My step father is 78 and has lived with a weak left side and petit mal epilepsy due to a stroke nearly 40 years ago. 2 years ago he started complaining of a bad back and took to bed for most of a month, when he got up again he was bent over (kyphosis) and had lost much of his already limited muscle strength. His mobility and general health have deteriorated greatly in the time sine then, first there was the stairlift and then the wheelchair for going out and he has had at least 7 or 8 falls this month so far. He also has memory issues and in particular seems unable to work out consequences of doing/not doing things anymore...so compliance with a self-directed exercise regime will be zero, likewise saying you mustn't do XYZ. The NHS are putting a lot of resource into coming to his aid in an emergency and sooner or later he will break something and more resource will be required. I'm an osteopath and I think that a course of intensive (little and very often) manual therapy and directed exercise (I'd love osteopathy but physiotherapy would work too) may just reverse this trend and give him a few more years of semi-independence. Unfortunately I live over 100 miles away...and I don't think that family are best for this either. Does anyone know of a residential environment where this could be provided for say a week, or two? Norfolk would be ideal
