Health

HEALTHCARE

Helping You Heal Post-Stroke

It’s a tough reality that many of those who have had a stroke face life-altering consequences – two in three people in fact. These can be unseen and relatively mild through to more dramatic changes. Thankfully, with the right care and support, rebuilding your life is possible.

We spoke to Dr Sageet Amlani, Lead Consultant at John & Lizzie’s Stroke Clinic, to find out more about the service and how best to recover after having a stroke.

‘After the medical emergency of a stroke has passed, it’s really important to uncover the root cause and tailor a rehabilitation programme around this. The Stroke Clinic provides an intense level of support with a whole team of experts, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists, and neuro-psychologists, as well as a dedicated stroke consultant, who will visit at least once a day. It’s possible to make big gains in the early stages of recovery, so having the expertise of a specialist multidisciplinary team is truly invaluable’.

A Typical Day In The Stroke Clinic

‘In the morning, the nurses will wake the patients and everyone will have breakfast. The food here is very good and people can also make off-menu choices if they have allergies or particular likes or dislikes. It’s common for people to have trouble swallowing after a stroke (dysphagia), so if this is the case, the dieticians and speech and language therapists will work with the chefs to ensure dishes are modified so they’re easier and safer to eat.

When a patient first arrives they’ll have a thorough assessment, as well as a full review of previous investigations and results to ensure continuity of care. Then a timetable for the week ahead will be created that’s tailored around their specific needs. At this point, they’ll also meet with me to talk through their plans for the day and set goals for their recovery.

At the end of the first week, I meet with patients, their family and our staff team to talk through what they’ve achieved and set further goals. Progress is measured throughout the length of stay, so whether a person stays a few days or a few weeks, they’ll always have a clear picture of what they’ve accomplished and what they can work towards next.

If people decide to stay with us for longer than a week, they won’t be stuck inside the whole time. One of the things we do is take people outside to St John’s Wood High Street, where there are many lovely shops and cafés. This helps to improve spacial awareness and aids with navigating roads, but the ultimate aim is to help people get back to a normal life. Often, people will have spent a long time in hospital, so doing something normal like going to the shops can give a huge confidence boost and make a world of difference’.

Often, people will have spent a long time in hospital, so doing something normal like going to the shops can give a huge confidence boost and make a world of difference

Unrooting The Cause

‘In the NHS, some medical investigations will be done in outpatients, so it can take a while to get the results. This means it can be some time before the cause of the stroke is understood. At John & Lizzie’s Stroke Clinic, investigations are done immediately and acted upon straight away. When people come to the clinic, as well as a full assessment, which will include extensive investigations (such as blood tests, respiratory function test and echocardiogram), I will conduct a full review of previous investigations and results. This is essential to determining why the stroke took place, and means I can work on fixing the root cause straight away; as well as hopefully preventing any future strokes’.

Lifestyle choices, such as smoking and frequent drinking, also play a part. For some people though, it just comes out of the blue

Know Your Risk Factors

‘Generally, there are risk factors for stroke which accumulate over a lifetime, such as having diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol. Lifestyle choices, such as smoking and frequent drinking, also play a part. For some people though, it just comes out of the blue.

For example, a stroke could be linked to cancer (which increases the risk of blood clots in the legs); it could be due to a hole in the heart; it could even be a result off too-vigorous exercise which has led to a tear in a vessel; or it could be caused by neck manipulation, which can happen to older people when they go to the hairdresser. My job is to find out why the stroke has happened, analyse its location and size and use this information to guide the rehab process.

As a general rule of thumb though, you can hugely reduce your risk of stroke by leading a healthy lifestyle; so cut down on foods high in salt, sugar and fats, reduce your alcohol intake and make sure you’re getting your 5-a-day every day’.

Stroke Respite And Rehab Care

‘St John & St Elizabeth Hospital’s Stroke Clinic is one of the UK’s best equipped private facilities for post-stroke care and rehab, and offers an extensive range of services, personalised treatment programmes, and all the clinical and emotional support necessary for a speedy recovery.