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Organise yourself tool. Idea for busy brain injury survivors.

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:13:51 +0000

Those of us who struggle with memory issues can find everyday life difficult to organise. I’ve written before how things that I would have easily accomplished previously, have become a challenge now. Whether it’s because I confuse dates, or do things in the wrong order it always ends with added stress I don’t need. Stress when you have a brain injury can end in disaster.

Help was offered.

Many of you will know I post my articles on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. One day I got a direct message from Serg, the Founder of an app called Q-card. He explained he had been following me for a while as he too is a brain injury survivor and enjoyed my articles and how I attempt to help others. He had been in computer programming and web development since University. So he put his skills to use in developing an app to help people stay organised. He had tried diaries and appointment devices before, but found they didn’t help him the way he needed. So by having a better understanding of what it is like to suddenly be cognitively impaired he developed Q-card.

Serg offered me free access to it in hope it might support my recovery. I have no doubt that as I have vowed to share anything I find that helps me with my readers, he was hoping I would write about Q-card. But he never specifically asked me to, and I haven’t been paid.

How Q-card helps me organise my medication.

I take a number of pills. Most of which I organise myself into a organised pill box and just take them first thing in the morning. I like this because I can quickly see if I have taken today’s. As it holds a month, I know when to order my repeat prescription. However I need to take multiple iron tablets through the day as well. This is harder to organise because they shouldn’t be taken with other tablets or tea. Iron is difficult to absorb, and it if attaches itself to other drugs, it can stop them from being absorbed properly too. Also as tea is a diuretic it should be not consumed close to when you are having your iron tablets as it can decrease its absorption rate further.

I have started to use Q-card to remind me about my iron tablets. I use the “Quick reminder” tab to schedule a time later in the day reminding me to take them. This can be set to alert me every day so I don’t have to keep wondering if I have remembered to take them.

Q-card handles my appointments.

In Frustratingly dreadful with dates, thanks brain injury I explained how I can turn up to appointments days early, or miss them altogether. It is because just putting it in my diary isn’t good enough. I get confused about today’s date, so then trying to think ahead is tough. But now when I set an appointment in the “Appointments” tab I can set a reminder a few days before too. That helps me plan ahead. This is particularly helpful seeing as I have to travel 3 hours for my dads appointments and sometimes stay over. So it gives my time to consider things like, has the car got enough petrol or is there something I need to bring for him? When it comes to my Doctors appointments,it can be as simple as a reminder when I need to leave the house to avoid being late.

Everyday tasks can have simple steps recorded.

People who haven’t suffered a brain injury don’t always understand why we find “simple” activities a struggle. Today is the first time a managed to add salt to the dishwasher unsupervised! Previously I had tried to put it in where the rinse aid should go. James spent ages trying to undo my mess.

But this time I created a “Guided Task” on Q-card to remind me what I was doing. I included details like where in the salt intake is in the dishwasher. Knowing how long it takes to complete a cycle, so I scheduled it for when it would finish the load it had. I would able to pack those items away and start with an empty machine. You do have to give every step a expected time taken, the minimum being 5 mins. It doesn’t take me 5 mins to unscrew the intake or the other steps. But it’s not a big deal that it thinks in total it takes me 20 mins. I have added it to my favourites so it’s I can find it again when I next need it.

Tasks can be shared with caregivers.

As James works so hard and is as busy as Mother Nature, I don’t use this with him. But I understand you can share your schedules with another person who uses Q-card. As you can either ask it to repeat the reminder/step of the task/appointment or confirm you have completed it. They can rest easy knowing you have completed those activities. I imagine that helps reduce the burden on them. They don’t have to keep trying to think of what they need to remind you of. Or you can set tasks and reminders for each other. Now that’s what I call delegation!

How to get it.

Currently it is available for iPhone users, but an Android version is on the way. It is priced at $5.99 (US dollars) as a one off lifetime purchase. Yes that means you can use it forever without it costing you another dime. If you go to their website www.qcard.ca you can get a 14 day free trial which for those who would have to pay can try it out first. Some of you lucky people in America and Canada can get it free through your healthcare provider:

Serg tells me “Insurance companies (automobile and workers compensation) cover the cost of a lifetime version. Some health plans also cover the cost under rehabilitative or assistive devices. Very true in Canada, but also applies in the USA… currently things are a little uncertain in the US when it comes to Obamacare – waiting to see what happens. But usually, as long as it is recommended by an Occupational Therapist or Healthcare Professional, it usually gets covered by insurance.”

If you want more information visit www.qcard.ca

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are there tools that help to organise you? Would you be happy to pay $5.99 for a service like this?

The post Organise yourself tool. Idea for busy brain injury survivors. appeared first on Jumbledbrain.

How to tidy after a brain injury in 4 easy steps

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 12:21:14 +0000

Following a brain injury, most patients have issues with their short term memory. Pair this with confused decision making, and you have created the recipe for a diabolical organiser.

As I currently don’t work due to my brain injury, I am now the homemaker, for now anyway. So I do the majority of the cleaning and tidying, while my partner James goes to his rather demanding job. You might think that sounds like a reasonable arrangement, but there is a glaring fault. Me. When I do the tidying, there’s a good chance you’ll never find it again.

When I do the tidying the finished result looks great, but it’s not until later you begin to realise the mayhem that’s brewing.

I promise at the time, it all makes sense. I’m focused on the end result and so as I come across things that need to be put away, I quickly decide where they should be. But that’s the problem. With a brain injury sometimes your brain doesn’t categorise things properly and so makes mistakes. Sometimes I notice as I’m doing it. Like how a zillion times a day I try to put the cat food in the fridge, when it belongs in the cupboard next to it. (Alright maybe not a zillion, otherwise the cat wouldn’t fit though the cat flap any more.) But if I don’t notice, things can be put in places that any sane person would never think to look. Also I have a problem with throwing things away. I want the clutter gone, so it goes in the bin. But sometimes it was something I needed.

My poor efforts at tidying creates hours of frustration.

As my memory and attention span have been affected by my brain injury, I can’t remember where I put things. If they went back in their usual “home”, then that’s fine. But if not, they might be lost forever.

So here’s 4 tips on how to avoid this happening to you.

Commit to the job
If you’re not in the right mood, you probably won’t be able to complete the task. So make sure you’re ready to commit.
Throw away rubbish first
We can become easily distracted by items. Thinking about where they came from, or what you last used it for. Next thing you know you’re off in your own world and not concentrating. Just find things you know that need to be thrown away, and if you’re not sure leave it for now and move on.
Tidy by categories, not by room
I know it sounds crazy, but this way you are helping your mind to focus more. Whether it’s collecting all the kids toys, or going through clothes, you can make sure you see the bigger picture of this category. Rather than just seeing a messy or tidy room, your thinking more about each items purpose.
How does it make you feel?
So those items that you weren’t sure if you wanted the keep or not, what do we do with them? If it’s documents you probably should let someone else help you decide. (I say this because I throw away letters I should keep, but you might be OK at this) Otherwise think about if you want it, if you don’t need it. It’s about what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of. Some things might be sentimental, but useless. So these can be packed away to make sure they are kept nicely, but you don’t need them out as they’re not used often.

This is a simplified version of the method described in Marie Kondo’s book Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying.

I’m sure I will continue to make mistakes, but that is just part of being human. OK a brain injury makes it more likely, but lots of people can say they have at some point put the house keys in the fridge. So don’t beat yourself up over it when it happens.

Do you have similar issues with tidying. What's your best tips?

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