A HAZLEMERE woman is urging people to make files about elderly relatives with communication problems to help hospital staff treat them.

Susan Jamson wants more people to create factfiles about their loved ones, after doing something similar when her mother Rennie Winnie, 85, was hospitalised after a stroke in March.

Mrs Jamson, 58, of Kestrel Drive, said: “When my mother went to Wycombe hospital she had suffered a severe stroke, and could not even talk. Her brain was still there, but she could not communicate.

“When I went to see her the nurses were calling her Winnie as though it were her first name, and the speech therapist said she wanted to help her, but had nothing to talk to her about.”

After seeing this Mrs Jamson set about putting together a file giving the background to her mother's life, with photographs and details about her family.

She continued: “When she had the folder she was transformed for the staff from just another person in a row of beds.

The nurses in particular were great, taking real interest in her and talking to her, and you could see it made a big difference to my mother. The speech therapist also said it gave them something to talk about.”

Unfortunately Mrs Winnie later died in hospital.

“I really want to encourage other people who have relatives in a similar position to do something like this, as I know it made my mother feel human,” said Mrs Jamson.

“I hope this can be something positive to come out of my mother's death.”

John Murray, who runs the Wycombe Stroke Support Group which was set up to help people with speech problems following strokes, gave the idea a warm reception.

He said: “It's always a good idea for the family of the person who is afflicted to do this, as it gives us something to talk about to them.

“We always find it's helpful in their treatment if we know something about their background. Often unfortunately we only find out about people's background at their funeral.

“The people who we can talk to about their backgrounds are always the ones who do best at recovering their speech.”

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