– Recovered patients now helping others voluntarily

By Telesha Ramnarine

STROKE survivors who have done well at recovering through various forms of exercise and therapy are happily providing help to others who are especially in need of comfort and motivation to continue their exercises despite all of the pain involved.

It takes a lot out of a stroke patient to exercise because, all too often, staying home and not doing anything seems like the easiest thing to do. But quite a few have been making an effort recently to turn up at Durban Park to do their exercises.

The Stroke Survivors Group has about 70 members and before the Coronavirus Pandemic, they would meet on every last Thursday of the month for games, food and other activities.
When this no longer became possible due to the pandemic, about 25 of the members decided that they will go on their own at Durban Park to exercise together. When the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Health heard about this initiative, it sent rehab assistants to support the group.

Director Barbara Lawrence said the initiative has kept patients moving, has resulted in a better quality of life for them and has boosted their self-image. “Lockdown did have some negative impact on people but this initiative really helped with the mental and psychological health of this group. Most of all, I think they really help each other, particularly those who do not have very strong family support. It’s really a joy to see the bonding which extends outside of the two days that they meet.”

So each time they go there, on Mondays and Wednesdays, someone from the department will go over to lend support, along with those who have recovered nicely and are now able to help the weaker ones.

Melanie English, a Rehab Assistant with National Insurance Scheme (NIS) oversees the exercises to ensure that they are going as planned and that things are going smoothly for the stroke patients.

She said the group is continuing to meet like this does well for them mentally and emotionally as well. “It’s like a support system for them. They’re like a family and many of them are at home otherwise and have no relatives to care for them. It’s commendable that they’re going on their own and making such progress,” she stated.

One of the stroke survivors who now leads the group exercises is 51-year-old Deon Barnwell, a former national football player. He motivates and encourages the much older group of patients on the value and importance of exercises to their health and wellbeing and has really served to mentor some reluctant patients to be more consistent.
Barnwell, in an interview with this publication, said recovering calls for determination. “I told myself that one day I will do what love again – I will play football with my friends. I don’t overdo it though. Once I start to feel tired, I stop and rest before going again.”

Barnwell, who got a stroke as a result of high blood pressure, strives to be motivating and encouraging because he understands to a great degree what the others are going through.

Forty-six-year-old Christopher Lord also recovered well after developing a stroke amid the pandemic. He was admitted to the Rehab clinic at the Palms, led by Barbara Lawrence, in a wheelchair but is now fully ambulant and very motivated.

His stroke came on suddenly. He was having a conversation with his wife when all he knew what he was feeling pain at the back of his neck and couldn’t move. Doctors told him that it was due to a blood clot in the brain that he got the stroke.

“I couldn’t even stand up as I lost communication with the entire left side of my body. My sons had to lift me out of the room to the hospital,” he recalls.
After receiving help at the Rehab Department, he now volunteers his time to help the others put in the extra effort that is needed to recover. “Many times, that’s all that’s needed – the extra effort. You have to push yourself because you may want to stop because of the pain but the minute you leave it and it heals right there, there is no chance getting that ligament to stretch again.”

Gracella Bacchus, who has been a rehab assistant for the past 13 years, says the aim is to make the patients more and more independent of their caregivers. Apart from going over to check on them at Cuffy Square, she said the department would also plan a trip for them once every quarter.