Taking his recovery into his own hands When a stroke threatened to rob Garry of his independence and mobility, he knew the success of his recovery was in his hands. Garry chose to fully commit to his rehabilitation program, smashing the goals set as part of AnglicareSA’s Transition Care Program (TCP). Now Garry is back on his feet and regaining his freedom. “When I had the stroke, it was devastating,” Garry said of the medical emergency that landed him in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He was left with paralysis down the left-hand side of his body. “When I first got to Hampstead (Rehabilitation Centre), they said it was up to me – either I could let it beat me or I could get stuck into my physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
structured around balance and mobility,” said Garry.
“I reached all my goals, and while I don’t quite have the same strength it is improving, and I have function of my hand, arm, and leg.” Garry is full of praise for the Transition Care Program and the team who worked with him, crediting TCP, and the fact it is delivered in his home, for enabling him to be in the position he is today. “I had someone here every couple of days and it’s such a great package. They also came and did some cleaning for me and provided more intensive supports when I first came home – even shopping. “My coordinator Hannah was fantastic. She kept in contact with me and kept me up to date on the day-to-day stuff. She made me aware of everything that was happening and checked on my progress.” After such a strong recovery, Garry, who is a plumber by trade, is now working toward his next goal – regaining his driver’s license and getting back to being fully independent.
Garry is well on the road to recovery
“So, I went ballistic with my rehab and left there in record time.” Once back at home, Garry was referred by his medical team into AnglicareSA’s Transition Care Program, a 12-week in-home restorative care program delivered at a slower pace than rehabilitation in a hospital and based on goals set by the customer. The AnglicareSA team interpret those goals into therapy with physical and other supports like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and care workers to help customers with exercises and recovery in the home. “I had physiotherapy and occupational therapy with the whole program
Homelessness Week in August is an important time to raise awareness for the more than 122,000 Australians who are without a home on any given night. It’s time to end homelessness
This year’s theme was “It’s time to end homelessness”. AnglicareSA and Believe Housing Australia work with the Adelaide North West Homelessness Alliance (ANWHA) to support South Australians in need, and also to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness and the solutions needed to end homelessness because everyone has the right to a safe, secure place to call home. ANWHA is a collaboration between Aboriginal Sobriety Group, AnglicareSA, Centacare Catholic Family Services, SA Housing Authority, St John’s Youth Services, The Salvation Army South Australia, Uniting Communities, and Uniting SA.
CASE STUDY: AMANDA
On any given night, 122,500 Australians are without a home.
Amanda* and her children were living in a one-bedroom motel room for the last 12 months. They were unable to cook nutritious meals or even have a bath. But recently, Amanda and her children secured affordable housing with Believe Housing Australia. Now, the family has the security of an affordable home, and the children have their own bedrooms. Amanda is loving being able to cook in her own kitchen and enjoy a bath at the end of a long day.
* Name has been changed to protect privacy
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