June 7, 2022
I am back in Chatham, MA. It was another great day. Dunkin Donuts is about a half-mile away, and I can walk to get coffee. The other house we rented in 2020 had the Dunkin Donuts was a few miles away, and I had to drive to get the coffee.
Two years ago, after the stroke, I could not drive, and I asked my wife to get to Dunkin.
Yesterday I talked about Waze helping me drive cars and allowing me the directions to find those places. I would not remember the direction to make a right and then another left with aphasia. Amazingly, our technology can help us get things done with aphasia.
Dunkin Donuts also help me with aphasia. There is an app for them. I find the location, then the items, and it is ready to pick up with me. It even gives me the payment automatically. The menu uses the Hot Drink, Original Bland, Size (large), Dairy (Cream), and Sweetener (Splenda). I love when it does that for me.
Last year, I went to 30th Street to take the train. They had a Dunkin there, so I decided to ask them to get me a coffee. Ha! I should have practiced and written my notes to tell them what I wanted.
“Hi. Can I get a coffee, with cream and ……”. I could not remember Splenda. I explained that I had aphasia and had a language to figure out what I needed. I knew it was an “S.” Unfortunately, there are four “S.” Sugar, Splenda, Sweet’N Low, and Stevia. They gave me Sweet’N Low. If I remember not getting nervous, I can now say, “Coffee, cream, and Splenda”.
My aphasia has gotten a lot better.
