"Post stoke experience of Rehabilitation at POWH"

Thank you 

To the Rehabilitation Dept, Prince of Wales Hospital

c/o Care Opinion Australia

cc Dr Peter 

cc Peter 

For two years after his stroke in September 2023 my partner was in the care of top professionals in the dedicated and supportive Rehabilitation team my partner and I have taken a while to write this, but there’s not a day that goes by when we don’t think about my partner’s (and my) experience after their stroke.

The post stroke diagnosis of expressive aphasia meant that speech pathology was the key to my partner's rehabilitation. Under the speech pathologist, Peter, my partner managed to overcome the worst effects of aphasia. Peter’s excellent program consisted of varied and integrated sets of approaches, which he used in his sessions with my partner and also taught to both of us, so we were able apply the techniques at home.

When my partner was still in hospital, speech pathology was a lifeline and Peter provided professional support combined with social interaction that we will always remember with gratitude. Peter’s coffee machine and the weekly Tuesday coffee in the common room created a social dynamic in the Rehabilitation ward. The importance of this cannot be overstated. It’s a vulnerable time for patients and their families and our experience with Rehabilitation thanks to the speech pathology program and Peter in particular was the basis for his positive start after discharge from hospital.

Discharge is a difficult time of adjustment. We want to highlight that we experienced a smooth transition and continuity from in-patient to outpatient rehabilitation, that was very important for my partner and for us as a family.

After discharge, my partner’s one on one sessions with Peter continued to be incredibly important. The trust that had developed in these sessions back in hospital built up crucial confidence and connection over the two years of rehabilitation.

Peter’s sessions were supplemented with sessions led by students. It was great to see the students contribute some of their ideas and additional social dynamic. They made up fun dialogues with my partner that gave us ideas for similar playful approaches.

We want to talk about the physical part of his rehabilitation as well.

The post stroke program created by the Rehabilitation physiotherapists was another truly great experience for us. The program gave stoke patients and families access to a program that was physically challenging, yet totally supportive of individual needs. The physical program was supplemented with regular talk by stroke professionals. We wish the program could have gone on for longer and value that we were told to call if we needed support even after it ended.

After the physical effects of many weeks in hospital, this program made an enormous difference to my partner’s physical fitness and gave him the confidence to continue working on his fitness later. We consider ourselves lucky to have been included in such a program and hope that every stroke patient gets to benefit from it.

We are grateful to Dr Pete who oversaw my partner’s rehabilitation for two years. Post-stroke is a tough time and were in the hands of a doctor who understands the trauma of this experience and is able to guide the patient through it.

My partner’s successful recovery, his current mental and physical fitness and his ability to lead a normal and social life is all thanks to the multi-disciplinary approach of the Rehabilitation team and the skill and dedication of every professional in it.

It’s important for us to communicate our experience and we hope that all the programs we experienced are well resourced. We saw the hard work that went into my partner’s well-being. The investment is that patients come out of their life-changing experience of stroke with skills and a positive attitude to life.

Thank you so much to the team.