We were fortunate to meet Pak Dahlan the day after he had a severe stroke, as we had been invited to visit another patient in the same village. The family was unaware of what they needed to do, so we instructed them to immediately get him to the local hospital. After he spent a few days in the hospital, his blood pressure was under control and we could begin therapy.
Pak Dahlan was extremely active as a farmer before his stroke. We are pleased that his family is very supportive, so we could train them in how to help him with simple strengthening exercises and daily walking practice. With our instruction, a relative was immediately able to build a bar out of bamboo to give him support to practice walking.
In this photo, he is beginning gait training with assistance from his family and with the use of a cane given by Access Life Lombok. Our work is largely dependent on the cooperation of the family and the patient in order to see progress. With this cooperation, we expect he will continue to improve. Our team will visit at least monthly to update his exercises.