Rehabilitation Ideas Needed

[Whattodotomorrow]

I’m asking on behalf of a family member who has been very poorly in hospital for the last seven months. Yep, 7 months. 😢
To cut a long story short, he had two stem cell transplants and fingers crossed, the second one has worked. However, all the steroids and treatment has left him with severe muscle wastage. He is currently languishing in hospital with minimal physio. He needs to get home but will go to live with his elderly mum…this just isn’t possible without help from outside carers/physio. This is just too expensive for us as a family - as is a private rehabilitation centre. Does anyone have any suggestions of places or ideas how to overcome this please? His hospital is pretty useless.

Is there a local macmillan or Maggie’s centre near him? They can advise.
https://oomph.london/ is well worth looking at- her book is v good.

Lots of areas have community rehab teams that combine home care and rehab. They tend to be free for 6 weeks.

Generally, with physio, you are given exercises and expected to do them. No one will come make you. Has he been doing the exercises from the hospital team? What about walking? Is he mobile? I’d be starting with laps around the ward if he can walk safely and mostly independently. Buy him a step counter of some sort so he can track his steps. Basically, you have to use it or lose it. No one will do it for you.

Initially, the hospital physio exercises will be sufficient. I did those for several months after discharge, but he needs to be referred to physio in the community. They saw me every 2 weeks and monitored my progress. My surgeon made the referral, but GP or any hospital team could do it. Appointments came through really quickly, within 2 weeks or so.