Product Development

We are always working on new gripping aids to support our community to experience greater independence and welcome new possibilities in their lives. Last year our Flexi Phone Holder quickly became one of our bestsellers. So this year we have focussed on creating some fantastic accessories to go with it. The Flexi Phone Holder is now a brilliant way to keep hold of your phone, tablet, DSLR camera, PlayStation or XBox gaming controller and even has a playing card holder attachment for those who love a card game.

This year we’ve also developed two sports-specific gloves that are already busy supporting people to train and compete in both wheelchair rugby and wheelchair racing. Our bespoke-made Wheelchair Racing Gloves come in both standard and quad versions and are designed to support perfect positioning on the rim, enabling great contact and a powerful push. Our Wheelchair Rugby gloves have received great feedback from the testing phase and are nearly ready to go… one to keep an eye out for next year!

To enable us to develop products more effectively, we make great use of 3D printers. This year, our first 3D printer (lovingly nicknamed ‘Maureen’) has reached retirement age and is now enjoying some well-earned relaxation on the shelf of our production room, while we look for the right home for her. She has been replaced with a younger, ‘snazzier’ model, we’ve named Bao-Bao. Bao-Bao is working flat out printing products and helping us to prototype new ideas.

Supporting customers and professionals

Through 2025, we’ve done more exhibitions than ever before – and they’ve been some of our busiest days! We love meeting you, helping you to get ‘hands on’ with our products and working together to find solutions to everyday frustrations. We’ve also enjoyed several opportunities to meet the professionals who work with our products. From exhibitions to meetings at rehab facilities, we’ve made some great new connections and been able to share ideas with lots of OTs and physios.

We recognise what a key relationship we have with the professionals who use our products. This year, we have worked hard to find ways to further support the tremendous work OTs and physios are doing. Our website now has a professionals section. Here, you’ll find links to resources and information to help you make the most of everything we offer. We have also published our first CPD training module – ‘the benefits of ongoing sport and exercise to disabled people’. This online course covers recent research and outlines the best ways to overcome barriers to exercise for disabled people. It also offers a detailed walk-through of our gym/sport gripping aids – who they are suitable for, the exercises they support and how to use them. A great resource for many professionals, it has already had some wonderful feedback. And it meets the HCPC competencies required for professional development. You can watch the module here.

Staff News

Over the summer, we said goodbye to Lucy, our production assistant, as she moved abroad with her family. We hope they settle quickly and enjoy their new adventure. Soon after, Simone joined our team to step into Lucy’s role and we are thrilled to welcome her!

We also welcomed Joseph at the end of Spring this year as a freelance product developer. Joseph has a deep understanding of the impact of living with disability as his dad is tetraplegic and his mum worked on a spinal injury unit. Combined with his fantastic product design skills, he’s doing some great work for us already. We’re excited to see what 2026 brings.

Outside of the office, many of our team have had a pretty big year! Jo and Millie both bought new homes and are proving to be DIY superstars as they renovate them in their evenings and weekends. It has been a year of romance too, as over the summer Millie got enagaged and Sarah got married. Many of us were lucky enough to attend Sarah’s wedding day, which was absolutely lovely and we’re all enjoying hearing about Millie’s wedding planning.

Lots of the team managed a family day out together in August at the Superhero Tri. We had a stand to share our work and many of us took part in team triathlons, including our littlest ‘teammate’, 6-year-old, Xanthe. Riding her bike, she kept her big brother Jacob company while he completed the run section of his triathlon. For the grown-ups, Jo S took on the swim, Rob the bike and Jo G and Millie completed the run section, skipping across the finish line together! Great teamwork from everyone!

Looking forward

We’ve had a great 2025, but we’re already looking foward to 2026! We’ve got some really exciting plans in the pipeline and can’t wait to continue creating high-quality, thoughtful products that open new possibilities, enable greater independence and bring joy to those with reduced hand function. We hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and we wish all of our community a really wonderful 2026.

The Active Hands team

The post 2025 – a year in review appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

The Active Hands office will be closed for the holidays from 12pm on Friday 19th December. Any orders received by 12pm on Thursday 18 December will be processed and shipped – any orders received after that will be dealt with when the office re-opens at 9am on Monday 5th January 2026.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The Active Hands Team

The post Christmas Shipping and Opening Hours appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

Professionals Page

Our website now has a new ‘professionals’ section, full of information and resources to help you make the most of our gripping aids. Here, you’ll find product guides, including data sheets that walk you through the options we carry, where we have multiple options for one activity. For example, cutlery or scissor solutions. This way, you can read all the information we have on each solution, before choosing the right product for each client.

