Getting Back Behind the Wheel

She had been given exercises by the hospital, but had only been doing the sitting ones — uncertain about when it was safe to progress. Her OT immediately started advancing her programme, building strength and confidence from the first visit.

Driving: The Goal That Mattered Most

As rehabilitation progressed, it became clear that driving was the most meaningful activity in her life. It meant independence — the freedom to see friends, attend appointments, and help her family. But she was full of questions and anxiety:

Rather than treating these as abstract worries, her OT — Kate Griffiths, our lead OT for driving rehabilitation — broke driving down into its component tasks and addressed each one practically.

A Step-by-Step Approach

First, they replicated the emergency stop movement at home — using a cushion on the floor to rebuild her hip range of motion and the leg power needed for confident pedal control.

Then they went out to her car together. Before leaving the car park, they practised an emergency stop to check she felt safe and secure. That first session, just getting into the car and driving around her local area was enough.

The next session focused on getting in and out of the car, navigating kerbs with her walking stick, and building real-world confidence. By the third driving-focused session, she drove independently to meet Kate at an agreed location — proving to herself that she could do it.

Going Beyond Driving

The rehabilitation extended into other areas of her life. She began babysitting for one of her sons, which meant adapting to a different environment — his house had a flight of stairs, while she lived in a flat with a lift. Kate met her at her son’s property and practised the stairs together, ensuring she was confident before doing them alone.

The OT Advantage

Throughout this case, no physiotherapist was needed. Kate carried out balance work — static and dynamic exercises at a worktop — and progressed the physical rehabilitation alongside the functional, meaningful goals. As Kate explains:

“With the occupational therapy lens, we look at the activities that are meaningful and purposeful in someone’s life and include those in the rehab. Going from one environment to another, enabling her to help her son with babysitting — that’s what made the difference.”

At one point, a persistent limp raised a question. Kate consulted with one of Medella’s physiotherapists, who felt the most likely cause was a leg length discrepancy rather than an ongoing joint problem. A simple inner sole recommendation was all that was needed. That kind of seamless collaboration between disciplines is one of the advantages of choosing a multi-disciplinary practice.

Back to Life

The final piece of feedback said it all: she knew she was truly better because she was picking up her grandchildren again and taking them out. She was back meeting friends, engaging with her family, and living life on her own terms.

What began as a fall that shattered her confidence became a story of recovery — not just physical, but emotional and social. She didn’t just get back to driving. She got back to doing life.