I can’t pinpoint a time when Kate’s aphasia began, but I wrote a post in September 2019 about her loss of words and difficulty explaining things. Over the past four years, her aphasia has progressed considerably. Her stroke almost two years ago also had an effect on her speech. For a good while after the stroke, she didn’t speak at all. Since then, she has gradually improved. Over the weekend, I compared two videos. One was taken three months before her stroke and the other one Saturday night. The change is striking. Two years ago, she was able to speak much more clearly than now.
Today, she speaks very little. Most of the time when she encounters residents and staff, she doesn’t say a word at all. That is also true for her time with her caregivers and with me; however, she surprises us almost every day with words that we can clearly understand. For example, last week while the housekeeper was cleaning our apartment, she hit something that sounded a little like a knock on the door. Kate was lying in bed adjacent to the room where the housekeeper was working. Without any hesitation, she said, “Just a minute.”
Because such clarity of speech is rare, I jot down some of the things she says. Here are a few examples.
September 30 (In the Dining Room)
Server: “How are you tonight?”
Kate: “What about you?”
A few minutes later
A resident at another table tapped on the table.
Kate: “Come in!
September 26
At Café for Ice Cream
Caregiver: “Would you like some water?”
Kate: ”Yes, please.”
When finished:
Kate: “Thank you.”
September 21
Putting Kate to Bed
Richard: “I’m going to be with you all night.”
Kate: “Really?”
Richard: “Yes.”
Kate: “Great!”
September 8 (After getting Kate to bed)
Richard: “I love you so much.”
Kate: “I know you do.”
August 30 (After the podiatrist finished trimming her toenails)
Kate: “Good job.”
August 28
Richard: “I’m going to take my shower. Then we can have an evening to ourselves.”
Kate: ”I like it.
August 17 (At dinner, Caregiver feeding her)
Waiting for the next bite of food
Kate: “I’m ready.”
August 2
In apartment after dinner
Kate: “Are you going to stay home?”
August 2
After going to bed
Richard: “You’re a beautiful gal, Kate.”
Kate: “You, too.
August 1
Shortly after getting her in bed. I notice that her eyes are open, and she is smiling.
Richard: “I’m right here where I like to be.”
Kate: “Great. You’ll be here?”
July 18
Daughter of caregiver stops to say hello while Kate is having ice cream downstairs
Daughter: “I’ll see you later.”
Kate: “Really?”
Kate looks at me and says: “She’s so nice.”
In dining room
Kate: “I love it.”
Caregiver “What do you love?”
Kate: “I can’t tell you.”
Of course, my personal favorite occurred a week ago. She woke up early one morning and was talkative. I took several videos, but I didn’t understand anything she said in the first few. By chance, however, at the end of the last one, she said three words that I couldn’t mistake, “I love you.”
Note that these snippets are very short statements. There are times, however, when she is talkative. When that happens, there are a few clear words mixed with gibberish. Regardless, I treasure everything she says. I am grateful just to hear her voice.