Alongside these data sheets, you can also find ‘how to’ videos for creating a wishlist that your clients can share with friends and family, as well as how to obtain a quote when you’re building funding applications or requesting to spend departmental budget.

Assessment Packs

Nothing beats getting ‘hands on’ with products you are getting to know or hoping to use. For some activities of daily living we now carry multiple solutions, because we understand that there isn’t one solution to suit all. But it can be tricky to know which option would work best for the individual client you are working with. So, we have created assessment packs for some of our most popular ranges. You can purchase a writing, cutlery or scissor assessment pack and receive a range of our very best solutions. This way, you and your client can try them all out and make clear decisions about the best option for them. We hope our assessment packs will enable you to make recommendations with more confidence and accuracy, as well as giving you a great bank of resources to use in your clinical sessions.

Continued Professional Development

Also featured in our professionals area is a link to our CPD content. Designed to support any professional working with those with reduced hand function, our CPD meets many of the HCPC competencies required in your training and supports you in building knowledge that will have a meaningful impact on your work with clients.

Our first online course covers the benefits of ongoing exercise to disabled people. Study recent research, case studies and take a detailed look at the products we have created to support active lifestyles. You can find this content on our professionals page, which we will update with each new module as it is available.

We love supporting professionals to work with our gripping aids and are always up for hearing how else we can help you. Feel free to get in touch anytime to ask questions or make suggestions.

Jo Smith

The post Support for Professionals appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

October

Starting slow with a couple of easy, but significant tasks around present buying. Firstly, the ‘big gifts’. If you can purchase a couple of the big gifts for your children, partners or loved ones this month, the mental load feels much reduced – and you spread the cost across a few months. So start asking them what they’re hoping for and spend a couple of evenings this month browsing the internet and getting the gifts squirreled away.

Your second task this month is to think of yourself! If they haven’t already, your family and friends will no doubt start asking soon what you’d like under the tree. So, get ahead of the game and create yourself a wishlist.

Did you know you can make a wishlist on our website and email it to your loved ones? Our range of gripping solutions cover all aspects of life and make the most fabulous, life-altering gifts. Why not take a browse and find some gift ideas for yourself, or a loved one? Take a look at our ‘how to’ video to create your own wishlist.

November – food prep

OK, time to step up the pace just a little this month. So grab your favourite beverage, clear an afternoon and let’s start filling the freezer with some food we’ve prepped ahead of time. Did you know you can make gravy and Yorkshire puddings ahead of time and store them for up to three months in the freezer? And yes, we know Yorkshire puddings aren’t traditionally part of Christmas dinner, but it’s a non-negotiable in our house!

We have some brilliant kitchen gadgets that will take the stress out of cooking. Why not treat yourself to a new tool this month and test it out on your Christmas dinner prep? The Palm Peeler will make light work of peeling veg to roast. The Push Whisk will whip up the Yorkshire pudding batter without the need for a strong grip or wrist/arm strength and The Pan Buddy means you can feel safe and confident lifting and carrying saucepans, while supporting painful joints or weak wrists.

Get Crafty

Now is a great time to unlock your creativity. The evenings are dark and pretty cold by now so get cosy and enjoy some craft. Whether you want to make some home-made decorations, create gift labels or even some home-made gifts… we’ve got you covered.

The Nimble is the one-finger cutter we just can’t do without! Perfect for cutting craft paper and gift wrap, it will also open packages, mail, food packaging and more. Its tiny ceramic blade is tough enough to open packaging, but small enough to be safe on your skin.

We also have a range of scissor options, a variety of pen/pencil supports as well as gripping solutions to support painting, music making and all sorts of other creative pursuits.

Last task for this month is to get your Christmas cards written. It might be too early to send them out, but if you have a list of neighbours, colleagues, school teachers and family to send to, getting them all written and addressed now means you can just smugly stroll to the postbox in a few weeks time.

Early December

This month is likely to get busy, and we all want to be able to relax and enjoy the parties, school assemblies and family visits, so I’m aiming to do a big clean early this month. Then, with a bit of luck, we can just do a quick wipe over, here and there, when needed.

