I found out about ARNI when I was calling around local physios trying to engage a mobile therapist for my step father, Andrew. It was proving impossible to find anyone willing to make visits to a residential care home. But one smart receptionist at a Lincoln practice knew about ARNI and told me I could contact the charity directly without a referral.
I hadn’t heard of ARNI before. My late mother had a stroke in 2012 and another in 2022. Why had I never heard of ARNI? The NHS gives short term physio support after a stroke. But if recovery is taking a little longer for you, then you risk being prematurely abandoned. Told you have reached the extent of your recovery. This is nonsense. You have just reached the extent of NHS funding.
Andrew, 5 months post stroke, was spending 90%+ of his day in bed at the Nursing and Care Home where he is at. Demotivated. Believing he was as good as he could be. Grieving for the loss of his wife. Anticipating the same outcome for himself. On a slippery slope.
When I made my enquiry I couldn’t believe how straight forward the process was. The immediate answer was, ‘yes – we can help’. The registration and paperwork was simple. An ARNI physio was identified and Natalie agreed to work with Andrew on weekly visits.
Three months into physio with Natalie and Andrew spends 90% of his waking day out of bed. A complete turn around.
He can mobilise unaided around his bedroom. He walks with a frame to the dining room for three meals a day. He is motivated to participate in social activities with other residents. He can take himself for a walk around the garden unaccompanied. Now he has the confidence to accept invitations to go out and can be collected by friends and go to public places.
ARNI, through Natalie, has given enormous hope to an 81yr old who thought he was destined to the same demise as his wife, who never regained mobility despite being desperately motivated to do so. Judith was a bed escaper! The response to this was to put the bed on the floor and lay out crash mats. The NHS assessment was that it was unsafe to allow her to try to walk. If only we’d known about ARNI then.
I firmly believe that ARNI services should be universally accessible and recommended by the NHS. There was no signposting from the medical profession. This is information that people who have had a stroke need to know.
According to Andrew, Natalie can read his mind. She knows when his blockers are emotional, not physical, and she knows how to motivate him beyond those. Truly, the intervention of ARNI has been life changing. An enormous relief for family who live hundreds of miles away. An inspiration to Andrew, and a long term hope of an active future.
