Hi Folks;

My 18 yr old son just suffered an incomplete spinal injury. He has very little motor skills and is getting very bored and at times depressed. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for games or activities to stimulate his mind. again, he is unable to hold anything such as his Ipod or a book.

Thanks in advance for your ideas folks!!!

Hmmmm been there! Yupít is depressing! I find getting LOST in DVD's passes time.

Then there is Sky Iplayer with lots to watch!

ummmm ... Is he up yet? Which unit?

I found audio books very helpful to kill time.

get some dominoes or a card game, that what i did the most of. i think watching stuff helps pass time but doesn't really stimulate the brain that much

I learned to play chess when Ii was an 18 year old patient. I did not have much finger dexterity and the big chess pieces were good therapy for my hands.

I agree that tv and dvd's don't stimulate the mind, he is unable to use his hands so dominoes or cards are out. He would just get frustrated if I "helped" him play cards. He goes into Craig Hospital as soon as a bed is open but it may be 2 weeks. So if anyone knows of any games that he can interact with verbally please let me now. I have suggestions for Trivial Pursuit, I can read him the cards, or we can just play 20 questions, these are the sort of things I think he would enjoy.

God bless you all and thank you!

A TV with freeview helps pass the time, plus a dvd player. Everyone in my rehab unit had a tv, some guys even bought big flatscreen ones because the hospital ones were old and crap. Get a tv with freeview or a freeview box and a good household aerial- you can get quite a few channels and it will pass the time- dvds are decent too, they pass the time- comedy stuff keeps the spirits up.

I realize you said he doesn't have motor function yet; but his ears work. This may sound stupid and/or callus.....but I don't see the problem with the I-pod, you guys/nursing staff can still put in on/in (IN for earbuds) his ears on at a comfortable volume & put in on "shuffle". No HE may not be able to set it up himself......but if he enjoyed music before than he'll still enjoy it (unless he also has a TBI {Traumatic Brain Injury} in which case light & sounds can be quite overwhelming). But I just think if his body & it's lack of motor control is the only problem.......it's one that you can get around. Staring at the same 4 walls day in & day out gets really old really quick......and you can only count the tiles in the ceiling so many times. His I-pod is something that can keep him entertained & without having to have someone at his bedside to do so.

If you haven't found it already there is a thread specifically for those hurt as kids & teens. Did he already graduate or did he still have a few more credits to graduate? If he is still going to be in HS you may want to make sure his school will be able to accommodate him. I got hurt in 1990 & so at my high school I always had to go to the nurses office.......to use the one & only accessible potty on campus at that time. But that was nearly 20yrs ago so he may not have that problem.


Best of luck to all of you.

iPod, iPod, iPod!!!
I would have gone (even more) insane without it! Also audio books like Dancin' Johnny suggested, you can download these easily enough off the internet. Get him up and running with a laptop as soon as possible, even with basic motor skill there is plenty he can do, plus you can download many movies and tv shows. It can also help him keep in contact with "the real" world with applications such as skype he can talk to his friends and family whenever he wants.

that frustration is something he'll need to get used to for now, i didn't like someone moving around my cards/dominoes for me either but looking back now i'm glad i got over it quickly because it took 3 months to get any arm movement back & i would've gone nuts. he needs to see it at least he could still play the games mentally but if he doesn't want to then you can't really force him.

verbal games:
there's catch phrase (will probably need help holding/passing though), family fued game, you mentioned triavial pursuit, if he's intellectual he might enjoy the jeopardy game, the scene-it games work good but you will need a tv/dvd.

hope some of these might help

When I was in the hospital therey had a Recreational Therapist who came by every day to help find different things to keep me occupied. Along with writing/ feeding aids, I was also able to paint and play billiards (at the designated recreational facility). They also had an automatic card shuffler and these disc card holders, in which to help organize your hand.

The more I tried to do on my own, the more I found I could do, eventually, even while in the hospital. Good luck to your son!

I learned how to play online poker while I was in the hospital. Turns out I'm pretty decent! I lucked out though - where I was had WiFi. I also taught a nurse how to knit. Maybe if there's someone to pour his energy into instead of himself, it'd be a decent distraction.

Also, maybe depending on his injury, he can get an eye-mouse - I worked at an educational institution awhile back, and had to learn how to nerd support it. Seemed to make this particular student really happy, because he was able to use his computer without too much drama.

Hello! Good to meet you. You could talk to an Occupational Therapist or Recreational Therapist if one is available and ask if he could access a computer with a voice-activated program. He can operate the computer using his voice, and they have continually improved these programs to make them easier to use. Good luck to you and your son. It's great that you are reaching out to find ways to help him. This group is an excellent resource for info and support. It's also normal for him to be depressed. Counseling helped me. There is a grief process one must go through, each in his individual way. It is sometimes easier to discuss things with a professional who isn't personally involved in his life. If your community has a Center for Independent Living, they may have "peer counselors" who are simply people who have some experience living with a disability. No one can understand it like a person who has had a similar experience.

-doublelibra

All are great suggestions but the best one that stands out the most is if the facility has recreational therapy then try that because it usually works. A group of individuals playing games, watching movies, and most importantly making needed new friends. Spend time understanding his injury for himself via internet if possible. My infamous line was 'tomorrow will be better.' Think outside the box and start learning how to advocate for self. Definitely do aquatic therapy when able to do it.

Hi,
I suggest getting him a laptop with trackball mouse (assuming he can move fingers). There are many shapes and sizes available in the market, and can be fitted to almost any laptop. Also there are some software that can convert joystick to mouse movements, this will be helpful if there is arm movement.

Another option is to get "voice recognition" software on laptop. Dragon Naturally Speaking is a well known product, and there are many other similar software's available. Many of the computer commands can be run via voice control. When I was in hospital I found it relaxing to write down my thoughts, (I could type) voice recognition software are very good for converting speech to text. http://www.nuance.co.uk/naturallyspeaking/...cessibility.asp

If there is TV signal available in the room, there are USB based TV tuner available to watch freeview Channels and radio on laptop. Buy it only if there is freview connection, the antenna that comes with the product is useless.

hope it helps.

I was never really depressed (I had the odd moment, but overall managed to keep my spirits up) but they figured I should be so they sent this "counsiler" dork to come talk to me. He couldn't believe I wasn't depressed and told me I should be because I'd never be able to do this or that again and bla bla bla. I told him to take off, and he definitly shouldn't be talking to anyone about depression because he just makes you more depressed. Freakin' dork.

Anyway, I woulda gone nuts without my laptop. Is he in any PT/OT? And is he able to get out of bed, or still stuck horizontal? If possible definitly get out of the room. After 17 months I was so sick of TV. Good luck