Mr Azman, 53 years of age is a well-liked character in SASCO @Jurong West due to his cheeky persona. Whenever he is asked to participate in activities, he will show an exaggerated expression to hint that he is tired.
Mr Azman had suffered from a stroke resulting in the limitation of movement in his right leg, hence leaving him chair bound most of the times. After 3 months of performing electrical stimulation (EMS) administered by our physiotherapist on Mr Azman’s quadriceps, a small surprise was discovered by Mr Azman himself. He called our staff over to look at him as he pointed at his straightened leg. Though there were minor muscle contractions, we saw that Mr Azman was significantly delighted. One of our staff exclaimed that she has realized that Mr Azman made significant improvement when he cheekily nudged her with his extended leg.
After the experience, Mr Azman has been more motivated to learn to walk again. He has made progression before the physiotherapy sessions, initially taking 2 or 3 steps in 5 minutes, with a chair behind him for standby when he needs to take a break. He is now able to walk with a quad stick with some assistance from our healthcare staff. By the 6th month, Mr Azman’s thigh muscles has strengthen and this has positive impact on his outlook in life. He has became more optimistic and more eager to participate in activities. The difficulty he has with his verbal expressions due to the condition known as aphasia does not stop him from communicating. He often uses gestures to show his eagerness to participate.
