Update on Stan's Spinal Cord Stroke and Paralysis: For about 7 months, October through April, Stan was in and out of Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and Kaiser hospitals with a variety of maladies, infections, pneumonia, pressure sores, and even an asymptomatic Covid infection.  He is mostly bedridden and recently has moved to a Board and Care home in Lafayette, where there are 4 or 5 other residents and 24-hour care providers. 

One issue for Stan is connecting and communicating outside of his room. He has a very old laptop, that he doesn’t use, and a small, old 6S i-Phone.  He also has no use of his left hand, so typing and clicking is a one-handed challenge. As a result, Stan relies almost exclusively on voice-activated Siri on his phone, which he uses for emails and calls, but doesn’t text or do much, if anything, online.

Amanda and I have an idea about a gift for him and wonder if you also may be interested. Like so many of us, Stan had his 70th birthday last December. To let him know that his family and friends are thinking about him, in honor of the big 7-0 (and to celebrate the End of Covid Isolation), we wish to give him an i-Pad and accessories.

We have been talking with Stan about an i-Pad that can stand on its own on his overbed table to free his good right hand for typing, clicking, etc. We consulted with Apple and got their help to identify the best option. An Apple Pro i-Pad that has face recognition, has Siri, and can be a wifi phone fits the bill. Also, we can include bluetooth earbuds, an i-Pad case, a table-top mounting stand, and Amazon Prime and Netflix accounts (for the first year). With a sturdy stand, an i-Pad screen could really open Stan’s access to his email, the internet, movies, E-books, audio books, etc. A 3rd Generation Pro i-Pad with the necessary capabilities is about $700.  With accessories and accounts, we think the total cost would be about $1,500.

Might you be interesting in joining us in contributing to Stan’a gift? Sincerely, there is no pressure!