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Recovery from Stroke

Physio again today - the a wait of another two weeks. If only she could get a period of me intensive therapy to consolidate improvements and get to the stage we can help her practice, and then work on getting her out and about.

Still waiting to hear back from RBL.
 
The RBL lady has replied. Apparently the Physiotherapy people have suggested Mum's carers can help her practice walking, despite the fact they only visit in the mornings and are busy. Also, the Physio that sees her had not said Mum is at the stage where Dad and I can help her practice..... Which is what we have been aiming for.

She (RBL lady) is looking into possible ways to help.
 
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The RBL lady has replied. Apparently the Physiotherapy people have suggested Mum's carers can help her practice walking, despite the fact they only visit in the mornings and are busy. Also, the Physio that sees her had not said Mum is at the stage where Dad and I can help her practice..... Which is what we have been aiming for.

She (RBL lady) is looking into possible ways to help.

carers (as mum's said when she had them) aren't qualified to do physio which is what it is. It's the NHS trying to do things on the cheap :(

you'll need to fight I'm afraid......we gave up and mum's in a care home where her care is very good
 
They are probably not insured either! My point is if the Physio who sees her thinks Mum is not ready to be helped by family members, then why would carers be any better? The NHS has never really done rehabilitation, odd since it get set up in the aftermath of WWII when many men returned to civilian life with life changing injuries.

My own experience with my own severe injury (hit by car and brain injured at age seven) was that there was little rehabilitation, it was the folks (particularly Mum) who taught me to use my hands again, so I feel guilty for not being able to do more to help her.
 
Bit of a rough day today - Mum had a migraine early this morning and called the cancel her fortnightly Physiotherapy, only to be told the Physio was ill and would not be attending anyway.

Meanwhile, my father (her main carer) is fatigued by things like having to help her get up for personal care. Surely this one of the things she needs physiotherapy for? She can get up from a commode or wheelchair, nut her usual soft chair is a harder option.

I am not feeling that great about things today - sadly this is not the only source of stress in my life right now.
 
I feel guilty as for the last year (ish) I have been pre occupied with a stressful problem of my own. Apparently Mum has reached a 'plateau' of recovery when it comes to walking, but without getting her out and about how do we know?

I thought the extra therapy we have sought (and had SSAFA/RBL trying to help - but we are told they cannot fund Physiotherapy or help like that) is to help Mum be able to stand on her own and have just that little bit of independence. She does not have to walk miles.
 
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RBL sent a small jobs man yesterday - a little bit of a waste of time, as the folks need to get the drive/path redone so Mum (in wheelchair)can get to a car. Still he did mention the Veteran's Gateway. He also said ideas could be put to a committee - a little bit of extra Physiotherapy would help her stand with the aid of her 'Quad Stick'.

Also there is the toilet issue. If she can be helped to stand, can she be helped to transfer to the commode? Also I used work with a guy who had a paralysed arm and limp after a Stroke when he was a teenager - but I never asked him how he wiped himself....
 
I am frustrated by not knowing everything that is going on. I am not Mum's main carers, Dad is, and the RBL and others write to him and he forgets to let me know. Has he heard back from the RBL home alterations people, or their council counterparts? What about extra Physiotherapy? At the start of the year somebody in 'the office' claimed Mum has reached a plateau and no further Physiotherapy was justified, but then the Physio has been coming out and helping Mum practicing standing, walking (with quad stick), transfers to commode or wheelchair....

If she could just get a bit more practice. She does not need to walk huge distances, but just be able to transfer to her wheelchair, get in a car, and take a few steps when she needs the loo.

Arrrgh!

On another subject, I used to work with a guy who had lost the use of one of his arms when he had a Stroke at the age of seventeen, but I never asked him about who he pull his trousers etc up and down and went to the bog.....
 
I help Mum look after her money - she has been saving up with a view to buying some sort of mobility scooter thing. However, she is not at that stage yet - and will never get there without more Physiotherapy. I have tried to argue to use some of that money for private physiotherapy but she refuses.

