Physio Sessions Transform Life of Scottish Pensioner
Care resident strides forward after being told he may never walk again
WEEKLY physiotherapy sessions have completely transformed the life of an elderly resident who regained significant mobility – after being told he would never walk again.
When Martin Birkhans, 86, arrived at Cramond Residence in Jan 2022, he had resigned himself to a bedbound future following a medical diagnosis.
Martin persevered with frequent physio sessions – which are offered at the 74-bedroom care home by Balanced – and is now able to walk with the help of a zimmer frame, giving him a degree of independence that he thought he had lost forever.
The improvement in Martin’s mobility enabled him to spend Christmas Day at his daughter’s house, despite earlier fears he would be forever confined to his bed.
At first, the Balanced team just aimed to get Martin standing independently but after seeing his progress, they kept adapting his goal-setting to strive for as much mobility as possible.
Nicola McIntosh, Physiotherapist at Balanced, said: “While initially assessing Martin I noticed that he had some limited movement in his ankles, knees, and hips.
“After starting off with some bed-based exercises to maintain this movement in his ankles and hips, we decided to see if, with the help of a stand aid, we could progress this movement firstly to standing and then to walking.”
Martin was initially sceptical of his physiotherapists’ ambitions to increase his mobility so dramatically. However, as his range of movement grew so too did his determination to defy all odds and walk again.
Benedicte Aarseth, Physiotherapist at Balanced, said: “At every turn, we were surprised by just how quickly Martin was progressing – he smashed every goal we set for him.
“It’s been very rewarding for us to work with Martin, but for him the development has been life-changing.”
The pace of Martin’s progress has been remarkable and has even moved some of the care home staff to tears.
Martin said: “One of the carers who first helped me move in saw me about a month later, by which time I was walking with my zimmer frame.
“When she saw me walking down the corridor using only a frame, she broke down into tears as she couldn’t believe I had made so much progress in one month.
“I am very grateful for the time and effort put in by the physio team to help me walk again. Had I moved into a home with less dedicated physiotherapists, I might still be bedbound – but Nicola and Benedicte were willing to try and help me, and their belief and work have really paid off.”
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager and Registered Nurse, said: “Martin’s story is incredible and highlights just how important personal care plans are to ensure that every care need is identified and fully met. We look forward to continuing to work with Martin and seeing him develop further”.
