Using housework for rehab

By Brian,

After a stroke, simple things like cooking or cleaning can become much harder. These challenges can make it tough to stay independent. With the right support, people can rebuild skills, confidence, and dignity, and keep doing the things that make home feel like home.

When I finally returned home after spending four months in hospital, I was eager to get back to my life, to the ordinary things that make a home feel like home. But I quickly discovered that even the simplest tasks had changed.

Housework and personal care, things I’d once done without a second thought, became new challenges. Shaving, dressing, tying my shoelaces - all suddenly difficult because I had lost much of the use of my dominant right hand and arm. It was confronting.

I started adapting in small but meaningful ways. I learned to use my left hand for almost everything from everyday tasks like typing, cooking and cleaning, to brushing my hair.

To rebuild strength and mobility, I developed my own rehabilitation program focused on improving the movement in my right arm and hand. It’s been a long road, over nine years now, but I’ve regained around 70% of my arm function and about 50% of my hand. Progress has been slow, but I’ve never believed in the idea of ‘plateauing’. I have learned that with persistence, there’s always room to improve.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that rehabilitation takes time - years, not weeks or months.

When I first got home, I was determined to regain my independence. In hospitals, routines and rules can limit what you’re able to do for yourself. But at home, I insisted on being treated as a capable, productive member of my family and out in the community. I wanted to do things for myself again, not just to prove that I could - but to feel like ‘me’ again.”

Storytelling is my passion, and it’s how I contribute to stroke research, support, advocacy, and education. Learning to communicate by typing with my left hand has been one of the most meaningful parts of my recovery.

Nine years on, I still work hard on my rehab and my independence every day. And while my stroke changed how I do things, it didn’t take away who I am, someone who’s determined to keep moving forward, one small task at a time.

If this resonated with you and you want advice about services to support your rehab, even if you’re having to design your own, call StrokeLine 1800 787 653.