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.
Sheryl and Helen first met him in 2017 in a Rehabilitation unit, where he made great progress with Sheryl leading his care. Against all odds Huw had learnt to walk with the help of Sheryl aiding him to overcome blocks in his Rehabilitation journey.
When Huw’s sister learnt that Sheryl was practising independently, she asked for an assessment for Huw’s needs now he was set up in living in the community.
Huw was pleased to see Sheryl and Helen again and remembered them from the previous support they had given him. Since then he has been challenging himself further 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.
The girls were invaluable over the pandemic where they supported him through 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 Sheryl and Helen’s patience and ability to understand his gestures and communication means they 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 where he is currently. His walking has improved 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.
Helen and Sheryl look at Huw holistically and try to look at all aspects of what he is trying to improve on. He is happy with their on-going support.