Regaining Mobility After a Stroke

The Patient’s Challenges and Goals

Treatment of a 50yr old lady who had experienced a stroke. She had left sided weakness and initial aims were to regain mobility, in order to be independently mobile around the home. Through our continued treatment sessions together, the patient made progress and was able to mobilise around her home independently with a walking stick. She was feeling restricted in terms of being able to go out with friends and family as she was unable to get outdoors. Her next aims were to be able to drive a car in order to be able to socialise with friends and visit her family.

Solutions We Suggested

The main difficulty in terms of being able to drive was that she still experienced weakness within her left side and wouldn’t therefore be safe to drive a general car. I discussed the option of having a driving assessment at a driving assessment service which was based in the North West. I processed a referral for her to the driving assessment service and she attended an appointment where she trialled a variety of cars with different adaptations.

The Outcome

She was able to drive a car with specific hand controls and these were recommended for her on ordering a car. The adaptations were made to the car of her choice and she is now able to access the community, meeting friends and family. Her mobility continues to improve due to the fact that she is now able to independently go out. This has also had a significant impact on her mood and confidence.