Hi can anybody help my husbands Community physio has ended now so how much exercise should i do with him at the moment he’s abit down so isn’t trying in my previous posts his private physio is good but the days he’s not there its hard to get him doing something physical he can’t go to a gym has his mobility is limited. I feel frustrated and get angry
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Get him to do things around the house. Laying the table, pairing socks, filling the washing machine, empty the dishwasher/washing up. That’s what I do. it’s rehab but has a real purpose (and contribution) to the household. You just need to be a bit creative to make the task manageable!
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Thanks but he can’t stand up by himself or walk
Pairing socks then. You can carry them to him. Dump the pile in front of him then he can pick them up and match them. I remember my husband bringing the washing basket full of socks to the bedroom where I’d sit and pair them and put them away. I’ve moved on from that to carrying them in my affected hand(after taking them off the line).
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He has my sympathy, I was practically bed and wheel chair bound when I came home. Didn’t believe it would ever change.
The kitchen is a good place where lots of useful activity can take place. The importance is the word useful. Feeling something is useful helps with the motivation, for me anyhow, It doesn’t need to be over-taxing, just vaguely helpful.
Mindless picking things up and putting them down is quickly boring. Putting a teabag in a cup, ready to have water and milk added, making a brew for two. Now that is worth doing. Picking biscuits out of a biscuit box to go on a plate. No rush we’ve got all day.
I’m sure there are other ways to be involved. Could actually be a giggle. Fun oils the wheels.
My Mrs infuriates me, mildly of course, by ‘helping’ and doing something I could do myself, even if I do take a long time about it. I prefer to try and try again if necessary.
Keep on keepin’ on
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The Stroke Association have some exercise videos on youtube for all different abilities & if you sign up for their online activities you can also join virtual exercise sessions with others.
As others have said things that make him feel useful. Could he sit & pot some plants or seeds? Fold clothing, lay table? It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as he tries.
Best wishes.
Ann x
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I was not at home when I could not stand or walk. I did relearn to use my arms and hands first, playing with toddler toys, but once I could use them okay, I got better with them writing thank you notes, playing solitaire with cards, doing puzzles. To get my feet and legs going again, I moved them almost constantly in bed while watching tv. Little by little moving my toes, became moving my feet, them my knees. Then finally turning side to side. They came in and sat me in a chair, using a lift, but when I could finally get those knees going some, they started helping me learn to stand, then to walk. If they don’t see progress or that one is trying, they just stop trying to help whether it is insurance that says no more, or just that the patient has told them no more when they refuse to work at it. Once I was home, it was folding laundry for me…a much harder task in reality than I would have imagined. More laundry to fold here than the 3 or 4 pieces at the Rehab Center. Dishes are still rough for me, but I do my fair share of them, mostly from a counter height chair. I don’t claim to be all that useful around the house, but every little bit helps the family and that helps me to want to do more. I learned to walk before I could crawl, simply from being in hospital…they won’t allow you to crawl. I crawl the floor at home though. Useful for picking up whatever the dog shredded off the floor, or the trash she sneaked out of the bin while we weren’t looking. Good for me as well. I am over talking but hoped to help in some way. Best wishes. I hope you are getting some support for you.
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boy did this take hassel to finish - over an hour! -
The GRASP manual
https://med-fom-neurorehab.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/11/Home-GRASP-Participant-Manual_v1.1_Nov-2021.pdf
is also useful as long as you realise that it’s like a dictionary and you need to compose your own poems from it - that means ‘graded’ equals start gently -see ‘eclipse’ below
guidance on before you start composing is on Pages 19 & 20 (levels & ECLIPSE) of the instrutor manual - these are the most important imho of this manual
https://med-fom-neurorehab.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/05/GRASP-Instructor-Manual_v2.1_May-2021.pdf
and pg 1-20 set the scene
for pg 21 i used household objects
the full site is
https://neurorehab.med.ubc.ca/grasp/grasp-manuals-and-resources/grasp-hospital-version/
imho grasp is only worthwhile till you get to the stage where with 5 or 10 mins effort you can drop that tea bag into the pot. Then drop grasp & use everyday activity as real capability development
happy to chat more on upper limb rehab 
a support group is the real key - ive yet to get traction on tht aspect yet but Digitally Enabled Chronic Care Community Networks: beyond '1hr Fortnightly zoom Cafés' sets out some ideas
ciao
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Glad I’m not the only one, at one time that sort of thing would have taken minutes to do even with pics and links. But it’s all a good workout for both the brain and the finer motor skills 
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Lynne,
hi. it’s hard to know what to do.
