Mrs S

 

‘Mrs S’ was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome in April 2022. She was admitted to Holy Cross in July 2022 for intensive rehabilitation. At this point ‘Mrs S’ had slurred speech, profound weakness in both her arms and legs, was only able to eat liquid foods and was too weak to use a call bell.

 

Whilst the physiotherapy team worked with ‘Mrs S’ to strengthen her legs, gradually progressing to squats using a tilt table, our Speech and Language Therapists devised an exercise programme which targeted lip movement to extend the possible range and our Occupational Therapists worked to improve arm, hand and finger joint range and strength to gain independence for activities of daily living.

 

By October 2022 Mrs S’s speech was no longer slurred and some strength had returned to her arms and legs.

 

Once ‘Mrs S’ was able to stand, the team worked to promote her independence, with the help of regular hydrotherapy for overall strength improvement and balance. As of February 2023, ‘Mrs S’ can walk with the assistance of the ‘Sara Plus’, complete simple functional tasks and can pick up small objects. Her swallow function has improved significantly, allowing her to progress from a diet of soups and yogurts, to being able to enjoy a regular diet. She has been enjoying outings with our Activities Team which brings us joy! We continue to work with ‘Mrs S’ to increase her independence.