John is delighted to defy the odds and walk again
Imagine being told you will be bed bound for the rest of your life. This is what happened to John a few months ago. Now, thanks to his hard work, and the determination, support and encouragement from his support staff, John is walking once again.
We spoke to Mel Simpson, the service manager at our Timber Grove registered care home in Essex, and she told us about John’s miraculous recovery after suffering a serious fall earlier this year.
One night in July, John fell over when going to the bathroom. We took him to the hospital, where he was told he had broken his hip and would need a half hip replacement.
He didn’t understand that to make the best recovery, he needed to get moving again after the operation and within four days he was back in hospital, and was in and out until September. He spent the best part of three months in hospital.
He couldn’t stay awake for long periods of time; he was only eating a pureed diet â it was a really difficult time for John. At one point doctors said John would likely be bed bound for the rest of his life which was devastating.
When John finally came back home properly, then he started moving more â he wouldn’t get up at all in hospital. We were all persistent to help John as much as possible, keeping him motivated and getting him to use his walker.
Now, just two months later and against all odds, he is up and walking! Everyone has said how amazed they are. He is back to communicating with us when he wants something and he’s engaging with all of us again.
He looks for staff when he comes into a room, rather than spending his day sleeping â he’s come on leaps and bounds over the past two months.
He seems so much happier now, he’s back to his usual packed social calendar â he goes out most days. He’s even enjoying his hobbies again like swimming. He is really proud of himself too, he claps when he has walked across the room.
Without the dedication of the team it could have been quite a different story, I know John would have really struggled mentally if he had been bed bound like the doctors predicted. I am really proud of my amazing team and, of course, of John.â