Huw had a stroke in 2016 and was left severely impaired where he could not recognise his right side as his own, he could not recognise a lot of objects (agnosias), memory/other cognitive issues and had severe communication issues where he struggled to understand and was unable to speak.
We first met him in 2017 in a rehabilitation unit, where he made great progress. Against all odds, Huw had learnt to walk with help and to overcome blocks in his rehabilitation journey.
Huw’s sister asked Orchid Rehab to do an assessment for Huw’s needs now he was set up in living in the community.
Since then, Huw has been challenging himself to improve his walking and to use the right hand more within function, as well as increasing his ability to get back to various activities, including accessible cycling and accessing the community in a safe manner.
Orchid Rehabilitation were invaluable over the pandemic, where Huw was supported during a time of isolation and frustration, where he could not always get his voice heard or get across what he truly wanted to express. With patience and ability to understand his gestures and communication, the Orchid Rehab team were able to get to the bottom of some of his concerns and health worries and support him and his sister with his medical needs.
Even with his memory issues, Huw is keen to learn and improve from where he is currently. His walking has progressed from using an aid, to being able to walk unaided (with supervision). He is starting to use his right hand more in function and has even managed to write his name with that hand when previously it had been too tight to have any useful active movements. He has also been coming out with more words and spontaneous sentences are more frequently coming out, which is exciting.
Orchid Rehab took an holistic approach to Huw’s rehabilitation and try to look at all aspects of what he is trying to improve on. He is happy with their on-going support.