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Recovering from a stroke requires time, patience and expertise. Here at The Stroke Unit in London NW8, patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary private Stroke Care Team led by Consultant Neurologists and Physicians and are treated with dignity.
What initial care will I receive after a Stroke?
Our doctors have access to a full range of services from our large private charity hospital that enable us to deliver the highest quality initial medical care which patients will need following a Stroke.
What can I expect?
As assessment will be made by a Consultant Neurologist and a Consultant Physician to identify the care required.
Following assessment, the stroke care team works out an individual rehabilitation programme, aimed at helping people regain as much independence as possible, by relearning skills they have lost, learning new skills and finding ways to manage any permanent disabilities.
During the care process we will provide:
- Ongoing medical cover by Resident Medical Officers 24 hours a day.
- State of the art CT & MRI scanning, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Respiratory Physiology
- High Dependency/Intensive Therapy Unit
- CPA Accredited Pathology Services
We recognise that getting back to the familiarity of your own home is of utmost importance and our service strives to motivate patients to participate in their own neuro rehabilitation programme. We offer all the clinical and emotional support necessary to get you back to your own surroundings as quickly as possible, including:
PHYSIOTHERAPY
The body's movement and general functionality can be severely affected by a stroke. Early diagnosis and assessment of this is imperative to aiding a successful recovery. Our neurological physiotherapists work with patients both on the ward and in the customised gym and rehabilitation centre within our physiotherapy unit, applying specialist skills to improve the body's movement and function, optimising muscle tone and improving balance, co-ordination and function following a stroke.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Our team of occupational therapists help patients carry out daily activities following a stroke, using goal-related techniques. Simple tasks such as washing, dressing, and conducting personal hygiene are all activities that are important to patients yet can be difficult to do once the neurological system has been affected. This can be frustrating and daunting; our therapists help in providing alternative methods of achieving these tasks during the patient's restrictive phase. They liaise with GPs, families and the local authorites to provide home adaptations and to help patients adjust to returning home after a stroke.
SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY
Patients may have problems communicating and/or swallowing following a stroke, which our team of speech and language therapists provide help with, to enable patients to relearn these skills. Early diagnosis is imperative; our therapists assess each case individually and decide on the most appropriate treatment and approach. Families are also involved in this therapy process to improve talking and understanding, as well as reading and writing if speech and communication has been affected by a stroke.
NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
When damage is caused to the brain by a stroke, psychological changes can occur. These can be overlooked while treatment concentrates on physical changes and neurological rehabilitation. Emotional changes including mood-swings, depression, tiredness and anxiety often occur following a stroke as do difficulties in mental processes including reasoning, memory and concentration. Neuropsychology aims to combat these changes by providing therapy and teaching coping methods.
DIETICIANS
Our team of dieticians work alongside and in conjunction with our other therapists as well as helping with the patient's transfer of care to home or on-going care in a residential or nursing home after a stroke. They take advice from the Speech and Language therapists about patients' swallowing capabilities as diet may have to be adapted if the patient has difficulty swallowing. Many patients have reduced appetite and lose weight while recovering following a stroke and dieticians can help plan sensible meals that are easy to eat to help maintain a healthy weight. They work particularly closely with patients who are diabetic.
As strokes can affect a such a large variety of functions, our stroke care team can bring a consultant from any discipline into the care package when required including ophthalmologists (eye), urologists (kidneys and urinary function) and cardiologists (heart) to name just a few.
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