How rehab turned the tide for Hazell at home

After blood cancer and a life-changing stroke, Hazell's goal was simple: Get into the car and visit the clifftops in Palm Bay, Margate, that she loves.  With support from KCHFT's Community Rehabilitation Team she is rebuilding her strength, confidence and independence at home.

For Hazell and Tony Wilson from Margate, life was once filled with family, cooking and time with their three sons and grandchildren and their beloved golden retriever.

The couple met while studying catering at college and have shared more than 50 years together. But after Hazell was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2021 and later had a stroke that affected her speech and mobility, daily life changed completely.

Unable to leave the house and spending much of her time in bed, Hazell, now 76, faced a future that looked very different from the one she had imagined. Yet she held on to one simple goal.

"I'd like to be able to get into the car and go down near the clifftops," Hazell told Tony one day. For her, it was about much more than a trip to the sea. It was about reclaiming part of her life.

"It makes you feel useless," Hazell said. "I was always so intent on doing things myself that I found it incredibly difficult. It changes everything in your life."

Tony, who helps care for Hazell every day, said the change had been difficult for them both.

"Before the stroke, Hazell could get out to appointments and do things for herself," he continued. "Afterwards, everything changed. She's always been very independent and suddenly she couldn't do the things she'd always done."

Tony said they had also faced heartbreaking loss, after one of their seven beloved grandchildren died suddenly two years ago. “It wasn’t easy,” he said. “It was heartbreaking, but you just try to keep going.”

When KCHFT's Community Rehabilitation Team became involved, they began by asking Hazell what mattered most to her.

Hazell and Physiotherapist Harry Hopkins

Physiotherapist Harry Hopkins completed the original assessment, taking time to get to know Hazell, Tony and their family, as well as understanding what support would make the biggest difference at home.

Harry said: "From the first assessment, it was clear how important it was for Hazell to regain as much independence as possible at home.

"We wanted to understand what mattered to her and build the rehabilitation around that, so each step felt meaningful and achievable."

That first visit helped shape a care plan around Hazel’s needs, her home life and the things she wanted to work towards, rather than starting with a standard set of exercises.

"The first thing they asked was what the objective was," Tony said. "We talked about getting Hazell into the car. It sounds simple, doesn't it? But that became the ultimate goal."

The team worked with Hazell at home, first focusing on getting safely into the car with Tony so they could go out together again.

"Normally, we would build up slowly with exercises first and work towards something like a car transfer later," Rehabilitation Support Worker Marsha Harris said. "But getting into the car was Hazell's main goal and she managed it on the first attempt."

"Once we saw what Hazell could do, we knew she was capable of more. From there, we worked on standing from the edge of the bed, taking a few steps, bed transfers and then mobilising through to the kitchen and outdoors."

Harry Hopkins, Tony Wilson, Hazell Wilson, Sandra Agbanya and Marsha Harris

At first, Hazell had doubts.

"I thought, hang on a minute. I've done nothing for two years and now you're telling me I'm going to get into the car," she said. "It did feel daunting, but I think that onus on me, to be in charge, in my own home, of my future really helped me to push forward."

Sandra Agbanya, a rehabilitation support worker found that Hazell’s own strength really helped her progress:

Sandra said: "Being involved in Hazell's rehabilitation, from car transfers to mobility practice indoors and in the garden, was a really rewarding experience.

"Hazell and Tony created such a welcoming and supportive environment, which helped the process from start to finish. Hazell stayed highly motivated, achieved her goals and welcomed all clinical advice.”

"It starts with the patient," said Marsha. "Hazell was clearly motivated and did the hard work. We supported her and kept updating the goals as her confidence grew. What began as a car transfer became standing, walking, getting to the kitchen and going down the ramp outside."

Tony said: "What amazed me was the confidence they gave her. They made her believe she could do it. It was liberating for Hazell to feel she had some control over what came next."

Just as Hazell was making progress, she faced another challenge. She became disorientated and unsteady on her feet. Tony called Pilgrims Hospices, who had been supporting the family, and they contacted NHS 111. Hazell was then referred to KCHFT's Acute Response Team (ART), who responded quickly.

"The service was excellent," he said.  "First, we saw a paramedic, then a doctor came out, reviewed everything and diagnosed a urinary tract infection.  They made sure Hazell had the right treatment and we were seen by a lovely team of nurses. He even came back the next day to check how she was doing.

"It was a very quick response and really helped us cope at a difficult time."

Nurse Kelly Rook, from ART, said the service provides urgent care in the community to help people stay safely at home where possible.

"We are like a community version of A&E and we aim to prevent hospital admissions, while respecting each patient’s wishes.”

The team assessed Hazell at home, completed observations, reviewed her medication and checked her progress the next day. Once her symptoms had improved, she was discharged back to her GP.

The episode, coupled with the intense summer heat, was a setback, but Hazell continued to build on her progress and remained determined to keep moving forward.

She recently made it to the clifftop walk she loves with her family, which was an incredible moment for all of them.

"Getting back to the clifftops with my family meant so much," Hazell said. "All the teams that have stepped in to help me have been brilliant and I know I can refer myself back to them if I need it."

Tony added: "The biggest thing they gave us was hope. When you're dealing with illness for such a long time, it's easy to focus on what you've lost. The team helped us focus on what Hazell could still achieve."