Stroke Recovery Care Tips and Guide

Stroke recovery commences the moment treatment begins. The immediate goal is to determine what type of stroke the person is having so that blood flow can be restored to the nutrient starved areas of the brain. Once this has been established and the person has been stabilized, treatment as well as medications and goals for therapeutic recovery are put into action.

The patient may be released to a rehab facility before going home, or may be discharged directly to their home. This is dependent upon the patient being stable enough to care for himself, or if there is a spouse or other relative in the home to take over the care while the patient recovers. If you are the designated caregiver, here are some tips that may help to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Tips and Guides For Recovery Care:

It is important to remember that you have an awesome responsibility and things will not get better over night. It will take time, even months before things have some semblance of normality. Take it one day at a time as you and the one you are caring for settle into a routine that is comfortable for you both.

Your loved will have some emotional, mental, and physical deficits due to the stroke. Allowing for these and developing new ways to compensate for them will help your loved one learn to accomplish new tasks, such as activities of daily living.

As caregiver, enlist the help of friends and other family members to take over for an hour or two of respite care. If this is not possible there are adult day care facilities that your loved one can attend for a few hours during the day. Adult day care provides a break for the caregiver, as well as support and social activities for your loved one.

People with disabilities are vulnerable, and often times suffer abuse at the hands of the caregiver. Caring for someone at home is a stressful undertaking, and extreme care must be taken to not take your frustrations out on the one you are caring for. It is human to have feelings of irritation, and if you feel overwhelmed at times, talk with a friend or someone with experience in this area. Joining a support group for caregivers and stroke survivors can be quite helpful. You may find comfort in knowing you are not alone. Many have been caregivers to loved ones and will understand how you feel.

Try not to look to the past to compare to how life is today. Your lives have been changed and looking back accomplishes nothing, although remembering special times and events can be comforting. Seek out new opportunities for activities and look ahead to the future.

Memory Loss: Your loved one will most likely have difficulty remembering tasks that at one time were just automatic to them. Everyone will need to remember to keep a familiarity in the environment that the stroke survivor can come to depend on. This will help him to eventually complete certain tasks with minimal reminders.

Depression: This is a normal occurrence in any illness, especially with stroke survivors. Their behavior may become rebellious, refusing to take meds, or participate in physical or social activities. Most times doing just the opposite can help lift depression. If not, talk with the doctor who may prescribe antidepression medications.

Neglect Of The Effected Side: Some people who have had a stroke will neglect the symptomatic stroke side. If The person's stoke effected the left side, he may neglect all things on that side because he is no longer aware of his left side. Turning their head towards that side lets them see that it exists, leading them to finish the present task at hand.

Speech Difficulties: Your loved one may experience problems speaking and understanding speech. This can be alarming for the survivor as well as family members. Communication problems may leave the stroke survivor with feelings of frustration, anger, and isolation. Therefore, professional help such as speech therapy may be required.

Performing Activities of Daily Living: The stroke survivor may find performing simple tasks, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing difficult to accomplish. This will often have a negative effect on self image. Avoid tight fitting clothing that may be hard to maneuver. Rather, utilize clothing that close in the front, and shoes with Velcro closures for easy application.

Dietary Concerns: Offer foods that are low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol. This will lower the risks for another stroke. Serving fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain foods, lean meats and fish is a healthy diet everyone can enjoy. If the stroke survivor has a decreased appetite, offering soft flavorful foods may be just the right enticement. If swallowing is problematic, keeping close observation to avoid choking and aspirating food into the lungs. It is advisable to learn CPR, which will include the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge food stuck in the windpipe.

If the person is living on their own, Meals On Wheels will deliver nutritious meals daily to those who are not able to cook or leave the home. Special utensils are available with handles that are easy to grip, as well as knives for cutting food that need only one hand to use. Dental consultation may be needed to reline dentures for proper fitting. Its hard to eat when dentures are loose and ill fitting.

Care Of The Skin: To prevent pressure ulcers from developing, it is important to help the survivor to change positions regularly. sitting or lying in the same position for too long leads to sores on the heels, buttocks, and elbows. These areas have bone prominences that impede blood flow to these areas when in the same position for too long. The first sign of an ulcer beginning is a reddened area on the skin. Repositioning helps to relieve this. If the skin becomes broken, a call to the doctor for treatment will be necessary. Avoid infection at all costs.

Pain: Your loved one may occasionally or frequently complain of pain. Knowing the source of the pain and relieving it with repositioning or pain medication prescribed by the doctor, will aid in obtaining comfort. A person who is constantly in pain will exhibit signs of irritability. If you were hurting all the time you would be irritable too.

Sexual Activity: This differs between couples and need not be a problem. The intimacy in sexual satisfaction can be accomplished in many ways. What is comfortable for you and your partner is acceptable and normal.

by Barb Hicks RN/LMT