If cleaning is tricky for you because of reduced grip or painful joints, we have a couple of adaptions that might just make the difference. Add-On Handles can be popped on to your existing brooms and mops to create right-angled, chunky handles. Use one, or two, to get a grip of otherwise heavy and awkward cleaning tools.

Our EasySpray is becoming one of our most popular items. It sticks onto aerosol and spray bottles to change that fiddly push button into a large lever to squeeze. Add it to your polish and air freshener (and then pop one on your deodorant and grab an EasySpray Mini for your perfume!). The Nano Tape used to stick it securely to your bottle is designed to be peeled off one bottle and stuck to the next, when you’ve run out of polish and need a new bottle.

After your big clean, it’s time to further stock up your freezer. This time we’re making all the treats! Many sweet treats can be made ahead of time and frozen, so you can defrost something yummy whenever you fancy indulging. Enjoy the process with two of our most fun gadgets! The Egg-Cracker breaks your eggs, dropping the yolk and white into a bowl and holding onto the shell. You can even use its little attachment to separate the yolk from the white. Once you’ve baked, grab an Icing Pen and decorate with its range of nozzles. Ready, Steady, Bake!

Mid-December

Time to get those gifts wrapped – for me, a huge hot chocolate and a Christmas film are compulsory aids to this task! Don’t forget to post those greetings cards we wrote back in November and then, I think, we’re ready to relax and enjoy the festive season! Pour yourself a drink, grab a treat (from your freezer stash, perhaps?!) and invite some friends over. You’ve worked hard and you deserve a really wonderful Christmas.

Keep an eye out on our socials for some more Christmas inspiration… and why not share your favourite tips for keeping on top of the busy-ness of Christmas? We’d love to hear your hacks, see your bakes and find out how you’re making the most of Christmas.

Jo Smith

The post Ready, Steady… Prep! appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

We offer many gripping solutions to support your daily routines and enjoy finding out about other companies doing the same. Recently we came across ClipDifferent who support those with a wide range of disabilities to tackle personal care with independence. We got chatting about how we can support a positive start to the day. Walk through a morning routine with us and discover the right solutions to meet your needs.

Getting Dressed

Buttons, zips and shoelaces are difficult for many in our community. Our Button Puller is a classic solution that makes light work of buttoning shirts, blouses and jackets.

Zip Grips simply clip on to the pull tag of any zip and can stay there permanantly, even through the wash. These create a loop for you to hook a finger through, avoiding the tricky and sometimes painful pinch grip needed to zip up hoodies and coats. In addition, these can be combined with a MagZip on your favourite outfit. MagZips connect the two sides of your zip magnetically, so all you need to do is offer the two sides to each other and then pull up to close coats and jumpers. 

Shoelaces can be easily overcome with Zubits. Available in a range of colours, these magnetic laces create a wide opening in your shoe, making it very easy to slip your feet in. They then close firmly with a click. To open, either slide your finger underneath and lift, or step on the back of your shoe and lift your foot. We love these laces and find them much more useable than the elastic laces that are more commonly used. 

Bathroom Tasks

ClipDifferent are based in the USA. They recognise the significant difficulties many people face when using traditional nail clippers. Their Lil Nipper Electric Hand-Held nail clippers are safe, mess-free and easy to use. 

They explain, “The Lil Nipper transforms nail clipping from anxiety into confidence. Parents use it safely on their babies. Toddlers and young kids can clip their own nails and have fun doing it. Teens who bite their nails finally stop. Adults with tremors clip independently.”

One customer shared: “Great gift for my mother with arthritis. No longer has to dread the pain of cutting her nails.”

Available in three sizes:

• Infant/Toddler (3mo – 5 yrs)
• Child (Ages 5-13yrs old)
• Adult (Ages 13+)

They also offer the POD Adaptive Base, which combines with the Lil Nipper to create a one-handed solution. The weighted base holds the Lil Nipper on position on a table or lap tray, making it ideal for those with limb difference, stroke survivors and those with hemiplegia.

To tackle toothbrushing, we recommend our Toothpaste Dispenser. Great for children, those with the use of only one hand and those who struggle with the dexterity of squeezing a toothpaste tube. Simply push your brush into the dispenser and it delivers the perfect amount of toothpaste. 

For the best grip, add an EazyHold Strap to your toothbrush and hold without the need for grip. This can support those who find gripping is uncomfortable, those who are likely to ‘let go’ unintentionally and those with reduced grip. 

