Attentional Abilities: Video Taxed PostTBI

Attentional Abilities: Quinn Part Nineteen

Quinn and I discussed the video that I had him watch the night before.  Because of his attentional abilities he felt that the video was too long.

I’ve noticed your sense of humor both today and when we first met.  How would you describe your sense of humor before you got hurt? 

Before I got hurt, similar, because  in the hospital, when I was, when I started joking with the wife and saying stupid funny stuff, she knew, okay, he’s still in there.  Something, you know, but it –

When we were talking about the attentional abilities to listen and remember versus participating, communicating with them, the, last night you watched a 37-minute video –  on a relevant topic with almost no other distractions.  (http://whoamiagain.com)

Mm hmm.

Quinn’s Attentional Abilities Put to the Test With Video

Were you able to concentrate on that or was that a little too much information too fast? 

I was able to concentrate on it.  I thought it was a little bit long.  I, I’ve never been a fan of a play, whereas, you know, the person who was putting on the show was acting three or four, like he was three or four different people, or, you know, many different people, and I could relate. I could understand, but I wanted to just get on with it, you know, okay, I thought it was a bit long.

So taking the 20 minutes out of it that I took wasn’t going to be – 

Thank you.

– to 20 more would be okay? 

Thank you.

What did you like the most about that story?

What did I like the most?  I think the idea behind it.  I think it, it was well put together for not me but for the support, my support.  You know, he was playing several different parts at once and bouncing around, which I think I followed okay, but I think non-brain-injured people could follow it, follow him and follow that and understand it much better, whereas I’d like my parents to watch that video. I’d like friends to watch that video, the shorter version.

That video actually is online, if you  want to  see it.  But it’s the longer version. 

Yeah.

TBI Voices began with Lethan Candlish’s live performance of his one man play, Who Am I, Again?  Most of the TBI Voices volunteers were recruited as support group meetings that I attended, where I played the video of that original performance. See http://whoamiagain.com  After half a dozen support groups it became clear that the performance was too long for the attentional abilities of many survivors. To accommodate the attentional abilities I have been using a shortened version of it at support group meetings since, which is the version Quinn saw.

If you would like me to come to your support group and present TBI Voices and talk about this project, please contact us at mailto:jayne@tbilaw.com

Next in Part Twenty – Limited Return to Work Increases TBI Symptoms

By Attorney Gordon Johnson

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