Holy Gospel

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:17-30. 

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, ''Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?''

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" 

He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." 

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 

At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 

It is easier for a camel to pass through (the) eye of (a) needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 

They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" 

Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." 

Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." 

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. 

Home care

This is a portion worth reading for those concerned:

“Two-thirds of people who have had a stroke will need some type of support at home over a period of time. This could be practical support such as help with washing or dressing or psychological support such as motivational techniques, anxiety management. Much of the support will not be provided by health care professionals but will be provided by a mixture of family, carers, charities, local authorities and dedicated organizations.

For practical help such as getting up in the morning, assisting with meal times, and helping with getting dressed, most patients will be assessed by statutory services such as social care and will be recommended for what was known as ‘home care’. Long-term psychological support for both the patient and the carer is sometimes harder to secure and this is often what people will ask for when the routine rehabilitation has ceased.” (Occupational Therapy and Stroke Second Edition Edited by Judi Edmans.)

Wheelchairs

The provision of a wheelchair for a patient following a stroke can be considered for two main reasons – for correct positioning during early management and for indoor/outdoor mobility during the rehabilitation stage.

“The type of wheelchair appropriate for a stroke patient could include attendant propelled manual wheelchairs and indoor- or outdoor-powered wheelchairs.

Attendant-propelled manual wheelchairs can be used to achieve better positioning and to improve sitting balance on the ward, which is not always possible with armchairs or high seat chairs. A pressure care cushion should always be provided with the wheelchair and monitored throughout the day by nursing staff and therapists. Access to attendant-propelled wheelchairs adjusted for specific patients can also enable patients to be taken off the ward by their visitors for often much-needed stimulation. Ideally, a wheelchair should also be available for the patient to use for outdoor and/or indoor mobility on weekend leaves and on discharge. In some settings patients are discouraged from trying

to propel themselves with their feet, and self-propelling manual wheelchairs are often avoided altogether. It is thought that the patient’s muscle tone will increase when using the unaffected arm and leg in this way. It is best to discuss the approach.

Indoor-powered wheelchairs could be considered for patients with severe physical disability and those with chronic heart and lung conditions. A patient’s cognition and visual perception should be fully assessed as part of the wheelchair assessment. The use of a powered wheelchair in hospital can help increase motivation and might be considered as an intervention option for spatial awareness problems and inattention.

A combined indoor/outdoor- and outdoor-powered wheelchair would require a full assessment by the hospital-based occupational therapist and specialised wheelchair therapist, carefully taking into consideration the patient’s vision, perception and cognition.

These wheelchairs can be issued to patients with severe, long-term mobility problems. When assessing any type of wheelchair on a long-term basis, the home environment and local area in which the patient will be living should always be taken into account. The access to the patient’s home, the type of accommodation, the width of all internal/external doorways, the layout of the furniture and other fixtures/fittings, the door thresholds and the floor coverings should be considered for suitability of a wheelchair.”  (Occupational Therapy and Stroke Second Edition Edited by Judi Edmans.)