Finally, for deodorants, perfumes and hairspray our EasySpray and EasySpray Mini turn tricky push buttons into large levers so everyone can feel fresh and look glam.

Applying Make-Up

Styling your ‘look’ is such a personal task that can really boost self-confidence and make you feel like ‘you’. But getting a hold of small make-up brushes, lipsticks, hairbrushes and more can be really difficult with reduced hand function. 

Our Small Item Aid is perfect for any small diameter item. It makes the perfect partner for many pieces of make-up. From mascara to lipstick, brushes to eyeliner. You can place the palm pad at any angle, making it easy to apply your make-up with precision. Once you’ve finished, you can keep your Small Item Aid on to support toothbrushing, shaving, eating and so much more.

Finish your look with the right jewellery, using Magnetic Necklace Clasps to avoid tricky clasps. Available in silver or gold, these simply clip on to your existing necklaces and close with a click. 

Get Set, Get Ready…

Getting set up with the right tools can really change the day-to-day tasks that can be achieved with independence and confidence. To browse our full range of personal care solutions, click here.

To take a closer look at ClipDifferent’s range of electric nail clippers, visit their website here.

Jo Smith

The post Personal Care with Confidence appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

Travelling to Rehacare

We set off (very) early on Monday morning. Rob drove all the way from Birmingham, UK to Dusseldorf, Germany via the Channel Tunnel. Thanks to a few delays we finally arrived around 1am Tuesday morning! None of us can quite get over Rob’s amazing capacity for driving long distances, but we kept him going with lots of chatter and snack stops!

Tuesday was set up day and a great chance to catch up with other returning exhibitors. It’s always nice to chat face-to-face to people we work alongside year round and to share our latest products. We especially loved catching up with RAD-Innovations who sell running frames and adaptive trikes. They were already using our General Purpose gripping aids to support users to grip the handlebars. But we were able to demonstrate our Looped Aids, which will be a more appropriate fit for some of their clients. These hands-on demonstrations can be really helpful and we love the chance to explain our wide range of solutions.

Show time

The show then ran from Wednesday to Saturday and was super busy. Open to customers, professionals and resellers, we were very grateful to have a team of 4 on our stand. We were often all demonstrating products at the same time.

Among the most popular items at the show was our new EasySpray range. Our EasySprays help you to press the nozzle on aerosols and spray bottles. From cleaning sprays, hair sprays and deodorant to perfumes, travel bottles – even nasal sprays. Our EasySprays transform a tricky push button into a large lever that can be squeezed with one hand or two.

Customers also loved our Flexi Phone Holders and all of the accessories that we now carry to go with them. Our innovative device holder attaches to wheelchairs and allows you to hold your device securely, right where you need it. Using magnets to locate a patch you place on the back of your device, it then secures it using a vacuum seal, which can only be released when you press on the back of the seal. We quickly saw the popularity of this product and the potential it had to be used for a variety of activities. So we created a range of accessories that fit onto your Flexi Phone Holder. We now have Gaming Controller Holders, a DSLR Camera Adaptor and a Card Holder for playing cards. We have also recently released a Rail Mount Adaptor kit. This enables the Flexi Phone Holder to be fitted to power chairs.

Time as a Team

As well as a busy time for the business, it was also a great chance for part of our team to spend some quality time together. Jo and Millie managed to squeeze in a long run as part of training for Millie’s marathon next year. Evenings were filled with team board games and on the Thursday, we celebrated Millie’s birthday with a team meal out.

We had a really successful show and have already booked again for next year – we even booked the same stand location! After a day off for a few of us on Monday to recharge, we’re all now back in the office, with lots to follow up on.

Jo Smith

The post Rehacare – new connections and old friends appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

A few days later, across the channel, Millie’s then boyfriend, Matt, got down on one knee while they were on holiday in the south of France. She said yes! Then she called bestie Jo with the tears of joy still in her eyes! Millie and Matt are already looking at wedding venues with exciting plans to get married in 2027. The team had been placing bets on when and where he’d propose – a few of us had nailed it. We couldn’t be happier for them both!

Lots of our team have had time off over the summer. We love working at Active Hands, but we value time with family and friends too.

And some summer holidays…

Rob, Jo and family headed off to Europe for another road trip in their trusty campervan. They took the overnight ferry to Holland, then headed on to Belgium and France. They even stopped off to see some of Rob’s friends from wheelchair racing and rugby. Highlights included spending lots of time in nature and some really lovely family bike rides.

