Video Transcript

Background

Fiona lives at home with her dog Alfie. She enjoys getting out twice a day to walk him, but on a recent walk through the park she stumbled into a rabbit hole and injured her ankle.

Fiona is in a lot of pain when walking and is struggling to get about at home, especially up and down the stairs. She isn’t moving as much as she used to and while she has help from family who walk Alfie, she really wants to get back out and enjoy her walks again.

Solution and Outcome

Fiona was given reassuring information and advice about the how long it would take for her ankle to heal – this helped to put her mind at rest and be patient with herself during the healing process.

After a few weeks Fiona was beginning to heal and was encouraged to start a rehabilitation programme to improve her range of movement, strength and proprioception.

Fiona was really happy with the progress she was making and enjoyed the challenge of doing her exercises. She also used the LifeCurve to check whether she was able to do key activities of daily living, and this motivated her to challenge herself and live a better life for longer.

We want anyone managing an injury to know it is normally possible to regain your abilities and activity level. Check out the resources in A Better Life to help yourself through this journey and support your friends and family too.

Video Transcript

Background

Eileen lives independently at home with her husband Greg, she loves to cook up a storm and sit at her sewing machine crafting gifts for friends and family.

She’s had longstanding pain in her hip due to arthritis for many years.

It can be very uncomfortable but hasn’t had an impact on her independence until recently when Eileen couldn’t get out of the bath. Greg came straight away but it wasn’t easy to lift Eileen out, and she struggled to support herself due to the pain.

Eileen was really shaken by the experience and was reluctant to try getting down in the bath again.

Solutions and Outcomes

Eileen and Greg sought help straight away and the first port of call was to help Eileen bathe safely. She was advised about equipment options that would be safe and suitable for her and her bath.

While it was great to be able to bathe again, Eileen didn’t want to have to rely on the equipment and it wasn’t quite as relaxing as it used to be.

With a package of exercises and techniques, Eileen was able to increase her strength and confidence to get in and out of the bath without equipment.

Greg felt happier that Eileen could contact him easily if she had a problem with the new Smart TEC Solutions that had been recommended.

Video Transcript

Background

Living with her husband and two teenage children, Jen is very used to busy mornings.

Recently she has really struggled with her energy levels and it’s really starting to affect how she copes getting the boys to school, and herself to work on time.

Jen has recently been diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It is likely this is the cause of the fatigue.

Whilst she is grateful to have a supportive friendship group around her, after a day in her retail job and looking after her family, she didn't feel able to go to the usual events and meet ups.

Solution and Outcome

With access to information on pacing, fatigue management, dietary changes, improving your sleep and resources to support her emotional wellbeing, Jen was ready to start to get back to her friends and hobbies, and live a better life.

As well as addressing her symptoms, Jen felt more organised, confident and in control at home by using technology in a creative way to support her.

Losing touch with friends or feeling overwhelmed with your day to day routines can have such a huge impact on your mental health. We have many resources here at A Better Life to support your goals for mental and physical health.

Video Transcript

Background

Alan goes shopping with his daughter every week. One week when she collected him, he mentioned that he’d fallen earlier in the day but was uninjured.

Alan lived alone and normally walked with a walking stick. He enjoyed working in his garden and meeting friends at the local garden centre every week.

Following his fall, Alan really lost confidence and felt much more unsteady on his feet.

He became anxious on his garden steps and accessing his bath and stopped meeting friends away from his home. His daughter began to worry about him being on his own.

Solution and Outcome

Alan was able to improve his anxieties at home with some simple equipment.

A combination of Smart TEC and telecare helped him, and his daughter feel more confident about being able to call for help in the future.

Guidance through some simple falls prevention education and exercises then allowed Alan to rebuild his confidence and take charge of his own wellbeing.

Through self-management, he felt empowered, and was able to remain independent at home, whilst maintaining his friendships, and live a better life.

Video Transcript

Background

Mike has a young family, and enjoys playing 5-aside football with his friends every week. Recently he was injured in a match and is suffering with knee pain as a result.

With two little ones at home Mike is noticing that the pain is affecting his day to day activities. Little things like crouching down to dress them or quick changes of direction when playing tag can cause him pain and discomfort.

At only 35 he is worried how much impact this injury will have on his home and work life. As a self-employed joiner he is noticing how much he is struggling with his mobility and strength at work.

Solution and Outcome

Mike sought help and was firstly given advice about soft tissue injuries and the expected healing timescales, this reassured him and helped him to manage his recovery.

With his eye on the goal of getting back to football, and being able to run around with his children, Mike followed a rehabilitation programme to restore his range of movement and strength.

Mike was really encouraged that he could manage this himself, and slowly introduce leisure activities to get him back to where he was. With the help of a Smart watch and app to track his fitness he was able to see his improvement over the weeks.