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Better Rehab Speech Pathologist Lihini shares Oliver’s story–a man who lost his voice after a traumatic brain injury–and how a new piece of tech finally freed his inner voice!
Oliver was happy to share his story but has chosen to remain anonymous. Lihini shares her life-altering experience with him:
I started working with Oliver in September 2018.
After sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury in 2004, Oliver has been unable to speak or walk … and he uses a powered wheelchair to move about.
When I started working with Oliver, he was using an eye-gaze device to communicate—which means he used his eyes to move a cursor on a tablet and choose images and phrases on the screen to express himself.
The eye-gaze device was very tiring for Oliver to use, it just wasn’t working for him.
So I suggested trailing the NeuroNode Trilogy—a wireless device that can be placed on the skin over a muscle … when the person moves that muscle, they can also move the cursor on a tablet.
I organised a NeuroNode assessment session with the creator, Peter Ford, to determine if this device would be appropriate for Oliver. Following the promising assessment session, I organised a 1-week (paid) trial.
I collected data regarding accuracy of use, latency period of activations, and contexts in which the NeuroNode was used. Our student allied health assistant, Carrie, helped me collect the data. We collated the data and my clinical observations into an Assistive Technology Report and sent to the NDIA for approval.
When Oliver trialled the NeuroNode, his face lit up! I had never seen him look so happy 😊
His mum started tearing up as she watched how easy it was for him to use this new device.
It was incredible to see a small piece of technology make such a huge impact!
Check out this video to see it in action:
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