Posts by Jen
All I Want for Christmas is these Two AT
My colleagues and I are coming up with holiday wishlists of AT (assisitive technology). Since one of my favorite hobbies is cooking, of course, I want some things to help me out in the kitchen. I have chronic upper back pain that usually flares up if I have to do a lot of chopping or…
Read MoreAT for My 8 Month Old
My daughter, Anneliese, is turning 8 months old next week. Her brother, Theo, turns one year and 11 months old today. Having two kids under two is exciting, enlivening, and life-changingly wonderful, and busy. Having both of our kids in our 40s after a long battle with infertility and losses, and having worked and lived…
Read MoreThe Quest for Sleep
by Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I first wrote this piece in 2013 and have dug it up to share again in honor of my respiratory therapist, David Gritter, retiring. He actually retired in May, but I was on maternity leave so I’m sharing this in my first post since returning. Dave is among a…
Read MoreDon’t Fail that Fall
by Aimee Sterk Did you know that one out of three adults age 65 and older fall each year? Disability.gov had such a great post about falls prevention, and safety, we wanted to share it here. Falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence and injury or deaths for…
Read MorePanic Attack? There’s an app for that!
I had my first panic attack exactly 3 years ago, outside my doctor’s office. I’ve also had some PTSD flare ups recently so wanted to share this older blog post about my first panic attack as a reminder to myself and hopefully a help for others who have panic attacks. In 2015, stress from recent…
Read MorePregnancy AT to the Rescue!
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I’m just about to hit 32 weeks pregnant. With my age (42), and gestational diabetes making for a big baby to carry around, I’m starting to get very tired very fast. I’m also much more awkward and find myself having to grab things to catch my balance. Luckily, I…
Read MoreDating, Intimacy, Sex, Disability and AT
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Team This week has been a really weird conglomeration of anniversaries and news that are all muddling together in my head. Eleven years ago this week, I went on my first date with my husband. Two years ago this week, we put a deposit down for IVF that led to…
Read MoreAdvocacy Help for AT
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff My friend contacted me last week asking about the process for working with a nursing home to get his father, a resident in the home, a new wheelchair. It seems the nursing home suggested a very specialized wheelchair to meet his father’s needs, but when the home was told…
Read MoreAll I want for Christmas is some new AT (And I want to share this other article too)
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Team Member This year for Christmas, I am asking for the Fisher Wallace Stimulator device. I heard about it from my therapist. According the website, it uses electrical impulses to stimulate the brain to produce more serotonin and melatonin while reducing cortisol. It can be used for depression, anxiety, and…
Read MoreWeighed Down for Better Sleep
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I have a long history of battling insomnia. Lately, I have been having even more problems sleeping following a series of life traumas and increased anxiety. My therapist suggested trying a weighted blanket. I had previously heard of weighted blankets as calming options for people on the Autism Spectrum.…
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