Life after Stroke

A 12-week Stroke Rehabilitation Programme at Battersea has just come to a successful end and has had a remarkable impact on the attendees.

Five out of the seven who attended reduced and/or eliminated the need for pain control and sleep medication. Some stopped their speech and physiotherapy sessions when using the programme as it provided what they needed.

One said: "This is much better than speech and language therapy, as the whole day we have fun, we talk and do activities at Thrive."

Dora, who attended the project, said: "I got my self confidence back and feel motivated again."

The mixed ability group was made up of two wheelchair users and one non verbal client.

The rest were affected by speech and mobility problems and some were unable to read or write since having the stroke.

Nicci Carruthers, Chief Executive at Thrive, said: "We have shown how a small investment in time and money has a big impact.

"The participants have now started to meet for monthly gardening sessions at their own homes so the benefits will continue.

"Six have also changed their eating habits to include more fruit and vegetables and four now garden regularly and grow their own vegetables.

"We are also finding that our work has, in many cases, restored confidence and stimulated memory."

Thrive is running a project called Life After Stroke across the south of the UK. It provides therapy for stroke survivors teaching them how to use gardening in their rehabilitation and recovery.

We aim to reach 1,250 people affected by stroke. This builds on our previous work we have been doing. We can offer a self help step by step guide to using gardening at home.

There is a new publication due out in November called 'Growing food for hearts and minds’ funded by the Big Lottery Awards for All, the guide focuses on the benefits of specific foods, shows how to grow them and their use in rehabilitation and recovery.

This guide will be free, whilst stocks permit, to stroke clubs and rehabilitation units who contact us.

The foods featured in the guide have been chosen for their added benefits to help people’s rehabilitation process. There are both indoor and outdoor instructions to show people how to sow seeds and plant out, along with information about the added benefits to support the rehabilitation process such as an improved diet, lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure and providing a good source of vitamins.