Dad looks after the Attendance Allowance, which Mum thinks should pay for extra physio work. I was hoping to be present when the Physiotherapist visited this week, mostly doing standing and walking exercises, to raise the issue with both of them and a professional there.

Sadly it was cancelled due to illness. Arrgh!
 
On Monday the Occupational Therapist and a home adjustment person from the local council visited. It was positive by the sound of things. The priorities are to get Mum into the kitchen so she can tell us what and how to cook, and to get her out and about.
 
Frustratingly the local council are being very slow in replying to the application for a disabled facilities grant - not helped by an over enthusiastic Occupational Therapist putting lots of unsuitable things down on the form such as a lift or a walk in shower.

We just need to enable her to get into the kitchen more easily, into the garden more easily, and into a car.

In the last few weeks she had a sudden bug, and then cellulitis. She has been on antibiotics. However she has been very weak and had her second fall this evening and needed paramedics again.

Could some sort of build up product help build her strength back up?

Also what can we do to relieve the pressure on her arse and the soreness that results?
 
Frustratingly the local council are being very slow in replying to the application for a disabled facilities grant - not helped by an over enthusiastic Occupational Therapist putting lots of unsuitable things down on the form such as a lift or a walk in shower.

We just need to enable her to get into the kitchen more easily, into the garden more easily, and into a car.

In the last few weeks she had a sudden bug, and then cellulitis. She has been on antibiotics. However she has been very weak and had her second fall this evening and needed paramedics again.

Could some sort of build up product help build her strength back up?

Also what can we do to relieve the pressure on her arse and the soreness that results?

Yokel

Does your Mum have an allocated social worker?

Is she getting visits from the District Nurse and the GP?

There is a product called Fortisip, but you need to speak to the Nurse or the GP about whether this is suitable for your Mum.


The last question about the pressure is really important, because you need to avoid the development of pressure sores and potential infection.

Does your Mum's care package allow for visits from carers?

Apologies if I have missed the answer to these questions in your earlier posts.
 
Frustratingly the local council are being very slow in replying to the application for a disabled facilities grant - not helped by an over enthusiastic Occupational Therapist putting lots of unsuitable things down on the form such as a lift or a walk in shower.

We just need to enable her to get into the kitchen more easily, into the garden more easily, and into a car.

In the last few weeks she had a sudden bug, and then cellulitis. She has been on antibiotics. However she has been very weak and had her second fall this evening and needed paramedics again.

Could some sort of build up product help build her strength back up?

Also what can we do to relieve the pressure on her arse and the soreness that results?
I suppose bathing would reduce pressure but that depends on your mum being able to get in and out of the bath. It may sound odd but I wonder about trying a wicker chair, for coolness, aeration and back support. In any case I think circulation is very important. I wonder if you can get hold of a revitive foot device. Just a thought.
 
I suppose bathing would reduce pressure but that depends on your mum being able to get in and out of the bath. It may sound odd but I wonder about trying a wicker chair, for coolness, aeration and back support. In any case I think circulation is very important. I wonder if you can get hold of a revitive foot device. Just a thought.

At the moment she is just weak.

Bathing is not an option. She does have carers to wash and dress her in the mornings but they are in short supply, just like Physiotherapists. She spends most of her time sitting which explains the sores. She could not get on with a reclining chair.

Lack of people...

I did wonder about those things advertised by Ian Botham.
 
At the moment she is just weak.

Bathing is not an option. She does have carers to wash and dress her in the mornings but they are in short supply, just like Physiotherapists. She spends most of her time sitting which explains the sores. She could not get on with a reclining chair.

Lack of people...

I did wonder about those things advertised by Ian Botham.

Would you be able to ask the GP to visit and arrange to be there when that happens, Yokel?

It's really important to avoid the development of pressure sores - I speak from experience with my Mum.

Did you say that she does have a social worker?
 
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