I believe isometric exercises are the key
Good luck, and give them a go
Roland
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I’ve seen and heard the term but never actually looked it up 'til now. And I’ll whole heartedly agree with you on that one!
Another name for it is Hatha Yoga, so I can see how isometric exercise would appeal to a wider audience . That’s where I learnt it all from, it’s the exact same thing and what I do most days.
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As I hear it open and close chain exercises are the ones to pursue.
It looks like isometric and chain exercises might be an overlap or related or different names…
However all forms of exercise that have me staring at the wall or a mirror while dressed in lycra are really outside of my inspiration and I struggle to be motivated by them. (For the record I don’t possess any lycra either).
as I said in another post; moving flower pots and old palettes and other paraphernalia around the garden, like building the compost bin the other day and now turning one compost bin and siving all the soil out of it which requires more effort than wearing lycra is exercise that I can bring myself to be motivated for.
yesterday I cleaned the barbecue, burnt off the accumulated guck by burning bits of dead pallette in it. then we had the daught & SIL over in the evening for some alfresco dining. I got a good workout while cleaning it
The real message is that recovery takes intrinsic motivation and physiotherapists are extrinsic influences. Extrinsic doesn’t do much for me so I have to find something that links to my intrinsic motivations which when I get a good fit are strong and reliable. I guess I’m feeling my way towards the conclusion that It really isn’t the exercise that you do It’s that you do exercise constantly in varied patterns. for me that means integrating it with my daily living not making it a bolt on that isn’t part of my normal pattern.
Thus far I had no contact with any medical professional who was able to isolate, examine and communicate the foundational aspects of motivation. They knew Latin names for the MSK elements and arcane vocabulary for simple movements, but were not equal to first of all being inspirational, or secondly being equal to the sophistication of movement that’s needed for everyday activity.
There’s a very significant gulf between like lycra exercises & and useful capability development imho
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Lycra’s for the young, hip and trendy who want to be seen and show off. The rest of us at the gym/home much prefer loose and baggy…shorts t-shirts if too hot, heck I’ve even gone to strength and balance class in stretch jeans and t-shirt. Because it’s not about what you wear but what you do for exercise that matters 
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Since we are speaking of exercise clothing, I prefer a swimsuit… second choice a dress to dance around the kitchen in. sometimes it is more sway with the walker, other days I can do it pretty well without the help of my cane a.k.a. Big Rod or walker. Stretch pants and a cotton blouse work well for weeding the flower beds. Crawling on the ground is decent exercise for me. When I had trouble standing and walking, pool therapy would have been great. Many pools have a lift to get in and out off and onto a wheelchair. I think I could have strenghtened my legs and reminded my brain how to walk at the same time without so much pain involved. But I got there so no complaints.
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I have looked at the Stroke Association video & looked at the different suggestions. Tried the easy section but they were no help to me, the reason being you need both arms as i have little/limited use of my left side especially my shoulder. i tried looking at what i thought i could do & tried bits a little at a time. I still have problems but with the help of disabled items i can cook a Sunday dinner. We have a steamer to place the potatoes & veg in. My husband bought a Niji fryer so i can roast the potatoes. The main thing i can’t do is fry an egg (but working on that). Put the washing in the machine & take it out. I am working out how i can do something in the garden. So far it’s just standing by the fence cutting the ivy that keeps creaping in between the panels. I’ts been 9 yrs on 4th Jly since my stroke & the main thing i have yet to try is how to be able to swim (breast stroke) not just floating on my back. Can’t find any help from the swimming baths. Sorry it’s so long but to anyone struggling don’t give up. 
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