Communicating With Hospitalized People

charliezcc writes: My grandmother recently fell and broke two vertebrae (among other things) and is in the hospital while she recovers. Thankfully, she was not paralyzed and retains the use of her limbs. However, they have placed her on a respirator and she is virtually unable to communicate with us, so while we try to keep her company during her recovery, our company is reduced to mainly one-sided conversations. Asking her questions, even yes/no questions, are hard because of the neck brace — it turns into a guessing game and becomes frustrating for both parties very fast. I'm a firm believer in the power of positive mental attitudes and to make her recovery a little better and I'd like to be able to facilitate two-sided conversations with her so she can keep positive. Keeping in mind that she does not have much technology experience, what would you suggest I utilize to break the communication barrier? I used to see devices with a number of buttons used to say whatever you program it to say, but I can't find these anymore. What other kind of devices are available?