Jess’s team supports stroke survivors with communication difficulties to reduce the impact, improve their confidence, and reintegrate back into the community. They don’t make promises to fix or cure, but try to understand the person as a whole, hear their priorities and empower them to be as independent as possible.
- A Typical day
It’s early on a grey drizzly Monday yet I’m already smiling. I’ve just asked an 80-year-old gentleman called Bob what he did at the weekend. In response, he has carefully drawn a picture of a person fishing. Using some yes and no questions, I establish that on Saturday he returned to his angling group for the first time in six months.
Applause erupts from everyone in the room: five other stroke survivors and two volunteers. We’re all thrilled for him,
Following a stroke, Bob has significant expressive aphasia, a language problem, yet his understanding is intact. Knowing exactly what you want to say but having lost the skills to put thoughts into words is a frustrating combination and can knock your confidence.
I’m running one of our regular communication workshops, for small groups of stroke survivors who want to practise their communication strategies and meet others with similar experiences.
A train volunteer and I guide them through activities based on a ‘Total Communication’ approach. This values any and every means of meaningful communication, whether it’s single sounds, mime, facial expression, or something els.e Last week, I led a session on drawing. This week, Bob answered my question by confidently reaching for a pen. It’s moments like this which validate our service.
After lunch, I visit the local acute hospital’s stroke ward. Here, I’m introduced to newly diagnosed stroke survivors. In this busy clinical setting, it feels like a luxury to have unhurried conversations with patients. I’m encouraging about their rehabilitation and tell them about the Stroke Association’s available support when they leave hospital.
Late afternoon, I contact any newly referred stroke survivors to identify what’s important to them and agree a plan to achieve their goals. If a phone call is challenging, I will offer a video call or home visit another time. Goals can be anything related to communication – returning to work, speaking at a wedding, or even ordering a coffee at a garden centre again. A plan might involve check-in phone calls, one-to-one home visits, small group work, or real-life practise in the community. Often, we also speak with families, friends or carers who value the chance to ask questions, voice their concerns, or simply offload to someone who understands.
- The Hardest Thing
is knowing that there are stroke survivors who are struggling without our support. Occasionally, we receive a referral for someone who is having a hard time months or even years down the line, and it’s devastating to learn.
- The best Thing
is when we work collaboratively with the NHS to provide a seamless experience of care for a stroke survivor. When all the pieces come together with the stroke survivor’s needs at its heart, there is a great shared sense of achievement.
This is a feature from Issue 22 of Charitable Traveller.
by net effect