Meet Allan. Allan has had to overcome some problems following his stroke in order to get out and about. Lets see how he has got on. Tap on the picture to find out what Allan’s advice is.
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What if I get stuck? I was worried that I might get myself into a situation and get stuck, 2 streets from home. Common sense helps. I keep an ete on the weather, don’t go out if it is too dark, wear the right shoes and always take my mobile phone with me
I need to pay more attention to things. My stroke didn’t affect my eyesight, but I do make an effort to pay more attention to things as I am not so quick on my feet, especially when I am crossing a road. I had a support worker who came out with me for a while to get used to this. I had to build up my confidence, but it was worth it.
What if over do it? As I started to go out more by myself I would over do it the odd time. I learned to pace myself by landmarks. I now measure everything out in the distance between lampposts! I used to be able to do one and take a rest. I can now to 2 at a time. Sometimes I can walk into town and get the bus back so I am not walking both ways, especially if I am carrying bags.
I am not confident around other people. I was worried about what other people thought about me and also a bit nervous in crowds, because I was not as steady on my feet as I was before. The first few times I went out, my son came with me and we did not go far or to busy places. This helped my confidence.