Pennine Way -
Donation protected
Hey everyone,
I'm writing this on behalf of my bro James who is currently in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception and 20kg on his back (rather you than me bruv!)
As many of you know, our dearest mumma Jojo has been in a minimally conscious state since 2008.
My brother approached me saying that he wanted to do a challenge in order to raise money for something specific for my mum and brain injury in general. I got thinking and reflecting on not only my mum's condition, but also all the patient's I work with on various stroke and neurorehabilitation hospitals.
I attended a national Stroke conference a year ago and one of the speakers was a representative from Soundbeam, who presented case studies of patients utilising their equipment.
"Soundbeam provides a medium through which even individuals who have profound physical or learning impairments can become expressive and communicative using music and sound. The sense of control, agency and independence which this provides can be a powerful motivator, stimulating learning and interaction in other areas."
As some of you may know, our mum does not communicate at all, and is unable to follow any instructions. Being minimally conscious means your awareness of self and environment is severely limited and at times it can seem like a limbo between life and death. Although the mechanisms are not well understood, there has been study after study demonstrating the power of music and sound with this patient group, enabling them to interact with the world.
An organisation who owned this equipment once came to my mum's nursing home to deliver a session. What I witnessed was amazing. They placed a beam on my mum that detected even the slightest movement. Every time she moved a sound would be produced. My mum laughed her head off and was practically bouncing around in her wheelchair. Other members of the group had different buttons or beams (depending on their abilities) and between them they made music/noise/sound. The whole room seemed to come to life.
Due to funding cuts, the people that used to deliver this service no longer come to the nursing home. I thought it would be a great idea to try and obtain this equipment ourselves so I could not only use it with my mum, but get trained to deliver it to other patients in group settings, introducing it to a wider audience in some of the hospitals that I work in.
Here's some more detailed info on the equipment.
https://www.soundbeam.co.uk/what-is-soundbeam-1
THE CHALLENGE
So my brother got chatting to one of his friends (Gregor) who offered to use his hiking expertise to teach, accompany and guide my brother through an epic challenge! Together they have began their journey hiking the Pennine Way (all 265 miles of it.) There's more! They are carrying 20kg of gear on their backs!
I think this challenge is a lot harder than he had imagined so I'm hoping that this page gives him the motivation he needs to get through the pain barriers!! He has already acquired multiple blisters and a sprained ankle. Please join me in cheering them on.
Super Proud of him already!!
I will be sending him the link to this page and any messages of encouragement.
I will also do some sort of challenge at some point, but at the moment life is enough of a challenge ;-)
Lots of Love,
and thanks in advance!!
Kat and James
I'm writing this on behalf of my bro James who is currently in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception and 20kg on his back (rather you than me bruv!)
As many of you know, our dearest mumma Jojo has been in a minimally conscious state since 2008.
My brother approached me saying that he wanted to do a challenge in order to raise money for something specific for my mum and brain injury in general. I got thinking and reflecting on not only my mum's condition, but also all the patient's I work with on various stroke and neurorehabilitation hospitals.
I attended a national Stroke conference a year ago and one of the speakers was a representative from Soundbeam, who presented case studies of patients utilising their equipment.
"Soundbeam provides a medium through which even individuals who have profound physical or learning impairments can become expressive and communicative using music and sound. The sense of control, agency and independence which this provides can be a powerful motivator, stimulating learning and interaction in other areas."
As some of you may know, our mum does not communicate at all, and is unable to follow any instructions. Being minimally conscious means your awareness of self and environment is severely limited and at times it can seem like a limbo between life and death. Although the mechanisms are not well understood, there has been study after study demonstrating the power of music and sound with this patient group, enabling them to interact with the world.
An organisation who owned this equipment once came to my mum's nursing home to deliver a session. What I witnessed was amazing. They placed a beam on my mum that detected even the slightest movement. Every time she moved a sound would be produced. My mum laughed her head off and was practically bouncing around in her wheelchair. Other members of the group had different buttons or beams (depending on their abilities) and between them they made music/noise/sound. The whole room seemed to come to life.
Due to funding cuts, the people that used to deliver this service no longer come to the nursing home. I thought it would be a great idea to try and obtain this equipment ourselves so I could not only use it with my mum, but get trained to deliver it to other patients in group settings, introducing it to a wider audience in some of the hospitals that I work in.
Here's some more detailed info on the equipment.
https://www.soundbeam.co.uk/what-is-soundbeam-1
THE CHALLENGE
So my brother got chatting to one of his friends (Gregor) who offered to use his hiking expertise to teach, accompany and guide my brother through an epic challenge! Together they have began their journey hiking the Pennine Way (all 265 miles of it.) There's more! They are carrying 20kg of gear on their backs!
I think this challenge is a lot harder than he had imagined so I'm hoping that this page gives him the motivation he needs to get through the pain barriers!! He has already acquired multiple blisters and a sprained ankle. Please join me in cheering them on.
Super Proud of him already!!
I will be sending him the link to this page and any messages of encouragement.
I will also do some sort of challenge at some point, but at the moment life is enough of a challenge ;-)
Lots of Love,
and thanks in advance!!
Kat and James
Organizer
Kat Thorley
Organizer
England