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C R O T C H E D M O U N T A I N | H O R I Z O N S 4 The Passion To Heal: One Artist’s Journey Pat Mahoney improvises on the grand piano as part of his therapeutic program. PAT MAHONEY IS AN ARTIST. And his passion for the arts has been instrumental in his ongoing recovery from a brain injury. Struck by a car in October 2010 while riding his bicycle near the University of New Hampshire campus where he was working on a masters degree in Fine Arts, Pat’s life changed dramatically. Severely injured, he was air lifted to Massachusetts General Hospital where he lay in a coma for a week. After regaining consciousness, he still wasn’t out of the woods. “Pat had a very serious setback in January that put him back in the ICU and reversed any progress he had made,” recalls Anne Nelson, Pat’s girlfriend and active partner in his rehabilitation. “When Pat first arrived in April, he couldn’t walk by himself,” reports Jenn Forkey, Pat’s physical therapist. “He couldn’t climb steps and was very quiet. He didn’t communicate during therapy. It was hard to know how he felt about what was happening at first.” The therapeutic team, including occupational, physical and cognitive therapists, reviewed Pat’s progress thus far, discussed his interests, needs and goals and designed an integrated program to facilitate Pat’s physical and
Pat’s yoga practice with recreational therapist Sheila Urban helps improve his balance. cognitive recovery. Pat’s previous passion for artistic expression became a key focus of the rehabilitation program we designed. Shortly after his arrival, Pat began cognitive rehabilitation therapy. According to program coordinator, speech and language pathologist David Hajjar, Pat was a good candidate for the program, as he was ready to participate in group activities. “We focused on sustained attention and learning compensatory strategies for memory. He made good use of the iPad to stimulate recall, improve reading and comprehension, take notes, and plan and schedule activities. He also used it to research a personal scheduling system and choose a word processing program for his writing,” explains David. David also tapped into Pat’s creative passions when he asked him to write a poem. “Pat was studying poetry in his graduate program, and he hadn’t attempted to write a poem since his accident.” Pat readily complied and crafted a compelling and layered poem using the campus resident chickens as metaphor (see poem on next page). “The cognitive rehabilitation therapy really helped me with memory and concentration. But most important was the diversity of therapies,” explains Pat. “The topics and activities were less traditional, like having a grand piano to play any time I wanted.” Occupational therapist Dave Kontak, who worked closely with Pat on basic life skills and other aspects of daily living, provided variety in Pat’s day by tapping into his many passions. “The content of rehabilitation is a huge consideration. Music and art are Pat’s areas of motivation. Using art to stimulate his higher cognitive functions enriched his day and stimulated healing. Having to remember a piano phrase and play with both hands has profound healing implications.” Dave, who is also a musician, introduced Pat to tube drums, an instrument Dave designed and built. “I showed him how to play for about five seconds, and then I gave the paddles to him,” Dave remembers. “I expected him to play for just a few seconds. He went at it for 30 minutes non-stop. You do not have to tell this guy how to work.” continued on next page Pat improves his response time with the help of metronome-based software.
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