It was off to the Ritz in London for Karen this summer, having a wonderful afternoon tea with her daughter, Kelsie. And she had an amazing week in Cornwall with her family.

Mel had the best time away with her two boys in Majorca – sun, food and family… the perfect combination!

Jo G has spent a lot of the summer at home, renovating the house she and her husband bought back in June – it’s a 1930s build and a bit of a fixer upper! They hope to be in by Christmas.

In more, exciting news, Hannah went to visit a Bernese Mountain Dog breeder – and hopes to have a puppy in the New Year!

The post The Summer of Love! appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

Our Experience

We’ve been working in the area of hand function disability for nearly twenty years. This depth of experience, coupled with our CEO Rob’s lived experience of a disability that severely affects his hand function, gives us a knowledge and insight into how best to support those with reduced hand function to live active and independent lives that we are keen to share. We are passionate about the work we do. We want to support those working in this area to develop their own knowledge of the products that are around to best enable their clients.

What Does our First Module Cover?

With these things in mind, we are very excited to announce the launch of our first CDP training module. It’s available to anyone wanting to enhance their knowledge when working with clients with reduced hand function. The 35 minute module is entitled ‘The Benefits of Ongoing Sport and Exercise for People with Disabilities‘. In it, we take a detailed look at how best to enable those with disabilities and conditions affecting their hands to exercise with confidence and independence. This includes both in rehabilitation and clinical settings and at home.

We examine the recent research in this area. The course identifies potential barriers to exercise and explains how to overcome them. The module then closely examines our range of gym and sport gripping aids, the types of exercises that can be performed with each, and the clients each is suitable for. By the end of the module, we hope you will be confident in knowing how to support your clients to get back into sports and regular exercise. We want you to feel confident in recommending the right gripping aids to support each different client you work with.

HCPC Standards

We know that all professionals working in this area are obliged to undertake regular professional development. This can take a range of forms. The Health and Care Professions Council explain, “the more variety you have, the better, as we’re looking for evidence of a range of activities.”

Our video content is written with the HCPC CPD Standards in mind and will ensure you,

1. Demonstrate that your CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to your current or future practice;
2. Seek to ensure that your CPD has contributed to the quality of your practice and service delivery;
3. Seek to ensure that your CPD benefits the service user.

Finding our Content

You can access our first CPD module via our YouTube channel, by clicking here. Search our channel for ‘The Benefits of Ongoing Sport and Exercise’. Alternatively, you can click the image below to head directly to the CPD content. Once you have watched the module, you can email us to be sent your e-certificate to add to your portfolio.

We hope this module will prove really useful to you and your clients wanting to exercise with confidence. We’re already getting ready to create another module to further support those working with clients with reduced hand function. If there is a topic you would like us to cover, we’d love to hear your ideas! Get in touch by emailing jo@activehands.com. 

Jo Smith

The post An Exciting CPD Announcement appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

If you have a child returning to school soon, you’ll know there’s a long list of equipment to get sorted. From uniform to stationary, lunchboxes and drinks bottles. But if you have a child with a disability, making sure they are set for the school year ahead can involve an extra layer of planning.

Let us take some of the mental load of this task for you. Take a browse through our comprehensive guide to supporting a child with reduced hand function at school. See how you can get them ready to achieve their full potential with independence, inclusion and joy!

Getting Ready for the Day

School mornings can be a real rush! So supporting everyone to be as independent as possible can really help. It can also be an opportunity to teach great life skills and boost self-confidence. We have lots of simple supports that can make a significant difference to a smooth morning routine.

Our dressing supports can help tackle fiddly zips, buttons and shoe laces. Subtle, versatile solutions that work for all ages. Our Button Puller is a classic solution that helps with school shirts. Zip Grips simply pop onto zipped hoodies, coats – even school bags and pencil case zips. They create a loop for hooking with a finger to raise and lower zips without the fuss. And they can stay on through the wash! Zubits magnetic laces create a really wide opening to slip feet into shoes and then close securely with a click. Dressed and ready for action, with no fuss!

For the final touches, the Manta Healthy Hair Brush is easy to grip for those with reduced hand function and leaves hair super shiny. The 1-Up Hair Tie is designed to support those with one-sided weakness or limb difference to create a ponytail. And EazyHold Straps can be added to just about everything to create a comfortable strap that prevents children from dropping hairbrushes, toothbrushes, cutlery and more.

