StarGaze support keeps Macy in touch
Thursday, July 29th, 2021
Macy’s facing a lengthy stay in hospital following a road traffic accident last year. Her injuries left her with very little movement in her arms and hands – and no way of using her iPad to ease the isolation of the long days through contact with friends and family.
Her therapist alerted our StarGaze team to see if we could help, and after working together to assess her abilities via a video call we sent her a carefully selected range of access equipment to try.
Macy was overjoyed when she found that the limited movement in her left arm was enough to use a standard mouse to control her iPad. Even when subsequent surgery on her arm made using a mouse too difficult, the option of an assistive joystick and switch setup that we’d sent has proved equally successful.
We’re so happy that Macy’s quality of life has been boosted by our support and loan equipment. The much-needed social reconnections are proving a lifeline, and we’ll do our best to help her maintain access to her iPad as her abilities change further during her recovery.
The selection, loan and support of Macy’s assistive technology was provided through our StarGaze Project, which harnesses our expertise in highly specialised technology to help people regain a degree of communication and independence when they need it most, as soon as possible after a serious accident or sudden illness. Patient confidentiality means you don’t hear as much about this aspect of our work as our video games support, but the impact can be just as life-transforming. As with our video games help, it’s a service provided without charge and for as long as it’s needed.
Below: Macy using her assistive joystick and switch setup and (inset) on a video support call with members of our StarGaze team.
