Stroke Patients
Overcoming Adversity with the Support and Skill of Occupational Therapists
This article was first published in Health View, April 2001.
The image sticks in his mind, just as distinctly as if it had happened yesterday. A nurse, laden with an armful of patient charts, glanced at him with what seemed like a sad, serious look. "Whatever you do, Henry, don't give up," she told the 66-year-old patient who was getting ready to leave Carolinas Hospital System after an eight-day hospitalization for a stroke.
Judy Hatchell's support of her husband also played a major role in his rehabilitation
At the time, Henry Hatchell thought what he had read on the nurse's face was an expression of pity. After a life-altering stroke he was certainly experiencing enough pity himself. It wasn't until a few months later, after he had successfully completed a rehabilitation program at Carolinas Hospital System, that Hatchell realized the nurse wasn't just trying to make him feel better. She meant exactly what she had said.
Hatchell's participation in Carolinas' Neuro Rehabilitation Program took everything he had and then some. Yet the outpatient rehab program ultimately gave back the retired insurance salesman the lifestyle he had taken for granted.
"He started the program in a wheelchair, unable to walk. The stroke had left him so weak that he was struggling to do anything for himself," recalled Roxie Smallwood, an occupational therapist and the Neuro Rehabilitation Program Director. Hatchell remembered that time even more acutely. "I was an invalid, that's the God's truth. I couldn't walk, talk or brush my teeth," he said. The stroke that occurred in September had robbed him of the ability to manage even the most meager of everyday tasks. "I thought my world had come to an end," he recalled. "I didn't think I could be anything any more."
Over the next eleven weeks, Hatchell was to discover that nothing was further from the truth. An entire rehabilitation team was dedicated to restoring his abilities and functions that had been affected by the stroke. Trained to help patients achieve the maximum independence possible, the staff's team approach to rehabilitation medicine includes specialized training in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy, social work and psychology.
Smallwood's role as an occupational therapist was to focus on the activities Hatchell needed to do on an everyday basis. For Hatchell that meant such things as getting out of bed by himself, feeding himself, bathing himself and dressing himself. He also wanted to tie his own shoes and walk down the hallway with them on. "And I was wanting real bad to go back to work," he said about the position he held at the time as an assistant supervisor on a construction site. "I knew my job was there waiting for me," he said.
The first step was an initial evaluation upon admission to the program. "At that point, we want to get an idea of what the patient can do and find out what things he or she is having difficulty with," said Smallwood. The next step is setting goals, which is a joint effort by the staff and the patient. "Their goals have to be something that's meaningful to them. If they don't feel it's necessary they won't be as motivated. They have to buy into it," she said.
Occupational Therapist Roxie Smallwood says, "Henry is a true inspiration for all rehabilitation patients."
For Hatchell to achieve his personal goals, he had to prepare his weakened body to do so. "The primary thing was a lot of exercise. We had him do a lot of exercises to strengthen his weakened limbs and improve his coordination," Smallwood said. Hatchell added, "I had therapy all over my body - from my head down to my feet." He'd go home weak and exhausted, barely able to crawl up the six steps from his carport to the porch. Yet for ten trying weeks, he kept on with it.
"I have to give my wife, Judy, 50 percent of the credit and the rehab staff the other 50 percent," Hatchell said. "I couldn't have gone to rehab without all that Judy had to do to even get me there. And I couldn't have gotten well without all the people at Carolinas," he said. "His wife was a big part of the process. She was very supportive and with him from the very beginning," added Smallwood.
Hatchell found that the structured setting and the overwhelming support of the therapists kept him moving in the right direction. He also appreciated the patience and understanding of Smallwood as they worked together day after day. "She would talk to me the whole time I'd work out on a machine. When you're talking to someone, it takes your mind off what you're doing and pretty soon you're done with it," Hatchell said.
Over time, Hatchell noticed that bit-by-bit he was starting to see improvement. The hard work was starting to pay off as he began to be able to handle more and more of his own care. "It's a slow process, but it helps when someone is encouraging you the whole time," he said. Smallwood added, "He was very motivated and dedicated towards getting better. A patient's attitude is so important. If you're not willing to put forth everything you have to getting better, it will really affect your outcome."
Hatchell's outcome was one that couldn't have pleased him more. By the time he walked out of the rehab program unassisted, he was a very different man from the one who could barely walk or put a fork up to his mouth. With the frustration of his helplessness behind him, he speaks warmly of the staff that rehabilitated him. "They stood right by me the whole time," he said. "All of them are so good and were so concerned. They really felt like part of the family - and it takes that to help you when you're down and out," he said.
Back home in Darlington County, he keeps busy on the couple's 25-acre property. He's also anxious to share his experience with other patients who are just beginning the rehabilitation process. "I'd tell them that it's like that nurse told me. Don't give up. Go to rehab and keep going!"
By Diane J. Epperly, Contributing Writer.
Back to Reference Library.