is the first site in the UK to provide information and support for arteriovenous malformation patients and their families.
The Brain Charity
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- November 24, 2015
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Well, it's not just awful in England; the ambulance handover crisis in Northern Ireland has apparently reached a terrifying peak, with stroke patients forced to wait an average of two hours and 29 minutes last week just for paramedics to arrive.
This systemic collapse saw 11,072 hours of emergency capacity lost in December alone, effectively removing thirty ambulance shifts every single day from our roads. For a stroke survivor, these delays are not merely statistics; they represent a catastrophic loss of the golden hour where brain tissue is most salvageable.
To make matters worse, those trapped on unsuitable trolleys face the additional risks of dehydration and pressure damage, while staggering data reveals that any patient over 80 conveyed to hospital now faces an average stay of fifteen days regardless of their initial condition. 🚑📉
This harrowing reality reinforces why the mission of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute is more vital in 2026 than ever before, as we must focus on the most robust recovery possible once survivors finally make it through the hospital gates.
While the ARNI Charity works to provide the specialised training needed to overcome the disabilities caused by such delays, it is clear that the current pressure on our Emergency Departments is failing those who need time-critical intervention. For us stroke survivors, this situation highlights the absolute necessity of being proactive with a long-term ARNI (or other) physical management to build the resilience required to navigate a struggling healthcare system! 🧠🦾
www.arni.uk#ARNIstrokerehabR#strokecrisisr#NorthernIrelandHealthe#TimeIsBrainB#strokerecovery2026y2026
Stroke is getting missed too often and I think just blatantly ignored at times. **IF** they treated it faster they'd reduce hospital admission and long term stays, reducing bed pressure, and .... £££ involved in treating subsequent disability.
Nobody want to admit the NHS is broken when it quite clearly is.
The path to recovery looks different for every stroke survivor. While no therapist can promise a complete recovery, it’s important to set ambitious yet realistic goals.
If you set your goals too low, you may stop before you’ve maximized your chances of recovery. But if your goals are too high, you might become frustrated before you’ve reached your full potential.
Therefore, it’s important to set realistic goals during stroke recovery, and keep setting higher goals as you progress. The more you improve, the more you are able to set new goals for a higher level of healing and recovery.
If you want some help call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com We have trainers throughout the country.
www.arni.uk.com
#neuroplasticity #strokerecovery #strokesurvivors #strokesurvivorscan #strokerehabilitation #neurorehabilitation #strokeexercise #neurorehab
Good advice
And good to regularly review ❤️🩹
And it's definitely true for stroke recovery isn't it?
www.arn#neuroplasticityp#StrokeRehabt#strokesurvivorscanr#strokeexercisek#NeuroRehabilitationb#strokerehabilitationb#strokerecoveryk#neurorehabn#exerciseafterstrokef#strokerecoveryexercisesyexercises
Henry Ford was a very clever cookie 😀
One stroke survivor’s decade-long mission proves that the most resilient social infrastructure for recovery is often forged by those who have walked the path themselves 🧠.
Julie Lesslie, a dedicated Croxley mother and long-standing friend of the ARNI Charity, first established her vital support group in 2014 to ensure that local stroke survivors were never left to navigate the complexities of life after a brain injury in isolation.
Having recognised that clinical discharge often marks the beginning of the real struggle, she has spent the last twelve years fostering a peer-support network that prioritises the psychological and social reintegration necessary for a high-performance recovery 🏡.
This grassroots commitment to long-term welfare aligns seamlessly with the ethos of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has consistently argued that social support is the essential fuel for intensive physical retraining.
While the ARNI Charity provides the elite physiological strategies needed to overcome hemiparesis, Julie’s work ensures that survivors possess the emotional resilience and community connections required to sustain such a demanding rehabilitative regime over many years 🤝.
Today, Julie remains a proactive force in the community, continuing to adapt her group's offerings to meet the evolving needs of survivors by providing a forum where academic insights into neuroplasticity are translated into daily functional victories.
Her enduring efforts serve as a bit of reminder that independence after stroke is seldom achieved in a vacuum... but is instead built through the collective wisdom and tenacity of a motivated survivor-led collective 🦾. Good one Julie!
www.arni.uk.com
#ARNIStrokeRehab #StrokeSurvivor #CroxleyGreen #CommunityRecovery #NeuroRehab
Amazing lady..... The mental capacity you'll need isn't addressed properly or even at all in a lot of cases. She's so on the button with that. Mindset is crucial to not only recovering but *living*
Julie Lesslie well done you Mrs xx
ARNI runs the ONLY available stroke exercise and rehabilitation course of any kind for trainers in the UK which teaches experienced therapists and exercise instructors how to continue the rehabilitation path of stroke and other acquired brain injury survivors.
bit.ly/45Jlwkt
#Stroke #strokesurvivors #neuroplasticity #strokerecoverysuccess #strokerehabilitationtraining #neuroplasticity #strokeexercise #strokerecoveryexercises #exerciseafterstroke
Forget the myth of the static plateau, as new evidence proves that your 'strong' side holds the untapped potential to revolutionise your stroke rehab training 🧠. It's also what ARNI Stroke Rehab UK has been doing for 25 years as one of it's principles of stroke rehab as it worked for Dr Tom way back when, and was emerging in the evidence as a viable tactic to try instead of passive treatment...
