Stroke Awareness Week: Rehab could be the difference between someone going back to work or not

Marie Condon, Louise O’Regan and Anne Barrett members of the early support discharge for stroke team at the Cork University Hospital. Picture: Dan Linehan

Life after a stroke is helped considerably by CUH's Early Supported Discharge (ESD) team which comprises an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist and a physiotherapist. The team, led by consultant geriatrician and neurologist, Dr Liam Healy, provides stroke rehabilitation to patients in their own homes. Despite being the busiest stroke hospital in the country, CUH has one of the smallest ESD services in Ireland.

Louise O'Regan is the occupational therapist in the team and works closely with the other therapists in contributing to the goals of the patients: "I work with people on their everyday activities, getting them back doing everything from getting up, washed and dressed in the morning to taking medication, getting out of the house to go to the shop, driving and getting back to work."