Guide
Stroke rehabilitation at home: what happens next
Recovery after a stroke is usually fastest in the first few months, and it can carry on long after that. NHS rehabilitation at home often runs for a few weeks. Therapy at home can carry on from there: physiotherapy for walking, balance and strength, and occupational therapy for everyday tasks, working on what they most want back.
What the NHS usually provides
- In hospital
- NICE recommends at least 3 hours of rehabilitation a day, 5 days a week, for people who can manage it.
- Early supported discharge
- A community stroke team carries on the rehabilitation at home, often for up to about six weeks, depending on the area.
- After that
- Ongoing needs are passed to local services. NICE recommends a review of health and care needs at 6 months, and then every year.
What rehabilitation at home works on
- Walking, balance, and getting up from a chair or out of bed
- Strength and movement in a weaker arm or leg
- Washing, dressing and getting back into the kitchen
- Stairs, steps and getting out of the house with confidence
- Tiredness, which is common after a stroke and needs pacing rather than pushing
- Equipment and changes at home: which help, and which aren’t worth having
If it happens again
- Call 999
- If the face droops, an arm or leg is suddenly weak, or speech is slurred or confused. Don’t wait to see whether it passes.
How we can help
We see them at home, find out what has changed since the stroke and what they most want back, and write a plan the family can follow. Where therapy helps, we provide it at home: physiotherapy for walking, balance and strength, and occupational therapy for everyday tasks. We work alongside the stroke team and the GP, not instead of them.
The assessment is £140, and it starts with a free consultation call.