An RCT, published yesterday, 2nd February, in the prestigious journal JAMA Neurology, has demonstrated that targeted therapy for the less-affected arm significantly enhances motor control and movement quality (as stroke survivors, we know this). This rigorous research, spearheaded by a collaborative team from Penn State and the University of Southern Cal, utilised a comparative framework to prove that addressing the limb often overlooked by standard protocols leads to superior functional outcomes when measured against current best-practice benchmarks ⚡.
The academic significance of these findings lies in the empirical proof that motor skills in the less-impaired side can be meaningfully refined even several years after the initial neurological event, effectively dismantling the narrative that functional gains must eventually cease in the chronic phase 🦾. By focusing on the sophisticated dexterity and proximal stability of the less-affected arm, stroke survivors can achieve a more symmetrical level of bilateral coordination, which basically serves to alleviate the excessive compensatory burden often placed upon the paretic side and enhances overall quality of life 🌟.
This progressive, evidence-based approach aligns with the professional-grade philosophy of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has consistently advocated for a total-body strategy rather than a reductive focus on isolated deficits alone 🦾. The ARNI Charity remains dedicated to ensuring that survivors are equipped with the specialised strategies required to optimise every available neural pathway, recognising that the entire post-stroke physique must be trained as a single, integrated functional unit#ARNIstrokerehabc#neuroplasticityh#JAMANeurologyicity #JAMANeurology
it seems to me that more people’s left hand/arm are affected by stroke. My husband’s right side is affected which is unfortunately his dominant side so everything is very difficult for him.
2019 had stroke on right occipital lobe horribly effected my vision All I read about is deficits in limbs nothing for vision searched to find NOVA in Beavercreek Ohio syntonics and vision therapy working with them has given me hope
Just trying to digest and understand this..... So CIMT forces the affected limb to 'work' more? But this journal is saying if you train your non affected side it helps the affected side.....by? I'm just slightly confused (honest) by the 'how' that works to the benefit of the affected side. At the gym I do single arm/leg stuff but usually do a double set too..... Sorry Dr Tom I genuinely feel lost in this article 🙈
I had a stroke 2 years sgo i have lost my phariveral sight on the right hand side in both eyes was told this will never come back i cannot drive now is there any help fir me thanks
Larry Claxton
ARNI STROKE CHARITY REALLY NEEDS YOUR HELP! PLEASE DONATE JUST A FEW £ NOW TO HELP US ASSIST SURVIVORS - THANK YOU SO MUCH 😇! -
Life after a stroke should be full of curiosity. Every stroke is different, and every recovery will be different. If someone tells you that you’ll never be able to walk, stay curious and keep pursuing anyway. You’ll never know what you can achieve unless you try.
There is always hope for recovery – it doesn't matter how long ago your stroke was: whether it’s been months, years, or decades, do not give up hope.
www.arni.uk.com
#neuroplasticity #strokerehab #strokesurvivorscan #strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehabilitation #strokerecovery #neurorehab #exerciseafterstroke #strokerecoveryexercises
Consistent stimulation is the best way to rewire your brain. Without consistency doing functional retraining, newer connections in your brain can start to weaken and you might lose some of your hard work. This means that if you try to work on your rehabilitation every day, you will have the best chances of functional gain over the long term. How to develop a customised 'plan' for what you should do? It's actually quite hard to work out, and often trial and error plays a big part. But one thing's for sure, you've GOT to make a start now.
www.strokesolutions.co.uk/product/successful-stroke-survivor-dvds-full-set-incl-bonus-dvd-traini#NeuroRehabilitationc#strokeexercisei#arnistrokecharitye#neurorehabs#StrokeRehab #neuroplasticityo#strokesurvivorsasticity #strokesurvivors
Of interest to ARNI Stroke Rehab UK: pioneering research in the US. led by a Medical University of South Carolina team, including Dr Stephanie Aghamoosa and Dr Michelle Woodbury, is proving that the mind and body must be trained as one...
Their NIH-funded study, just published in Brain Sciences, introduces the COG-OT framework, which integrates cognitive treatment directly with occupational therapy. This dual-track approach ensures that survivors do not just work on physical movement in isolation but simultaneously build the essential mental foundations, such as attention and executive function, required to drive meaningful motor learning during the most volatile stages of rehabilitation🧠🦾
This sophisticated model of care aligns perfectly with the overarching mission of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has long championed the necessity of a multidisciplinary mindset for long-term success. While the ARNI Charity focuses on providing the elite physical strategies and task-specific practice needed for functional independence, we recognise that a survivor’s cognitive readiness is often the engine that powers their physical progress. By combining cognitive resilience with rigorous physical drills, we can ensure that the brain is not only capable of learning new movements but is also robust enough to sustain the intense focus required for plasticity to occur⚡️✨
For survivors reading this, this takeaway probably is that this research validates the idea that your recovery is a high-performance endeavour where every mental and physical variable must be optimised. The COG-OT approach suggests that by addressing cognitive barriers alongside physical ones, we can move away from a one-size-fits-all model and toward a far more precise and effective form of re-training. As Dr Balchin continues to integrate these evidence-based principles into the ARNI Approach, we at ARNI want to empower survivors to take full control of their journeys, ensuring that their mental clarity and physical strength work in perfect harmony to reclaim a life of autonomy and purpose 🦾🌟
www.arni.uk.com
#ARNIStrokeRehab #Neuroplasticity #CognitiveRehab #StrokeRecovery2026 #BrainSciences