ECL’s Reablement Service prevents couple from living apart

When Lily, an elderly lady living with dementia, was admitted to hospital, a Covid outbreak meant that she was placed on an isolation ward. With a lack of stimulation and limited opportunity to move around, her ability to care for herself deteriorated during her stay and she was discharged with poor mobility, relying on family members for assistance with nutrition, dressing, and personal care. As a result, the hospital suggested that a residential home might be best for her going forward.

However, having been together for 70 years, neither Lily nor her husband wanted to be separated from one another. The thought of moving her into a care home was upsetting for the whole family, but as she was now barely able to stand it was clear that additional support was going to be necessary. A referral was made to ECL’s Reablement Service in the hope that Lily could regain enough strength to allow her to stay put.

Supported by ECL’s occupational therapists and physiotherapists, a team of Community Care Assistants initially visited Lily four times a day and, over a period of six weeks, were able to help get her back on her feet. By the end of the placement, they had facilitated such significant improvement in her mobility and dexterity that visits were reduced to just one Community Care Assistant, once a day.

The family credits her recovery to the exceptional care and enormous encouragement Lily received from ECL. Norman says: “The recovery Lily has made is amazing. We are so pleased we had ECL on our side. All the carers have been exceptional - kind, helpful, and professional. It was nice having the same few faces coming in so Lily and myself felt at ease, safe, and were able to get into a routine.”

“We honestly feel that without the support we received from ECL, Lily would have had a very different story. She would not have been able to stay at home and I would not have been able to provide the care and support she needed. We highly recommend ECL and truly believe that anyone lucky enough to have the support of their fantastic team is being given the very best shot at recovery.”