Gotta laugh

In the recent post "Organic SLP", I hinted that this style of practicing speech-language pathology (SLP) was very different from a style that I called "mechanistic SLP". Where mechanistic SLP meets persons served  where their bodily functions breakdown, organic SLP deals with the needs of persons in real life situations. When it comes to dealing with stressful real life situations, such as a person served who is feeling anxious or depressed, it is the SLP who may often lead the way for the person's improvement. Sometimes, a good belly laugh may start the healing.

I once worked with a man who had had a stroke, done his rehab and gone home. He then had come back to our rehab center, after the trial at home had been disastrous. He had lost his skill with walking, and lost much weight in the bargain....and with his clinical signs of depression seemingly sinking him at the beginning, there was a need for immediate change in his focus.

Why did I feel I was the ideal person to get him refocused? I had made a reputation in previous jobs, as the staff who would take on the most challenging "patients" around. I had been kicked, bitten, wrestled, punched, slapped, cursed and threatened on the quest for better communication. I had dressed in drag with previous patients, when their level of consciousness was minimal. Singing and dancing at a level beyond all levels of propriety in patients' rooms, especially for people who have difficulty speaking, you can bring out the darndest speech!

I knew that, above all, helping activate the person's limbic system within the brain by communicating highly loaded emotional content - it would have good odds of prompting more communication. As I did when I wore dresses (and a prominent blonde/white mustache); when I made confetti from Post-It Notes and threw it over my OWN head when someone did well; when I organized a patient kazoo band to promote expiratory airflow;  - minimal advance notice and stealth were the key. Kickstarting the brain into communication, however reflexive. requires often a strong, unexpected stimulus.

The man in question had gone down for a deep sleep, following his morning treatment session. Deep sleep! No response to shaking the mattress slightly - so FWISHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH with some stretching and then blowing, four party balloons were inflated with the help of my well-trained lungs. Two were inserted in his canvas slip-ons, that rested in the seat of his wheelchair. The remaining two balloons were placed on his tray table. When I appeared during the later lunch hour, blowing up balloons for others within plan sight of his table,  - his laugh and smile were priceless!