Stroke blog revisited

 "Autumn blooms" by Susie Mallett, 1988

I wrote during the week about a blog that I had discovered that deals with many aspects of stroke recovery and prevention.

It appears that after realising that I had linked to his blog, its author, Dean, has been doing the same on my blog as I have been doing on his, back-reading or starting at the beginning and working forwards to the present date. 

I suspected that this might be happening because he left this comment on my Flamethrowing posting from 2009:

“You may want to check out my comparisons of Bobath vs. Brunnstrom

http://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2011/05/comparison-of-two-physiotherapy.html

or

http://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2010/10/brunnstrom-vs-bobathndt-stroke-rehab.html

Dean”

I suggest that my readers take a look at these links, especially the second one with the link that takes you further to Peter Levine’s  The stroke recovery blog.

Both of these blogs take you from one stroke recovery blog to another and I have discovered a new world to read about out there.

I have one-hundred and seventy-three posting to look at on Dean's blog plus many more on all of these links. Dean, if he has taken on the same task that I have, has eight-hundred and ninety! Probably he will only pick out those of mine that speak about my work with stroke clients, there are only around fifty of those and not as many links as he gives on his blog posting.

I am very glad to have discovered Dean and his blogging I hope that my readers find something to interest them there too.

Notes

Susie Mallett -

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2009/07/throwing-flames.html

Peter G Levine -

http://recoverfromstroke.blogspot.com/

 

The same memories, a different language

"Memories in a  favourite cupboard in a favourite friends' home"

by Susie Mallett, 2011

Detective work

I realised, because of the information that I receive from the Sitemetre on my blog, that I have   readers on my blog this week who are linking directly from the Petö Institute’s website. I decided to investigate and find out what could be the reason behind this.

A couple of weeks ago I sent my memories about Dr Mária Hári to the Petö Institute. I thought this piece of writing would be much too long to be read out at the tenth memorial and celebration of Mária Hári’s life. My hunch was right and I was told that perhaps a few single lines would be chosen and the rest kept for publication in a book to be produced by the Institute later in the year. This book is to be another celebration of MH’s life.

When I went on my search to the Petö Institute site I discovered there that it said that my “Memories” were read out at the celebration, and there is also a link to my blog, to posting where I published the English version of my Mária Hári celebratory memories, which is way I was getting readers linking from that site:

http://www.peto.hu/hu/

dr. Hári Mária jubileumi megemlékezés, Horváth Dezsőné dr.

linking to:

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2011/10/remembering-dr-maria-hari.html

For the Magyars

For any non-English speakers who are coming over to my blog from that link I will include here the wonderful Hungarian translation by Gabi Földi. I knew Gabi in my student days and she has done such a wonderful job in this translation that even with my very poor Hungarian it reads as if indeed it was my hand and soul that wrote it.

That is quite an accomplishment in translation, and my colleague Évi confirmed that she felt that I had written it.

Thank you, Gabi for doing such a great job. I expect it helped that you knew the subject, Mária Hári, a lot better than I did!

Dr Hári Mária

“Emlékek”

Írta: Susie Mallett, konduktor

Pető Intézet, 1989-1993

Dr. Hári Mária – aki számomra mindig Hári doktornő maradt –, óriási személyiség volt, egyszerre kicsi, finom, törékeny, mint egy madár, és kemény, szívós, mint a fák kérge.

Mindent látó madár

A kép, amely Hári doktornőről ma is él bennem, egy kicsit már megkeseredett, mindent látó, madárszerű lényé, amihez még hozzájárult csodálatosan átható tekintete. Őszintén hittem, hogy ezek a szemek áthatolnak a külső rétegeimen, egyenesen a lelkembe, és mivel így hittem, vele mertem beszélgetni, nem úgy, mint sok más emberrel Pető intézeti tanulmányaim idején. Nem féltem, mivel meg voltam győződve, hogy már ismeri a bensőmet, mert meg tudja fejteni, mi lakik a lelkemben.

Nem veszett el a jelentés

Kevés igazán személyes emlékem van Hári doktornőről. Engem is tanított, több száz tanítványa egyik csoportjának tagjaként, és amit mondott, annak az első hónapokban sajnos nagy része elveszett a tolmácsolás során. Ezt nem úgy értem, hogy rossz volt a fordítás, csak hogy nem Hári doktornő szájából hallottam a mondanivalóját magyarul, hanem fülhallgatóból angolul.

