
Marcus is a 62 year old man who experienced a traumatic brain aneurysm 6 years ago. What started as an innocuous headache while at work, ended up with Marcus waking up in the ICU. Some unfortunate events took place during surgery which worsened the cerebral event, resulting in Marcus’ loss of control over the right side of his body, loss of speech, difficulty understanding others and difficulty staying awake for more than a few hours at a time.
Since the stroke, Marcus gets around in a power wheelchair and resides in an aged care facility due to his high assistance requirements. In the early days Marcus experienced extreme fatigue, would often stay in his room and was only able to engage in therapy for short periods due to his reduced ability to concentrate. Since then things have changed, Marcus has made some significant progress and it is really showing in his outlook and motivation to keep improving.
So what has changed? Marcus now has an aquatic (hydro) therapy program which he enthusiastically participates in twice a week. His persistence has paid off and it brings a big smile to his face when he talks about his pool time and what this has helped him achieve. For example, Marcus is now able to stand during his aquatic therapy sessions, due to the buoyancy support of the water. Marcus says it “feels amazing” being able to stand and stretch out after 6 years of not standing at all. Marcus also completes a range of core exercises aimed to help him get better at rolling in bed, and goes to the local gym once a week, where he enjoys lifting weights.
Marcus has his sights set on being able to move in bed more easily. He wants to be able to help himself roll in bed, so that he is only required to be assisted by one person throughout the night. These goals are contributing to a more significant goal – transferring to a supported disability accommodation (SDA), a more suited arrangement than his current aged care facility. So, Marcus is determined to practice and get there with this end goal in mind!
Communication is also an area that Marcus has worked hard on. He is now able to initiate and ask for what he needs or wants, rather than just responding to questions. This has given him a sense of freedom and autonomy which has been very important for Marcus. He also now has his own mobile phone, so he can reach out to his family at his convenience.
Family has been a big support for Marcus. He has 3 adult children and siblings who all visit and enrich Marcus’ life. He’s also been fortunate enough to have a great care team behind him – including his main support worker, Len, and the allied health clinicians who are supporting Marcus to achieve his goals.
Day to day, Marcus keeps a very busy schedule, getting out for various activities 4-5 days a week, contributing to monthly resident meetings and attending the facility’s weekly “coffee catch up”. In his down time he enjoys reading about his lifelong interests including cars and motorbikes, or watching the quiz shows on TV, activities that keep his mind active.
Looking at the milestones Marcus has accomplished may not sound monumental, but it’s these small wins, and their cumulative effect, that greatly enhance Marcus’ quality of life. He says he “feels alive” being able to stand again. And the idea of having control and influence over his life has been invaluable to his continued progress. Marcus’ sister, Anne, notes his cheeky personality has returned.
Marcus is really gaining momentum. Over the past year things have ramped up due to his motivation and willingness to practice. All these accomplishments have given Marcus hope that he can keep improving – he feels empowered and hopes that by sharing his story he can, in turn, help others to keep ticking off those little wins which are actually a big deal to someone’s life!
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