Team Voices: Q & A With Kathy On Her Retirement

This is our space to celebrate the dedication and all-around brilliance of our experienced physiotherapy team. From question and answer interviews to top tips and behind-the-scenes information, our ‘Team Voices’ blog is all about the people who come to your home and support you on your physiotherapy journey.

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A Fond Farewell to Kathy

Kathy Weston has been a well-loved member of our team. She is renowned for her holistic approach to patient care and her advocacy for vulnerable patients.

Upon her retirement, we asked her to reflect on her physiotherapy experience and reveal her plans for the future.

What drew you to physiotherapy initially?

When I left school at 16, I trained as a Nursery Nurse (under 5’s care) and used to work in a council-run Day Nursery. We had a 3-year-old boy with quite severe cerebral palsy, and the physios used to come in and work with him and show us how best to help him. I thought that it would be something I would like to do.

Eleven years later, when my youngest was about to start school, I looked into a return to work and Physiotherapy. I had no A levels, so going to University wasn’t an option, but I learned about working as a Physiotherapy Assistant and was lucky enough to get my first job working on the Stroke Unit at Orpington Hospital, where I discovered a passion for neuro.

When a course came up offering the chance for physiotherapy assistants to train as physiotherapists, I jumped at the chance. I still thought I’d like to work in paediatrics; however, a placement in community paediatrics made me realise that I wasn’t cut out emotionally to work with small children!!

By this time, though, I had discovered that I liked working with older adults and particularly those with neurological conditions.

To be able to positively impact someone’s quality of life is still the thing that I love most about physiotherapy.

How has the profession changed over the years?

I think the biggest change has to be the growing awareness of the impact of mental health on physical health and vice versa. It is more about being holistic than treating the specific condition, and I think that has to be a good thing.

What is your most memorable story or favourite moment?

Gosh! Too many to list here!

Standing with a lady who thought she would never walk independently again after she walked across her lounge for the first time without her crutches.

A stroke patient who had consistently refused physiotherapy before I started seeing him because he “couldn’t see the point” and who came back to visit me a few weeks after his discharge, walking independently without his stick. (Lots of tears that day!)

A patient who couldn’t stand or walk unaided when I first saw him, who is now walking independently with a walking frame.

Patients who reduced me to tears (both of sadness and of laughter!)

The ones who didn’t make it, despite everyone’s best efforts.

How has working with this community impacted you?

It is very humbling to be entrusted with someone’s care. You meet these people when they are at their most vulnerable. You are welcomed into their intimate lives and invited to share in their journey, to become a part of their story. How incredible is that?

I’ve met and worked with some of the most inspirational and skilled professionals and met a whole wealth of interesting and diverse humans, all with a story to tell.

I looked after a lady who was a suffragette and threw a brick through the window of a Bank in protest. I treated a lady who was a dressmaker to the Queen Mother, a man who was a “guinea pig” for facial reconstruction after the Second World War, and I have treated an Olympic athlete.

In what other profession would I have met such a diverse group of people? What a privilege it is to have played a small part in their incredible lives.

What will you miss?

The people. Pure and simple. All my lovely clients and my spectacular colleagues.

I WON’T miss the paperwork (which is mostly on a computer these days!!)

What advice would you give someone starting in the physiotherapy profession?

Be curious. Lead with compassion and empathy. Get to know your client as a person, not just their medical history.

What are you most looking forward to in your retirement?

Lie-ins. Time to go to exhibitions and galleries, the theatre, and concerts. Time with family. An exciting move to a new home, hopefully by the sea!

Thank you for your dedication and support over the years, Kathy. We wish you the very best of luck in your onward adventures!

You can read more updates about our wonderful team in our Home Links Latest blog >

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