Packed Lunch Prep

We have a really wide range of kitchen supports to enable everyone to be more independent and confident in the kitchen. Where children are able to start this journey, even in simple ways, we’re setting them up with a great life skill. We have lots of tools that are safe for children to use, so you can support them to work with joy and independence in the kitchen.

The Sandwich Prep Board is perfect for those with one-sided weakness or limb difference. Pop your bread against the raised edges and spread away from your body, towards those edges. Your bread is held in place and you’ve made yourself a sandwich in no time.

Get into jars and bottles without the struggle with the bottle and jar openers. These simple, silicone grips give a firm hold, perfect for those who struggle with joint pain or finger weakness. For those with one-sided weakness or limb difference, the Belliclamp Jar and Bottle Opener is designed so users can hold the jar in place with a hip and open with just one hand.

Finally, our Nimble is a one-finger cutter. Its tiny, ceramic blade is safe for everyone to use. But it is strong enough to cut through food packaging to open things like cheese, ham, ready meals and so much more. It’s also great for cutting through craft paper, opening parcels and lots of other tasks!

At School

Once at school, the right tools can enable children to access the curriculum, engage in lessons and build their confidence. For those who need complete support to grip or keep hold of objects, we have two gripping aids designed especially for children. Our General Purpose Mini Aid gently wraps fingers around objects, creating a firm hold. Children can hold musical instruments, handlebars of trikes and bikes, toys and so much more.

Well they work as well as I could have hoped…His movement is much more controlled, he is stronger at pedaling (which is great exercise for him).  The teachers in his school, his parents, and of course myself could not be happier.  Thank you!!
Bob Majkrzak (Grandad of Parker)

Our Mini Small Item Aid supports children to grip any small diameter object and, as well as supporting many tasks at home, can be really versatile in a school setting. From creating art, to writing, to holding musical instrument beaters and sensory toys.

Technology

For those who reply on technology to communicate or access the curriculum, our range of supports can make operating their tech much easier. Our Sixth Digit is a wearable stylus. It allows users to comfortably type and push buttons, without the need to isolate and extend a finger. It comes with three sizes, so everyone can find their perfect fit.

The Flexi Phone Holder clamps easily to wheelchairs or desks. It uses magnets to locate and a vacuum seal to hold, a phone or tablet. This means your child’s tech can be positioned where it is most comfortable for them and can be accessed easily all day.

Fine Motor Support

For those with reduced finger dexterity, hypermobility or joint pain, fine motor tasks can be really tricky. We have a wide range of options for writing to support an effective pencil grip, as well as lots of different options for cutting with scissors. In addition, Card Holders can be a great way for children to organise resources. Items such as phonics or number cards can be held easily, to access lessons without frustration.

If you’re looking for tools to support your child with reduced hand function this school year, browse our full range of school supports here. Or, if you would like to see all of our gripping aids that are appropriate for children, you can browse here.

We wish all the children in our community a smooth return to school this year. We look forward to hearing about the adventures they get up to, in school or elsewhere! Feel free to get in touch on our social media channels, if you’d like to share your child’s achievements.

Jo Smith

The post Heading Back to School? appeared first on The Active Hands Company.

Who are The Stroke Foundation?

The Stroke Foundation is dedicated to bridging the critical care gap for stroke survivors and their caregivers by providing comprehensive support and reliable resources, empowering individuals with the tools, guidance, and community connections they need to navigate every aspect of recovery.

The Stroke Foundation is dedicated to bridging the critical care gap for stroke survivors and their caregivers by providing comprehensive support and reliable resources, empowering individuals with the tools, guidance, and community connections they need to navigate every aspect of recovery.

Our work is grounded in the reality that stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. While emergency care has improved, the long-term rehabilitation and recovery process remains deeply underfunded and misunderstood—leaving thousands of survivors and their families without the help they need to truly recover.

At The Stroke Foundation, we aim to bridge this critical gap in care by providing direct financial assistance for therapy, delivering educational resources, and creating community-based support systems that address the physical, emotional, and financial toll of life after stroke.

Our vision is to be the leading support network for stroke survivors and their caregivers, ensuring that no one faces the challenges of stroke recovery alone. We aim to create a future where every stroke survivor has access to the full spectrum of care and support needed to reclaim their quality of life.

How is the Stroke Foundation supporting the Stroke Community?

