Health experts from around the wolrd will be told about Luton’s successful stroke survivors centre at a conference in Brazil.
The Chaul End Community Centre stroke service was initiated by Luton Borough Council in 2010, when day service manager Polly Parrish saw the potential for improving the service.
It now provides special gym facilities and training as well as helping stroke survivors learn new skills and regain their confidence.
Polly Parrish, now the council’s business and vocational development manager, said: “The real reward has been seeing the difference this has made to people’s lives. I remember one woman throwing her arms around me and telling me that she’d been able to dress herself that morning for the first time in four years. Just as importantly, her increased independence meant that her husband, who had been acting as her main carer, was able to return to work.”
As well as aiming to raise general awareness about strokes, the service includes specialist therapies by Action for Rehabilitation from Neurological Injury (ARNI) instructors.
The project is so successful that ARNI’s Dr Tom Balchin and Cynthia Van As will now present details of the service to the World Stroke Congress in October.
The Congress provides leading medical professionals with the opportunity to discuss all aspects of strokes and to discover late-breaking research from world experts.
Cllr Mahmood Hussain said: “We already knew that this was a first class centre because of the families it has helped get back to normal life after a stroke. However, it is still a huge honour for it to be recognised on the international stage.
“Having a stroke can lead to feelings of isolation as well as loss of confidence and independence. The service offers support to people whose ability to communicate has been affected by stroke, so they can learn new skills and regain their confidence through group and one-to-one support. We have received so much positive and inspirational feedback about the centre.”
The Beds and Herts Heart and Stroke Network provided funds for personal trainers to undertake ARNI training. The Stroke Association, Luton NHS and the Luton Clinical Commissioning Group have also been involved in setting up and running the service.
Facilities within the centre include cross-trainers, treadmills, recumbent cycles, an upright cycle, parallel bars and an ergometer. There are also plenty of mats, medicine balls, gym balls, a neurogripper, sticks and a variety of handheld soft balls to help clients with their rehabilitation.
Additional funding was recently acquired to purchase a Biometrics system for the centre. This includes patented electro-goniometers that measure human joint movement so users are able to track their progress and improvement, which is a great motivator.