Back to the Hills
In October of 2010, I was introduced to an elderly lady admitted under Dr. Ennapadam S Krishnamoorthy and Dr. Rema Raghu in the Intensive Care Unit of one of our admitting hospitals. She was 88 years old, and had just suffered a stroke, which affected her mobility greatly.
I was assigned to lead our therapy team to assist in her recovery. On her part, I found her determined to get better too. Thence started my fascinating and enduring journey with Mrs. A.
Our Buddhi Clinic team started working with her and in the intensive phase, the comprehensive therapy delivered to her included physiotherapy (electrotherapy, manual therapy and exercise therapy, each session lasting one hour), holistic external therapies using a combination of Ayurveda, Naturopathy & Acupressure, and psychological supportive care including relaxation training. All this was delivered along with allopathic (modern medical) treatment, first in the ICU, then in the hospital room and finally after discharge at her home.
With these comprehensive therapies, Mrs. A began to recover from the effects of her stroke. So much so that after the initial 5-6 week period of intensive therapy, the step down care became physiotherapy alone. As her physiotherapist, I was introduced to her large extended family, whose support and care she enjoyed. During her therapy sessions she liked to speak about her family members and their support, all of which played a major role in her recovery. She thus not only shared her family with me, her hospitality, love and care was very moving.
Mrs. A. was someone who usually spent the summer months at a hill station where she had a beautiful property. Unfortunately, that year, because of her illness, she was unable to undertake her summer trip. However, her determination to get better and cooperation with therapy and rehabilitation was such, that she could, quite quickly, stand and walk again. So much so, that the very next summer, she was able to go back to her favourite hill station, and walk in the hills again. A big salute to her!
