Stroke 'Rehabilitation to Independence' Transcript
Helen, 54, had a stroke 11 years ago: The opportunity to have therapy is just so important and significant. It needs to be on a daily basis. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and I've found, year after year [laughs].
Leonie, 37, had a stroke 4 years ago, and husband George: I had to do mainly three things. One would be speech pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
Noelene, 63, had a stroke 7 years ago: I had to learn to speak again. I had the help of lovely speech therapists, and they helped me.
Jack, 53, had a stroke 11 years ago: Exercises that I thought were silly. But when I think back, they were needed. They knew what they were doing, I didn't.
Leonie and George: The speech pathology, I think, was probably the most important thing in my mind. Because I had such a terrible speech problem, that I was unable to say so much, I needed to relearn.
Robyn, 48, had a stroke 11 years ago and mother Cath: Physio therapist, as soon as she saw her, she said, "Away with the chair, you're going to walk". At that stage, she could walk, just. She sent her walking around the block, eventually, much to all our horror. Right around the block and it's a huge block. She had to do it, and she did it.
Helen: The occupational therapy, more on your day living skills. It's a lot of just over and over again, practicing trying to do things. Trying to hold a pair of scissors in your hand; trying to hold a pencil in your hand; trying to hold your toothbrush in your hand, those sorts of things. Trying to comb your hair; trying to bathe yourself, those sorts of things. In physiotherapy, trying to get the arm to work again; trying to get the leg to move again. Trying to get those movements to enable you to walk again. It's like you're a baby again, and in some ways, you are a baby again. You seem to regress so much. And you just have to relearn it all.
Noelene: For being independent, I had to become dependent on others. And that was hard.
Leonie and George: The stroke, I think in the first week, after having had the stroke, I think I lost seven kilos. My muscles were wasting away. I had to do that straight away, and that was great.
Leonie and George: It's also retraining yourself how to walk; how to use her right arm. Speech therapy, it wasn't only talking, it was teaching her how to read. She was relearning how to write again. It was really re-educating her to do what we just expect the average person to do.
Noelene: At first, it was hard to adapt. But I received so much help and assistance that I'm forever grateful.
Helen: When you're in hospital for such a lengthy time, you just wish for the day that you can go home. There are a lot of things you wish that you can do. In the hospital, there's a security. There are people there who are actively involved in your rehabilitation and getting you well, getting you walking again. You're learning to rest, to feed yourself. All of these things. There is a security about that. All this time, you're wanting to go home. There was a period of time when I could go home for weekend leave. I remember at three o'clock Sunday afternoon, there would be this dreaded feeling, knowing that I had to go back. I used to tell myself that I had to go back, so that I could go home, and stay at home.
Robyn and Cath: I've tried to hold back, and often it's much easier, when you see her struggling with a plastic bag in a supermarket with one hand, but you have to hold yourself back. To not help. I've tried very hard to let her do it as she wants to. She's got to learn. Would you agree with me?
Robyn and Cath: Yes. Walking down the street and at the supermarket and back again. Learning to be self-sufficient.
Robyn and Cath: And it gives you the confidence...
Robyn and Cath: It's tiring, very tiring.
Helen: I was able to buy another home unit. I manage extremely well. I have that very well set up. From a water-operated lift to get my wheelchair up onto the decking. I can manage stairs, just so long as I've got rails on either side, and I've got a few steps out the front. I've got the bathroom set up with rails and stools, so that I can get in and out of the shower by myself. I need help in the home. I have home-help on a weekly turn-about. I need help with my shopping and my banking and those sorts of things. But I have a terrific network of people, from family and friends, who enable me to live independently. But I wouldn't be able to do it, unless I had those supports.
Robyn and Cath: I live on my own.
Robyn and Cath: And loves it!
Robyn and Cath: It's lovely, really lovely. On my own, wonderful. The surroundings, and situations. It's lovely, really wonderful.
