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Office Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm · On-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Call us on 01788 422422Office Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm · On-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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Care at home
After a stroke, the instinct of everyone around you is to do everything for you. That is kind, and it is the fastest way to lose the ground you have gained.
If the occupational therapist says someone should be washing their own left arm, then that is what happens — even when it takes fifteen minutes and would take us thirty seconds. Carers are briefed on what the person is supposed to be doing themselves. It is slower, it is occasionally frustrating for everyone, and it is the entire point.
The physiotherapist and OT set the programme. We are the people in the house often enough to make sure it actually happens between their visits, which is where most rehab quietly falls apart.
Recovery after a stroke can move fast, especially in the first months. A package that is right in March may be too much by June. We would rather review it and reduce it than keep billing for visits that are no longer needed — say so if you think that point has come.
If speech has been affected, the temptation is to finish people's sentences. Carers are asked not to. Where a speech therapist has left strategies — a communication book, particular prompts — we use them.
We would rather you knew this now than found out later.
We are one part of this. These are the people who do the things we cannot, and they are free.
Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy after discharge. Arranged by the hospital or GP.
A support helpline, local support groups and practical guides for life after stroke. Their Stroke Support Coordinators are worth asking about.
Tell us what the physio and OT have asked for. If you have a discharge summary or a therapy plan, that is the most useful thing you can show us.
Worried about the cost? The council pays towards care at home for more people than realise it, and Attendance Allowance is not means-tested at all. See how paying for care works.