Jegyzeteimben ma is megvannak a róla készített képeim; gondolom, firkálgattam, miközben ő a konduktív pedagógiát magyarázva ide-oda szökdécselt a pódiumon. Utáltam az érzést, hogy valamiből kimaradok, ezért elég hamar megtanultam annyira magyarul, hogy előadás közben a fülhallgatót csak az egyik fülembe téve közvetlenül a legilletékesebb szavait hallgathassam.

Tanulmányaim egy későbbi szakaszában közelebbi kapcsolatba kerültem Hári doktornővel, amikor a brit hallgatók kis csoportját angolul oktatta. Számára mi mindig „Andrew Sutton konduktorai” voltunk, és azt hiszem, bekerültünk a szíve csücskébe. Ezt világosan láthattuk, amikor legutolsó közös óránk végén eltűnt az irodájában, majd néhány perc múlva ragyogó arccal újra megjelent egy tálca méregerős kávéval, amilyet mi, brit teaivók még életünkben nem kóstoltunk. Hári doktornő gesztusától úgy meghatódtunk, hogy sokan közülünk, akik egyébként soha nem fogyasztottak kávét, mégis részt vettek ebben a búcsúszertartásban.

Kedvenc témák mint elterelő művelet

Azt hiszem, valamennyi konduktor-hallgató tudta, bármelyik országból érkezett is, hogy Hári doktornőnek voltak kedvenc témái. Sokmindenről lehetett vele hosszasan beszélgetni.

Amikor záróvizsgáztam nála, egyik kedvenc témám volt a művészet széles körű alkalmazása a sérültek problémáinak megoldására. Abban a pillanatban a diplégiás gyermekekkel végzett munkám képezte egyik erősségemet, és a téma Hári doktornőt is magával ragadta. A kibontakozó társalgás egy, a rajzolásnak a testtudat kialakítása céljából történő alkalmazására irányuló projektről gyorsan kimerítette a szóbeli vizsgámra megszabott időkeretet, amikor valami egészen másról kellett volna beszélnem.

A négyéves képzés alatt ez volt az első és egyben az utolsó alkalom, amikor valóban örömömet leltem egy vizsgában, ugyanúgy, ahogy korábban mindig élveztem a négyórás művészeti vizsgákat az iskolában. Hári doktornő megszólította a lelkemet, amely rajongással válaszolt, mint mindig, amikor festőecset van a kezemben!

A lelkemhez szólt

Az utolsó, és maradandó emlékem arról a napról való, amikor kezet foghattam Hári doktornővel az utolsó napon, amelyet hallgatóként töltöttem a Pető Intézetben. Abból az alkalomból az az átható tekintet mélyen a lelkembe hatolt, amikor a doktornő átadta a diplomámat.

Hári doktornő arca ismét sugárzott, amikor azt mondta, reméli, hogy eljövendő életemben, konduktorként, sok különleges élményben lesz részem.

A pillanat csak pár másodpercig tartott – sok diplomát kellett átadnia –, de számomra megállt az idő. Úgy éreztem, hogy a lelkem szét akar robbanni, és mindjárt kiugrik a számon! Abban a pillanatban száz gondolat suhant át rajtam, de csak egyet tudtam elkapni és megjegyezni. Ezt gondoltam Hári doktornőről:

”Tudja, ő tényleg tudja, milyen konduktornak lenni, és megtanított rá, hogy értsem, mit jelent valakit a konduktív pedagógia révén tanítani, hogyan éljen konduktív módon. Ő megengedte nekem, hogy rátaláljak arra, aminek a keresésére idejöttem.”

Életre szóló ajándék

Sok jó tanárom volt a Pető Intézetben, de csak néhány olyan, akiről elmondhatom, az ő tanításukból értettem meg a konduktív pedagógiát. A konduktív pedagógiáról és a konduktív nevelésről kialakított személyes felfogásom azon alapul, amit magától Hári doktornőtől 1989-től 1993-ig hallottam, és amit azóta tőle olvastam.

Hári doktornő ültette el bennem a tanulás, felfedezés és fejlődés, az olvasás és a megértés iránti vágy csíráját. Ma is hálás vagyok neki ezért a csodálatos ajándékért.

(Fordítás: Földiné Németh Gabriella)

Notes

Remembering Dr Mária Hári -

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2011/10/remembering-dr-maria-hari.html

Story-telling

"Spacial awareness" by Susie Mallett, August 2011

Writing about my practice…

I realised a long time ago that I have been writing fewer postings lately about my work. I was recently in England for a month, not working with clients for all of that time, but that has nothing to do with the lack of postings about my practice.