Each year in the United States, approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke. For those who survive, the journey doesn’t end at the hospital—it begins there. Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the U.S., with more than two-thirds of survivors requiring some form of post-acute rehabilitation to regain essential functions such as walking, speaking, swallowing, and performing everyday tasks.

In the immediate aftermath of a stroke, patients are typically discharged from the hospital to a short-term rehabilitation facility or sent home with limited outpatient care. But stroke recovery is complex, highly individualized, and neurologically intensive. Survivors often experience:

• Hemiparesis or paralysis on one side of the body
• Aphasia, or difficulty speaking, understanding, reading, and writing
• Dysphagia, or trouble swallowing
• Cognitive deficits such as memory loss, confusion, and poor executive function
• Emotional and psychological challenges, including depression and anxiety

To address these deficits, recovery may require a coordinated, high-frequency plan of neuro-specialized therapy.

Evidence-based guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend that stroke survivors begin rehabilitation as early as possible and receive therapy at “the intensity necessary to promote neuroplasticity”—the brain’s ability to reorganize and heal. That often means at least 60 to 90 therapy sessions over 3 to 6 months.

Unfortunately, [the US] healthcare system is not structured to support this reality.

• Medicare limits outpatient therapy services to approximately $2,230 per year, per discipline—the equivalent of about 20 sessions of PT, OT, or SLP at market rates.
• Many private insurance plans impose visit caps or high copays, and preauthorization denials are common.
• Once benefits run out, survivors must pay $100–$250 per session out-of-pocket for neuro-specialized therapy—costing thousands of dollars per month.

At the same time, many survivors lose their jobs and health insurance after a stroke. Their caregivers—often spouses or adult children—must cut back hours or stop working entirely to provide round-the-clock care. The result: survivors are forced to choose between basic living expenses and their recovery.

Does insurance cover rehabilitation sessions?

Insurance doesn’t go far enough. A common myth is that having insurance guarantees access to care. Our Stroke Survivor Fund applicant data tells a different story:

• 37% have insurance that covers standard outpatient PT/OT/ST, but with strict visit limits (often around 20–30 sessions).
• 35% have insurance that does not cover any rehabilitative therapies.
• 28% have no health insurance at all.

Even among the insured, few have access to neuro-specialized or inpatient rehabilitation, which is often denied by insurers citing “lack of medical necessity.” Yet these are the same individuals who cannot feed or dress themselves—demonstrating a dangerous disconnect between medical definitions and functional reality.

How does the Stroke Foundation’s program work?

The Stroke Survivor Fund is a national financial assistance program created to help stroke survivors regain their independence by accessing critical rehabilitative therapies—physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech-language therapy (SLT). Established in 2023 by The Stroke Foundation, the fund addresses one of the most devastating gaps in stroke care in the United States: the lack of affordable access to recovery services after hospital discharge.

Our applicants are diverse in background but united in their need: they are navigating a life turned upside down by stroke with too few resources to reclaim their independence.

How do you support your applicants?

Recovery needs are intensive, urgent, and often financially out of reach:

• 38% need physical therapy, 36% need occupational therapy, and 26% need speech therapy—with many needing a combination of all three.
• Over 50% are not in any therapy at the time of applying, despite needing it.
• 54% have previously received inpatient therapy, which is effective but extremely costly and poorly covered by insurance.
• 28% have accessed outpatient therapy, and 19% have had therapy at home, often due to lack of other options rather than choice.

Started in 2023, the Stroke Survivor Fund was created to fill this critical care gap. The program provides direct financial assistance to stroke survivors who are uninsured, underinsured, or experiencing significant financial hardship, enabling them to access evidence-based neuro-rehabilitative care.

This program is already transforming lives. Survivors report regaining the ability to walk, speak, write, return to work, and care for themselves—milestones that would have been out of reach without therapy.

What makes you do what you do?

When we fund therapy, we do more than treat a condition—we give people their lives back.

It delivers hope, dignity, and independence to people who have been blindsided by a medical crisis.

The Stroke Survivor Fund is not just a safety net. It is a launchpad for recovery—one that ensures no survivor is denied the chance to heal because of what their insurance won’t cover or what their bank account says.

To find out more about The Stroke Foundation and their work please visit their website. If you’re not in the US, there are charities all over the world supporting stroke survivors in different ways. Here in the UK, we are lucky to have free healthcare under the NHS. However, for additional support following a stroke please get in touch with the Stroke Association.

If you’re looking for gadgets to support your independence after stroke please visit our shop page.

Jo Gumbley

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