in touch with Frans again, from RTD Het Dorp, who let me try out the onscreen keyboard that was not what I need.

I think that I reassured Johanneke that I want to check out everything that is available so I can make an informed decision.

Johanneke seemed to be pleased with that and reassured that I was keeping an open mind

Shame it has taken so long to get to this point, but that does not really matter now as long as there is progress being made in finding the right software so I can keep writing my blog.

Today has been a cloudy, grey, damp day which got better towards the end of the afternoon when the clouds started to disperse and the sun came out; the weekend is all set to be lovely weather.

Sunshine and Brainwaves.

Gareth's Photos From Wales.

Another spring day of changeable weather one minute it is sunny the next the wind is back up and whipping down the road in fine mid winter style.

Have been quite busy this afternoon, had two appointments one with the woman from a software company called HESERVIS which has Brain Fingers and other gadgets for handicapped people.

My other appointment is with Mathilde, my physiotherapist

Seems that Brain Fingers is not as clever as I had thought it was on the site and on the site of the parent company in the US, where I read that it is directed by brainwaves.

http://www.heservis.nl/

http://www.brainfingers.com/

The woman from the company gave me the idea that it was much simpler software that meant you could control the mouse with either your eye brow or your eyes or brain waves.

She had a laptop and she tried to show me how it worked and I now think it is a slightly more sophisticated version of the Head Mouse which controls the mouse with a tiny reflective sticker on forehead or glasses.

It does not seem to be able to interpret brain signals and translate thoughts into text which is a big shame.

Wonder where I got that idea from must be the name it does seem to suggest more to me than only moving the mouse.

Still think it must do more, just can not imagine Steven Hawking using software where he has to point at every letter in turn in or for him to write a lengthy essay.

Obviously I need to find out more, sadly had no time to see what else the software could do as my second appointment arrived on time.

Think Ann will com back another time and show me more of what Brain Fingers can do, think I shall investigate my Dragon software to see what else you can do but record speech into text.

Also need to investigate the Head Mouse and learn how that works, so plenty to do before Ann comes back again.

Tomorrow I have my last business appointment with my ergotherapist, believe that is Occupational therapist in English.

We are going to discuss an omgevings besturing in Dutch; it is a small gadget with a touch screen.

Which helps to dial phone nrs and switch on the radio or TV and it can also open doors and curtains.

We are also going to discuss the bed, seems there are two things that would help me enormously.

One is being able to raise the knees which would mean that my posture and position in bed would be better.

Heard from Mathilde that it is possible to get a bed which goes up at the head end and swivels back so with the knees up it helps you to sit well.

This would be a great innovation in my life, it would greatly benefit both myself and Richie, we shall see whether Johanneke says is possible tomorrow.

Well it is 17.40 and the sun has finally come out, it is an exceptionally cold day, with a bitter wind and until now only a rumour of sun in Belgium not here.

Now it is nearly 19 pm and the sun is stll shining now and everything looks much better which instantly makes everything much better.

Communication is what makes life good and worthwhile.

Yesterday I wrote that I intended to write about how it feels living with my primary progressive MS until I have problems.

Even then I want to keep on writing first with the help of Dragon Naturally Speaking; this is a good voice recognition software.
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You do have to practice quite a lot so that the software can understand and recognise your voice and build up data which will help in writing.

Once I have problems with my voice I will use the Brain fingers software.

This is software where you wear a headband which they, the software makers say can read your brain waves and translate them into language.

http://www.brainfingers.com/ (USA)

It is brilliant to know that this possibility exists

I am planning to ask for a demonstration of the software, would like to see how it works.

Am very curious how it feels to be able to write your thoughts, think Brain fingers sounds like the way to express yourself fully.

On the Brainfingers website they say this is how it works:
Brainfingers hardware and software allow you to control your computer totally hands-free.

You wear a headband which detects electrical signals from your facial muscles, eye movements, and brainwaves.

The software decodes these signals into virtual fingers or Brainfingers which trigger mouse and keyboard events to control the software.

People with severe and multiple disabilities have success with the Brainfingers system.

Computer access has been achieved by persons with disabilities such as CP, ALS, MD, MS, TBI, and Spinal Cord Injury.

I think it sounds very good, I have just sent a mail to the Dutch company asking them for a demonstration of the software.

http://www.heservis.nl

Hope to be able to keep typing for awhile yet but notice everyday that it is becoming more of a struggle for me.

Moving the mouse is beginning to feel like I am rolling a large boulder up an endless high hill and often I do not get there.

The mouse often falls from my hand and points in the wrong direction and I have to ask Richie to come in here and put it where I can use it again.

The there are times when my right index finger won’t move at all and I can move the mouse but not click on anything.

This horribly frustrating, sitting here in bed with a laptop which is of no use to me at all because my fingers have stopped being fingers and are twitching and gyrating because of mixed up nerve signals.

At the moment hand/finger functions do return, althgough they are pretty rudimentary but very effecative as I am still in contact with the blog world.

Long may that continue, having a voice is so important, realise now that communication is what makes life good and worthwhile.