Ray’s walking his way back to independence
Ray Prior is no stranger to hard work and dedication.
Having served in the Royal Navy, the 62 year old from Goring was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes following a kidney transplant, which has left him partially sighted.
But with the support of Oxfordshire County Council’s sensory impairment team, Ray is determined to regain his independence and get back to what’s important for him.
Ray said: “At first it was just a bit of help with cooking. I like to prepare my own food, but I found things were getting really difficult as my eye sight deteriorated. I spoke to my social worker, Amy Bailey, who then put me in put me in touch with a specialist team from the council, and things started to get better from then on.”
Amy referred Ray to Kate Laybourne, a practice supervisor with the county council’s sensory impairment team. It provides a service to people in Oxfordshire who have hearing and sight loss, supporting them by understanding their goals and working with them to find the best ways to achieve them.
Kate said: “Ray’s had a challenging few months. When I first met him in February, he was struggling with his strength and balance and felt unable to leave his home. We were initially asked to provide support with his meal preparation, which we managed to solve quite quickly with some handy kitchen gadgets.
“We then began to look at his options for getting out and about safely. Ray uses a long cane but hadn’t practised this for some time due to his health, so we began to work together on learning a short walk, navigating this using his cane.”
For Ray, this was a huge step. Ray said: “I hadn’t left my home for a while. I can see contrast and recognise shapes, but it’s still easy to trip and fall. But with Kate with me, I was able to start to remember the route, picking out obstacles and getting home safely.”
It soon became clear that with some physio and additional support, Ray could become far more independent and enjoy life even more.
It was at this point that Kate called colleagues from the community therapy service, a provision arranged by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, that offers physiotherapy in people’s homes. Ray was taught a series of strengthening and balancing exercises and, given his military training, stuck rigidly to the schedule.
Kate said: “The next time I visited Ray, the difference was astonishing. He was noticeably stronger and more confident, and it was great to see the change in him.”
Ray now enjoys walking the circuit that he learnt with Kate with friends and family. He even has plans to walk the mile and a half into the town centre.
Ray said: “I’m really grateful for the support from the physios, as well as from Amy and Kate. We still have a long way to go, but I’m determined to keep going.”
Karen Fuller, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Adult Social Care, said: “This is a great example of different organisations from across health and social care, working together for the benefit of residents.
“At its centre is our Oxfordshire Way Vision, supporting people to live happily and independently within their own communities. I wish Ray every success as he continues to live life to the full.”
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