My work is still multi-faceted, still very enjoyable and still full of really interesting clients and lovely colleagues, so it is not that I have nothing to write about. I do in fact write about it, a lot, but in notes that mount up in story-telling departments in my head. I hope that I will slowly get around to writing them down before I forget them. Often I just write down a single word in a Word document to remind me of a moment for later.

I have really missed the process of writing the stories down and thereby visualising the practice once again.  As I write down the descriptions of my practice, I am able to observe once more, in minute detail, what each client has achieved.

…is part of my practice

It really is time to do it more often.

It was when I realised today how much I had enjoyed writing about the dinosaurs that I decided that I shall turn over a new leaf by writing down stories about my practice more frequently again. I need to do this story-telling, it has become a very important aspect of my practice. It is something that I wrote about in the preface to my Book Number One:

“Through writing I gain better understanding of my own work. This is by far the most important reason why I write. Since I began to write about my practice I am more conscious of how I am continuously thinking about what I am doing and why. There are many instances when I notice this, for example I am more conscious of how I consider how I touch someone and of how I speak to someone, and also of how I do not touch someone and do not speak to someone. I am more aware of why I am doing what I am doing and more importantly how I would describe it to others.

Doing this for public consumption certainly sharpens how I think about it. Over years of experience my work has become ever more interesting, and ever more enjoyable. By writing about it I begin to realize just how much I have learnt and just how much I still do not know. It has always been great to work as a conductor. Now that I write about it as well, it is different. It has taken on a new dimension.”

I remembered this piece of writing because of an activity that I spontaneously did today with four school-age children. I have also written previously about how, when I start a new project or activity with the children, often only then do I realise what huge steps forward they have made. This is what happened today, on a day when I could have said that I was too run off my feet to see anything!

Calmly rushing

We had been somewhat short-staffed all week, both in the conductive groups and in the Kindergarten, but today six staff from eleven were missing, due to various illnesses. Interestingly enough, and also luckily enough, all four conductors and one social pedagogue were there, we all know just a little bit about adaption.

On Tuesday I had worked in four different groups, two of them on my own. Today it was Évi’s turn to be coming and going and by the time we got together to tidy up at the end of the day she did no longer knew where she was.

Èvi adapted to working in the integrated Kindergarten while I adapted to having a group of schoolchildren, with a wide range of abilities, to keep happy over lunch and for the rest of the afternoon. We ended up having a whale of a time and while doing so I had lots of time to observe how these children have developed since the beginning of the new school term.

I was alone, but it was good to be alone for once. I had to see the group as a whole because I had to keep my eye on it as a whole all the time. While doing this I saw in detail the individuals and what they had learnt and how they were putting their learnt skills into action.

We proved this afternoon that assembling Swedish, flat-pack chairs is child’s play. They all managed to conjure up a sitable-on chair before going home for a relaxing weekend!

More about that project later, when it gets further under way.

Notes

“Let me tell you a story”, Book I –

http://www.susie-mallett-booksandmore.com/

No magic roads to recovery from stroke

"Wander path" by Susie Mallett, 9th October, 2011

I have just been alerted by Google to a site that has lots of information on stroke, recovery, rehabilitation, treatments, therapies and more.

There is even a mention of Conductive Education, concluding with:

“Once again showing that recovery from a stroke is extremely hard work, there are no magical shortcuts.”

http://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2011/10/conductive-education-at-peto-institute.html

Franz Rupert Humpeldink: the dinosuar

Thank goodness for sheds

Sadly, I have never had a proper shed but I have had the next best thing since I moved to a flat in the city. I have a huge bathroom and half of it I use as my shed. I even have a “SHED” sign on the door.

For what, you may ask, do I need a shed?

I have several boxes, no, let us say many, many boxes, full of arty-crafty material. It is the sort of stuff that really needs to be out in the shed. Some of it, however, is quite expensive, bought from various craft shops, some I have collected from grandmothers’ and great aunties’ sewing baskets, some I have gathered along the way from sources long forgotten. There are paints, brushes, crayons and lots of paper, serviettes and glue, beads galore and all the trimmings for making necklaces, wool for knitting, wool for felting, clay that needs firing, clay that dries in the air, silk and silk-painting gear, lino and lino-cutting gear, felt for toy-making, ribbons for trimming, buttons, sequins, and numerous other treasures for making things pretty, and lots, lots more.  

I have all the kind of stuff that could really do with a shed, but I am, however, pleased that my collection of things that I may one day need is inside in a make-do shed. I am sure that I use it all much more often having it to hand and not at the end of a traipse down the garden in the rain.

