'He still had some fight in him' – NHS team helps veteran Edwin back on his feet

Veteran Edwin Luckhurst joined the Royal Marines in 1958 when he was just 17, and travelled all round the world on active service. But at the age of 82 he found himself in hospital after a series of falls at his home in Ashford.

Luckily for Edwin, he was helped back on to his feet by our nursing and therapy team at West View Integrated Care Centre, under the eye of frailty consultant, Dr Phil Brighton.

Edwin at home

“I’d had two previous falls,” explained Edwin, who lives in Royal British Legion sheltered housing, “but with the most recent one I was on the floor for 30 hours before being found. I’ve never been in hospital before, so it was a shock to the system.”

Edwin was admitted to the William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in July with heart failure, dehydration, sepsis and lower limb cellulitis. He stayed on the ward at the Harvey for three weeks, before being transferred to West View in Tenterden for further rehabilitation.

Edwin, whose late wife Rita was from Malta and who speaks fluent Italian said: “The care at West View can be described in just one word – bellissima. When I went in I must admit I was feeling very low. I am used to being a strong, independent person, thanks to my military background, but I lost hope. I couldn’t sit up or feed myself and I genuinely thought I was never going home.”

West View is a nurse and therapy-led unit, headed up by matron Nicola Wilcoxon. Nicola said: “When Edwin arrived on the ward he was desperately unwell. At one point he did deteriorate further and had to go back to the Harvey for a couple of days. When he returned we had a chat with him and he told us he wanted to stay with us, but he was still unwell and feeling low, so we asked our visiting geriatrician, Dr Brighton, to assess and speak to him.”

Dr Phil Brighton

Edwin said: “When I met Phil (Brighton) I just chatted to him like a mate. I told him I was losing hope and he gave me the words I needed to turn myself around. I realised I did want to get home and live my life again.”

Phil explained: “Sometimes people in hospital can feel in a spiral of hopelessness, especially if, like Edwin, they are used to doing things for themselves. His military background was important to him, so I talked about a photo he had of himself in uniform and what that meant to him. His mindset started to change and he became determined to get better.

“The physiotherapists and occupational therapists on the ward all worked so hard, everyone knew he still had a fight in him and everyone fought for him.”

Edwin's service medals

Nicola said: “Another turning point in Edwin’s recovery was when one of his good friends visited, bringing with him his old Royal Marines blazer with his medals. The nursing team hung it near his bed where he could see it as they knew it was important to him. He’s rightly proud of his background and proud of his recovery.”

Edwin said: “After about two weeks at West View I was able to sit up and feed myself. After a few more days I could get out of bed with help. I’m a resilient person, a proud person. I told the staff I wanted to do things by myself and they encouraged me with everything I wanted to achieve.

“The whole team gave me such excellent care and encouragement to get back on my feet. I was absolutely determined to walk out of there with my head held high.

“And that’s exactly what I did.”