After work this weekend cleo and I spent some time this morning over breakfast talking about the idea of adaptability vs. improvement. Although each is significantly different in the way that they function, the end result is geared to moving in the same direction: moving towards recovery and away from stroke. It really doesn't matter how we get there, as long as we do.
Physio this afternoon with James saw cleo back on the treadmill, and working hard again to improve her walking. James slightly increased the speed of the walk today, and cleo managed another 10 minutes of (for her) quite hard physical exercise. Remember that she has been pretty inactive since November, so the combination of little activity and the lack of control in her left side muscles makes for a severely weakened body. This of course is one of the factors which contributes to her hitting that wall of tiredness in the evenings, and I am sure it's not unique in stroke victims.
James had also had contact with Mohammed, who was slightly confused after our conversation with Melanie the therapist about his planned exercise routine for cleo, which of course really cannot work till there is movement in her hand, and arm. James is going to get back to him tomorrow and make some suggestions about the right way to go in cleo's therapy at home over the next couple of weeks. James said he will suggest more manipulation rather than exercise, and hopefully the message will get through. The concern that we have is that Mohammed and his team are physiotherapists whose expertise is in dealing with orthopaedic injuries etc, rather than stroke (neurological) damage.
Having said that I, as a non physician, can understand what's needed, so why can't they?
Maybe I should suggest I do the physio myself and claim their wages?
As with any patient/healthcare professional relationship, the art is to understand the needs of the patient. Right now i have doubts that the home care team is capable of that. I can see me having to bang a few heads together this next few days to get the message through. The slightly cynical suggestion i made here about arranging a care team meeting at home might not be quite such a pie-in-the-sky idea after all.
Let's see what happens tomorrow, after James has spoken to Mohammed again.
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