Five weeks

By the time this blog entry is posted, it will be five weeks since Jim had his accident. He has made remarkable progress over that time, and is now ready to begin the slow process of moving from the Wilson Center back home to Mount Albert.

This evening Jim told me that he had passed his physiotherapy basic training test this morning with a score of 56/56. The test involves balance and basic coordination tasks like walking unaided, climbing steps, and picking up objects off the floor. Last Monday, Jim's score was 32/56 and the week before that he scored 5/56. I am guessing that 100% means that he moves to the next level, whatever that entails.

Next Monday is the six-week milestone, where he will be assessed for having his neck brace removed or replaced by something less obtrusive. The neck brace is the last vestige of medical equipment that indicates, apart from his healing scars, that Jim is an invalid. He is very keen to see it go and at last be able to swim and shower freely, as well as cut the unreachable rat's tail of hair growing at the base of his skull.

Jim now routinely walks around his room and the Wilson Centre without assistance or even anyone noticing, so it is time to test him out on some less familiar terrain. One successful excursion this morning involved him climbing down about 100 steps to the beach and then climbing up again. On Thursday, he will visit the family home in Mount Albert with his physiotherapist to assess it for safety. If this works out, then Jim will come home for a day on Saturday, to be lengthened to possibly two days the following weekend. We are hoping that he might get at least one day a week at school in February, but will assess this when the time comes.