Step by step: How occupational therapy helped Maureen reclaim life

After losing her leg, Maureen Brunger felt cut off from the home and life she loved. Occupational therapist Helen Garrish and Therapy Assistant Amanda Joy from our Community Rehabilitation Team helped her reclaim the everyday things most of us take for granted. Charlotte North caught up with them all, to find out more about Maureen's progress.

At the top of the stairs was a part of Maureen’s life she could no longer reach: her bedroom, clothes and treasured belongings.

Maureen had always taken pride in keeping the Ashford home she shares with her husband, Dave, shipshape. A former postman, Dave now had to fetch the clothes Maureen could no longer reach herself.

“Dave would go up and bring something down and I’d say, ‘No, that’s not the one,’” said Maureen, 74. “Then he would have to go all the way back up again.

"Being able to pick what you wear and have that choice; it’s keeping your sense of self.”

Maureen had a below-knee amputation in October 2023, after an infection developed from a small blister on her foot.

Living with type 2 diabetes increased the risk. Diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels in the feet, making injuries harder to feel and slower to heal. Even a small blister or cut can become a serious wound.

“I thought, why me?” she said. “Why did this happen to me? I was angry but I was upset as well. The surgeon said I was lucky because the amputation was below my knee and I could still bend it. I did not feel lucky then but, as time went on, I realised the operation had saved my life.”

Before retiring, Maureen worked as a school lunchtime supervisor and lollipop lady. She loved children, cleaning, gardening and time with her two daughters and six-year-old grandson. Her immaculate home displays her collections of teddy bears and Highland cow ornaments.

“It was so hard without my leg. I used to take Dave a cup of tea upstairs,” said Maureen. “It’s the silly things. You do not think about them until you cannot do them anymore.”

After returning home, Maureen was referred to our Community Rehabilitation Team to continue her recovery and regain her independence.

The team provides short-term rehabilitation to enable people to live as independently as possible. Occupational therapists focus on everyday activities such as washing, dressing, cooking, climbing stairs and leaving home. They may help someone practise or adapt a task, build confidence or recommend equipment.

When Helen and Amanda began visiting, Maureen was living downstairs with a hospital bed and using a transfer board to move between the bed and commode.

As her recovery progressed, Maureen was fitted with a prosthetic leg. It brought new possibilities but also practical challenges, from dressing independently to moving safely outside.

Helen and Amanda focused on activities Maureen wanted to regain like dressing, preparing dinner, doing the washing, transferring into the car, using a public toilet and moving safely at home.

Each goal returned a piece of normal life.

“Maureen’s goals have come from her, we have followed her lead,” said Helen. “We break down what she wants to do and work out what she needs to achieve it. It might mean an extra rail or practising one small movement.”

Amanda said: “With occupational therapy, it is all about living your life. We practise the things that matter to that person. Those everyday things can make an enormous difference.”

Getting into the family car was a breakthrough. “If I could not get into the car, I would have been stuck inside four walls,” said Maureen. “It was a real godsend.”

That freedom meant Maureen could visit garden centres again. But she worried whether an accessible toilet would have enough room for her wheelchair and allow her to transfer safely with her prosthetic leg.

“You cannot relax because you are always thinking, ‘Will I be able to manage when I get there?’” she said.

The team helped her practise and plan, turning an anxious trip out into another step towards living a happy life.

Helen explained: “Even pulling your clothes on and off can be difficult with a prosthetic leg, so we practised ways to make it manageable. The other key part was giving Maureen confidence. It helped that she was incredibly determined.”

The stairs remained the biggest barrier between Maureen and the home she knew. Helen and Amanda began with a single step, helping her place her weight safely and use the rails.

“Amanda said, ‘Just do one or two and then come back down,’” said Maureen. “I did one. Then I went up three. She asked if I wanted to sit down and I said, ‘No, I am going to keep going.’”

One step became three. Three became halfway. On the next attempt, Helen offered Maureen a rest.

“I said, ‘No. Can I try to go all the way up?’”

Step by carefully practised step, Maureen climbed towards the bedroom she had not entered since her amputation.

“It felt lovely,” she said. “I sat on my bed and the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh yes, he has kept it tidy’. Then I just burst into happy tears.”

Amanda said: “With occupational therapy, it is all about living your life. Those everyday things can make an enormous difference.”

Maureen, while happy she is making progress is still conscious that her amputation had changed Dave’s life too.

“People always ask me how I am getting on but they do not always ask the partner,” she said. “We have been married for 50 years, and this has altered his life as well. Som

etimes I feel guilty about how much has changed for him.”

As Maureen regained everyday skills, Dave could step back from doing everything for her. The progress supported them both and gave the couple more space to be husband and wife again.

Helen said: “Every bit of independence Maureen regains takes some of the pressure from Dave too. We follow her lead, break down each goal and help her find a safe way to achieve it.”

Maureen said: “Helen and Amanda have given me the confidence and the extra push to do things for myself again. They’ve also made me laugh, smile, cry happy tears. We were one big team, and it felt so good to have them around. I could not have come this far without them.”