Samba, Rumba & Boot Scootin’ ... Back to Health

A zest for life and the support of Royal Rehab led 72-year-old Frank back to the dance floor.

On an otherwise ordinary day in August 2019, the day after Frank and husband David had returned from a weekend trip, Frank realised something was seriously wrong. “I was watching TV on the couch and sipping a cup of tea. When I went to get up, I just couldn’t.” Thinking it was a stroke, David took Frank to hospital and after a series of tests, Frank was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Discovering he had an auto-immune disorder that was attacking his nervous system was a shock and one which came on top of an earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. “When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 10 years ago, my neurologist recommended exercise. I’m not a gym person but I love dancing. I was Line Dancing and Latin American Dancing during the week, and I walked on the weekends. I was averaging 15,000 steps a day and living symptom-free. Dancing was my saviour and now I couldn’t do it,” Frank said. Frank describes his first week in hospital as ‘depressing’. He thought that forever, he would be bedridden or at best, housebound. When his rehabilitation transitioned from the general hospital to Royal Rehab, he noticed the positive difference straight away. “The amazing thing about Stephanie and Gracia (from Royal Rehab) is that they listened to what I was saying. I told them what I could and couldn’t do and they designed a program for me,” Frank said. “Their positivity made such a difference.” Frank benefitted from a multidisciplinary program of allied health therapies, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, designed to achieve his rehabilitation goals — to regain his ability to stand and return to his active lifestyle. “When I told them I did so much dancing, they incorporated some Line Dancing. Eventually, I built up to a five-minute dance while the physio was there,” Frank said. Frank says he always looked forward to working with his Royal Rehab team because he felt so supported. He says they were there when he was strong enough to return home. “The house I live in has 15 stairs. I was petrified about falling and breaking a hip or an arm. Gracia and Stephanie got me on crutches. They encouraged me in a nice way. They said ‘you might fall, but we’ll be there catch you’.” Now independent again, Frank says it’s a huge boost to his confidence and mental wellbeing to be able to catch public transport and have lunch every week with friends. And he’s excited about finally being able to get back on the dance floor and travel again.