Clinicians & therapists

From being a London-based community group, LEGS has now taken that sense of community onto a national scale by moving its neurophysio exercise sessions online. NR Times finds out about its expansion.

Having gone into the pandemic as a small community exercise group for people with neurological conditions, LEGS has now become an online rehab resource for people throughout the UK. Initially holding sessions in a studio in Westminster, enabling people from the surrounding area to access its specialist physio-led supported exercise and social opportunities, its rapid transition to taking sessions online has seen the LEGS operation having to grow in tandem.

Families are being enabled to regain their voice in the care and rehabilitation of their loved ones through the creation of a new forum at a specialist Cambridgeshire community.

An ‘Ask the Therapist’ forum has been introduced by Askham Rehab, part of Askham Village Community, to help bridge the gap created by lockdown between relatives and therapists. Through monthly video calls, families of Askham residents with complex brain injuries can receive support and advice from the community’s multidisciplinary team, alongside updates on their loved one’s treatment and pathway.

People living with brain injuries across the UK and Ireland are being brought together by a music therapy programme, which has delivered proven results in rehabilitation.

From its base in London, Connect Music Therapy has traditionally held its sessions in-person in people’s homes, but more recently launched an online offering which is enabling its reach to be significantly extended. Founder Janina Brady, who also travels to her native Ireland to hold sessions, had adapted her business to enable her to reach greater numbers simultaneously, as well as allowing her to hold one-to-one sessions beyond Connect’s usual geographical reach in the UK. Janina, who began teaching music in 2010, set up Connect in 2018 and supports people with a range of disabilities and additional needs.

Having had a subarachnoid haemorrhage the day after full lockdown was imposed on the UK in March, Lee Atkinson faced the trauma of a lengthy recovery without seeing his family. Here, he shares his story of how he coped.

For millions of people across the country, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic marked the start of a hugely challenging period. But for Lee Atkinson, that challenge was one of survival, after he experienced a subarachnoid haemorrhage the day after the UK went into lockdown on March 23. Having felt unwell for about three weeks, Lee, a car garage manager, was seeking medical attention for his developing situation.

Artist and art therapist Carl Arroyo, from therapy provider Chroma, shares the story of brain injury survivor Ricky, whose interest in tattoo art began a path towards a life with more possibilities.

I’ve been an art therapist for more than a decade now, and it’s an incredible way of drawing people out and allowing them to express themselves.

I started working with Ricky (not his real name) in the Spring of 2020, about a year and a half after his injury. He already had a multidisciplinary team around him, and it was felt that he needed something else to support him in adjusting to his experience and his injuries.

To be honest, Ricky wasn’t particularly interested in art as a whole, but he had a specific desire to design some tattoos based on his experience of his injury.

A pioneering physiotherapy service for children and young people which engages them in rehab through horse riding has marked its 10th anniversary.

The Children’s Therapeutic Riding Service was the first of its kind in Scotland, and remains the largest hippotherapy service in the country. Hippotherapy is a specialist horseback form of physiotherapy, which can deliver life-changing consequences to children with disabilities, including brain injuries. The service, delivered free of charge, attracts young people from across Scotland to its base in Muirfield and has helped hundreds of families during its time in operation.

A global community of therapists has been created to share best practice and knowledge, while enabling new and creative ways of thinking, working and support for clients to be developed using research, insight and experience from around the world.

Remote Rehab was established during the COVID-19 lockdown, during the unexpected and widespread introduction of telerehab when many in-person visits to clients were no longer possible. The online group was set up as a forum for therapists, experts and researchers around the world to connect, creating an opportunity to share information and knowledge, as well as providing much-needed support to fellow professionals.

A groundbreaking neurorehabilitation centre which uses outdoor activities as a basis for its rehab has confirmed its long-awaited opening date.

Calvert Reconnections is the UK’s first intensive acquired brain injury (ABI) rehabilitation centre which offers a unique approach to rehab for its residents.

Based on the outskirts of Keswick, in the Lake District, it takes advantage of its location by offering a programme of outdoor-based activities, all tailored around the needs of the individual.

Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions have meant the opening of Calvert Reconnections has been delayed on two occasions this year, but it has now been confirmed that the centre will finally open its doors in spring.

“We can’t wait to open in Spring 2021,” says centre director, Sean Day.

“2020 has been immensely difficult for everyone, but better times are on the horizon.

Neurophysiotherapists are adopting a ‘blended approach’ in delivering rehab to their patients, incorporating both in-person therapy and telerehab, as they plan for the future of the profession post-pandemic.

Telerehab has grown hugely in its use since March, with therapy and consultations being delivered remotely due to the restrictions around social distancing and the shielding of many vulnerable people.

However, while physio practices and clinics have now re-opened and have resumed seeing patients in-person, many have realised the benefits of combining face-to-face contact with telerehab and plan to continue to use both into the future.

Having been an early adopter of telerehab, with its introduction being made years before the pandemic hit, PhysioFunction plans to continue its use alongside clinic-based appointments.

The business has built on its existing telerehab provision to add online therapy groups and classes to its offering, as well as expanding the remote technology service, all of which can be combined with in-person therapy to increase a patient’s rehabilitation opportunities.

“The blended approach works really well for many clients, but particularly those who are more vulnerable,” says Claire Everett, clinical operations manager at PhysioFunction and a senior neurological physiotherapist.

Wiltshire Farm Foods has announced its first-ever range of Christmas meals, introducing a variety of festive favourites to its Softer Foods Collection that have been specially created for those living with swallowing difficulties.   

The range includes an energy dense Puréed Turkey with Red Cabbage, Sage and Cranberry Stuffing and Duchess Potatoes, with over 500 Kcal and 20g protein; Puréed Honey Glazed Pork with Apple Sauce, Green Beans and Sauté Potatoes (a meal which is both energy dense and gluten free) and a Puréed Festive Pudding with Vanilla Sauce; packed with balanced notes of festive spices, which is also gluten free.