So when I get a bright idea like I had this week I am more likely to get on with it when all my arty-crafty boxes are handy.

And get on with it I did!

It is almost exactly three years ago now since I created and named Stinky Stig the dinosaur.

Stig was my companion on a working trip to Norway in December 2008, he was often featured on my blog at that time:

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2008/11/name-that-dino-in-one-two-three-four.html

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2008/11/stinky-stig-from-st-johannis-it-is.html

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2008/12/susie-and-lill-in-hamar.html

Stig went down like a house on fire in Norway and also in Germany before I took him travelling.

The Norwegian lads loved working with Stig just as much as I loved working with them. These were the boys who motivated my love for dinosaurs and taught me so much about them. It was because of their interest that I now have a large collection of books about dinos. This is the first one I ever bought:

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2008/11/en-to-tre-fire-fem-wild-about-dinos.html

The latest addition to the dinosaur-shelf in my library is one that I picked up when I had an hour to spare at the airport as I was leaving England last month. It is called That’s not my dinosaur. It is so simple and the children in my group in Germany just love it.

When I went back to work after being away for so long there were hellos all round and calls of “Susie is here” to the other conductors. As requested, all children had their own dino on the plinth in front of them so we were all ready to set out on our dinosaur adventure. The children were keen to see what I have brought with me and later to create their own personalized dinosaur out of paper and unusual bits and pieces, so they could say “That’s my dino because it is fluffy”, or “That’s my dino because it has flowers on it”.

We were deep into dino world, talking about the vegetarians amongst them and the meat-eaters, about the hatching of eggs and the size of their bodies, when one of my colleagues remembered Stinky Stig and wished that he was with us. Alas, when I had returned home to Germany, Stig remained in Norway where, I hope, over the past three years he has entertained many more little boys with Angel Lil in Hamar.

But what about our little boys? And one little girl?

My colleague was very disappointed at the time, when Stinky Stig did not return in my suitcase from Scandinavia and she has often suggested that I create another. When we began our new dino project she was even more persuasive with her remarks.

Up until now the motivation to get sewing had been missing but last week with the littlies so enthralled by all the talk about dinosaurs I was hooked, just as my colleague knew I would be! We definitely needed a knew Stinky Stig.

The bathroom at home, my shed, was bright and sunny on that long bank-holiday weekend, so it was transformed into a workshop for a few hours. I searched through the shelves and quickly found all the materials that I needed. I also went through my wardrobe and found a fleece pullover that I rarely wear.

To the outsider my shed probably looks like utter shambles, but I know where just about everything is. I opened only two or perhaps three boxes before I was ready to start, with scissors, needle and thread, felt and stuffing all at the ready to start creating.

I sat there for two hours in the Saturday-sunshine chopping, pinning and sewing, wondering what I could add and where to make this work of art something special. I wanted to create something that would make the eyes of four little boys and one little girl open up wide in wonder. What more motivation could I wish for?

The unfinished dino accompanied me on a visit to a friend and while we chatted I sewed on claws, teeth, eyes, spines and spots until our new visitor to the group was complete.

All he needed now was a name

That was not a problem for long. My friend’s family all turned up with their friends in tow and, as we sat around the table, one by one they had a turn at being the voice and the movement of dinosaur mark II. Several incredibly long dino-type names were used to introduce him, all totally unsuitable for our children from many lands to pronounce, so we ended up with Franz Rupert Humpeldink, a very distinguished name indeed!

Starting the week with a new friend

Franz Rupert went down a treat, the children loved him. They stroked him from head to tail with arms stretched high and arms stretched low.

For some reason there all wanted to put their fingers into his mouth, perhaps testing out how friendly he is.

Franz Rupert spoke to the children about where he had lived and what he had eaten and why he did not really exist anymore. He answered the children’s questions, explaining very clearly that, no, he had never trampled on buses as there had been no motor-transport when he was really alive. Franz described to the children how dinosaurs hatch out of eggs and later they searched for their own dino-eggs around the room, that they put in a warm place to hatch out. There my colleague Évi has had to leave them for a few days as she had got herself a bit stuck, having no baby dinosaurs to bring into play!

The weather turned cold, this, Fortunately for Évi, this meant that the dinosaurs needed longer to hatch. This in turn gave me time to get sewing again. Five baby dinosaurs, created from the fingers of a single glove (I lost the other on the tram), will be hatching out of their shells by nine o’clock tomorrow morning.

Watch this spot for the photographs!

Notes

That’s not my dinosaur, by Fiona Watts, Usborne Books -

http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2010/08/cultural-notebook-thats-not-my-dinosaur/