JK House Training Centre, based in Dorset, England, offer a wide range of rehabilitation methods for stroke patients.
On its site, JK House Training Centre state that it: “Will work with you to achieve self-reliance as far as possible by devising physical coping strategies, practicing functional movements to perform everyday tasks better and stroke-specific resistance training.”
Here, JK House Training Centre’s Kieron Franklin gives SR Times insight into the services they offer.
Can you please give us a brief overview of your stroke pathway, in terms of where you are positioned on the post-stroke journey and the types of interventions you provide?
JK House Training Centre’s Kieron Franklin is trained and monitored by A.R.N.I, the ARNI Approach is the first comprehensive collection of evidence-based techniques grounded in contemporary neurological research perspectives. Clients are referred by Stroke Solution’s and or through advertising. Programmes offered are tailored training regime for everyone, which revolves around functional movement with task-related exercises. Teaching clients the importance of encouraging neuroplasticity influenced by functional, task related and strength training. Clients are post-stroke, when physiotherapy provided by the NHS and care teams from the NHS has stopped.
Are there any elements to your approach that you believe sets you apart from other such services – or which other stroke care providers could learn from?
Following the evidenced based training into rehabilitation we offer a multiple discipline program, task related movements, strength training, functional training and introducing Physiotherapy, speech therapy and psychology styled influences throughout.
What would you say are the biggest barriers / challenges to you in delivering the best possible patient outcomes?
Reinforcing the need of dosage towards rehabilitation, the things they do with their instructor is not enough, the dosage needed at hoe is of vital importance for development within the rehabilitation journey, 3 sets of 12 repetitions is not enough 3 sets of 300 repetitions is probably the minimum depending on the exercise.
What measures are you taking to address these barriers and/or to continually improve as a service?
JK House Training Centre is currently building a brain injury specific rehabilitation centre, with the idea that our client base with have access to rehabilitation equipment and a safe environment to use away from public gyms and centres which can be intimidating.
Please tell us about the make-up of your team in terms of roles / skills / multi-disciplines etc. Has this skillset changed in recent years? If so what are the reasons for these changes?
Our lead trainer has developed his skills further and further, completing diplomas and CPD courses, attending seminars and neuro events and functions. We have a network of contactors within other disciplines form physiotherapy, speech therapy, social care and counselling. All these extras are an external aspect and are monitored by JK House to ensure current guides and standards are met.
If relevant, please describe your approach to families and loved ones of patients in terms of harnessing their support for the benefit of your patients/clients supporting them through the difficult period after a stroke.
We very much believe in the support of family members and offer them a chance to speak directly to the instructor about concerns and questions about clients. We encourage family members to attend the rehabilitation sessions, so they fully understand what we are doing, why we are doing it and what we are hoping to achieve. The more the family understands the greater support they can offer, and also come to terms with what has happened.
With stroke rates rising, are you experiencing growing demand for your service? How are you meeting this demand?
We have seen a slight incline of new clients, in response to this demand we have changed the way we operate by reducing home visits to those that con travel, expanding our catchment area and mainly by the introduction of our rehabilitation centre.
‘Patient-centred’ is a term often overused in neuro-rehab – please explain what this really means and how you embrace it as a stroke care service?
‘Patient – centred’ is very much over used throughout other organisations, we take this to a literal meaning, every part of the rehabilitation journey is focused around the individual needs, not just at the start of the program but every session, if they are struggling on a session we change our focus to what they are capable at that time, we constantly push to encourage more responses, but also, sometimes the client needs a sit down, coffee and chat on that particular day. Keeping the client motivated from as many angles as possible greatly increases the responses and ability of the program. We never shy away from changing the techniques or methods to get the greatest responses from that particular day or session.
Is your use of technology changing, or has it changed recently, to better serve your patients?
The use of technology has changed slightly, depending on what the research teams and publications show depends on what we incorporate within our programs, using higher specification equipment to monitor and observe relations, gaging more degrees of movement and higher aspects of strength, all are basis observations, but the higher spec equipment helps is register and record the smallest of movements and responses.
