Wickford
Wickford is the closest of the larger towns to Reef’s base in South Woodham Ferrers, about six miles down the A132. That makes it one of the easiest places to fit in, including at the awkward times when a morning or an early evening suits better than the middle of the day.
Visits happen in your own home. Nothing to drive to, nothing to park, no waiting room.
Bungalows
Wickford has a lot of bungalows, and a lot of people who moved into one precisely because the stairs had started to be a problem. It is a sensible move and it solves a real difficulty. It also quietly removes the one thing most older people were doing every day that kept their legs strong.
Climbing stairs a few times a day is, in effect, a leg workout nobody thinks of as exercise. Take it away and strength drifts down over months without anything obvious happening, until a stumble in the garden or a struggle getting out of a low chair makes it visible. It is one of the commonest patterns we see in Wickford and it responds well, because the underlying problem is straightforward deconditioning rather than anything sinister.
The other side of a bungalow is the step. Almost every one has a step down to the garden or up from the drive, usually without a rail, often the only real obstacle in the property, and often the exact place a fall happens.
After hospital
Most people in Wickford who have had a fall, a joint replaced or a spell of illness are treated at Basildon and discharged home from there. The discharge itself is usually fine. What follows is patchier, and the first few weeks back are when strength and confidence go fastest.
You do not need a referral or a discharge letter to ring. Where an NHS team is already visiting, Reef works around them rather than duplicating what they are doing.
What happens
Before anyone books anything, Reef will talk it through with you or a family member. If physiotherapy is not the right answer, he will say so.
How you move now, what has become difficult, and what you want to be able to do again. Measured properly, so progress can be measured too.
Exercises sized to where you are today, not to a textbook. Family kept informed, with your permission.
Questions
Often within a couple of days. Wickford is the shortest journey Reef makes, so it slots in easily.
Reef works 8am to 6pm seven days a week, and because Wickford is close he can usually take the first or last slot of the day if that suits better.
No. Contact Reeflex directly. We will keep your GP informed with your permission if that helps.
Usually yes, and that is one of the more common calls we get. Someone who has stopped moving much can often regain a good deal, and the assessment will tell you honestly whether that is the case here.
£120 for the first assessment and £100 for follow-ups. No packages, no minimum, and the first phone call is free.
Yes, all of them, plus Rettendon, Battlesbridge, Ramsden Heath and Downham.
Get in touch
The first phone call is free and there is no obligation afterwards. If Reeflex is not the right fit, Reef will tell you what is.
