Helping Your Loved One with Stroke Recovery
Your loved one has had a stroke, but is on the road to recovery. However; the process isn’t easy and recovery can take longer than you think. If the stroke was a bad one, recovery can take months if not years. Also, some seniors may make a full recovery, and some seniors may only make a partial recovery. But the sooner your loved one begins treatment, then the sooner full or partial independence can be regained.
Helping Your Loved One Recover
Depending on the severity of the stroke, this can affect where the recovery is facilitated. Some seniors may have to stay in a physical rehabilitation facility for a long or short term stay. Others may be able to come home and recover with out-patient therapy or in-home therapy. Eventually though, in most cases stroke sufferers will come home.
There will be needed modifications in your home for safety also for that family member. So be sure that all the floors and hallways are free of unnecessary furniture and clutter. Either remove throw rugs or make sure that they’re secure on the floor additionally to prevent falls. Adding anti-skid strips and grab bars to the bathrooms is another precaution that should be done.
In addition, your family member may need assistance with personal needs and dressing. Slip-on shoes or shoes with Velcro straps, as well as buying elastic waistband pants and shirts with snaps will make dressing easier also. In addition, if needed, a home care companion can be hired to assist with this.
What Else Can You Do
When your family member comes home, he or she may become depressed or frustrated with the recovery process. Because recovery with this type of illness is very uncertain; a full recovery may take a while, or may occur quickly or sometimes not at all. In addition, there may be problems like those which accompany any learning process where the person has it solved one day, and the next day it seems harder again. So, your family member may lose hope or want to just give up. If that happens, you will need to point out the progress which has been made. Also, be an ear for venting by your loved one.
Because your family member may not want to be a burden or even because of pride, help may not be asked for when needed. So be aware of this and watch for signs that help is needed, but also respect your loved one’s privacy and don’t hover over every little move.
Importantly, you can help with medication monitoring. Because after a stroke, there are usually a variety of medications that will need to be taken. These could be drugs given together such as a heart medication, a beta blocker and a blood thinner. Read and be sure what each one does for your loved one, what the side effects are and what to look for when there is a problem. Plus, you can help your family member remember when and how to take them.
In addition, there will be doctor and physical therapy appointments and transportation issues. You could either help with the transportation or make arrangements for your family member to get there and back safely. Plus, your loved one may need help with daily living tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Home healthcare companions can be hired for these services also if you have to work or can’t be there for a part of the day.
Therapy is an important part of recovery and needs to be encouraged. These therapies could deal with recovering mobility, therapy for regaining speech, improving swallowing and occupational therapy to relearn how to do routine tasks. Showing your support to your family member is important.
Having a stroke can be a life-threatening illness, but following these keys to recovery is important and worthwhile.