Our client, an 83-year-old gentleman, had always lived an active life. He loved being outdoors, gardening, volunteering with a bird-watching group, and skiing a couple of times each year at his home in the Alps. But after suffering a dense stroke, everything changed. He spent several months in hospital, and his discharge was delayed as he waited for a four-times-daily, double-up care package to be arranged.
Living in a rural area made sourcing this care difficult, and he and his family were desperate to get him out of hospital. While waiting, they arranged for him to move temporarily into a care home, giving him a change of scenery, new food, and more interaction while plans were being made for his return home.
Getting Started
We began seeing him in the care home twice a week. Initially, he needed two staff members to assist with transfers using a Sara Stedy. With focused rehab from our OT and physio he progressed to managing transfers with the Sara Stedy and just one staff member, which was a big step forward.
Supporting the Care Team
We worked closely with his social worker, who was coordinating his care package… A single-carer package was far easier to source than two carers four times a day, and his improvements made this possible, and his return home was expedited.
Since moving home, we’ve continued to support him up to 3x each week with his rehab – we’ve been through some challenges, including infections and low iron levels that caused fatigue, exacerbated his stroke symptoms and slowed his progress significantly. We worked closely with the district nurses, carers, and GP to identify and address these issues in a timely way, ensuring he had the right medical support alongside his rehabilitation, and to minimise any periods of deterioration and reduced mobility.
Those periods of illness were particularly challenging for the care team to manage single-handedly. We carried out joint sessions with the care team and his wife demonstrating optimal use of equipment, the available space and safe techniques to reduce strain on them while encouraging the client to do as much as he could for himself. We then extended this further, delivering a full-day training session for the care agency on an “enabling approach to care.” This therapeutic style of care focuses on empowering carers to empower their patients — encouraging independence in daily tasks, from making a cup of tea to cutting a sandwich, so that patients regain purpose as well as ability. because all these little opportunities and activities support the rehab journey in a big way.
The training received excellent feedback, and we are now offering a free one-hour session to any care home or care agency interested in hearing more about this, and adopting this approach.
Progress and Ongoing Work
Today, he is making steady progress. With physiotherapy and the support of his wife, he has begun walking short distances using a quad stick. From spending over a year being house-bound, he now regularly goes on trips in the car with his wife to garden centres, friends houses or coffee shops. His mood has improved hugely and he now has things to talk about and look forward to again. The journey isn’t complete, but he has already regained far more independence than seemed possible at the start — and we’re excited to see how far he can go.