Family And Loved Ones: Their Role In The Road To Stroke Recovery
When a person suffers an ischemic stroke, the brain is damaged. An ischemic stroke is a condition where the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen because of a blockage (called a blood clot) in the blood vessel, When the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs, permanent damage can occur.
The stroke victim can suffer from paralysis, speech defects, and vision problems. Ischemic strokes can also impair the person’s ability to be cognitive as well as affect one’s moods and emotions.
Changes in Personality Caused by a Stroke
When a person suffers a stroke, a part of the brain that affects mood and behavior is impacted. It can cause several changes in the personality of a stroke victim. Some of the changes a person who suffered from a stroke may be the following:
- Depressed – After a stroke, a significant change in the behavioral personality of a stroke victim is depression. This is caused by biochemical changes that happened in the brain cause by the stroke. A depressed stroke victim often feels hopeless, are fatigued, sleep poorly and do not eat well.
- Apathetic – A person after having a stroke can be apathetic. Apathy is when a person is indifferent and unmindful of the surroundings and is content with not doing anything.
- Impulsive – Another personality change a stroke victim may experience is impulsiveness. This is when the person does not think ahead and often does something too quickly, on impulse. The normal brain pattern of deciding whether to do or not to do something is impaired and the resulting behavior is impulsiveness.
Aphasia After a Stroke: a Common Disability
Speech Therapy
A stroke leaves a lasting imprint in both stroke survivor and his or her immediate family. The brain is primarily affected by the stroke but the whole body bears the brunt of the damage caused by the incident. Some of the lasting effects of a stroke are paralysis, weakness, pain, problems with activities of daily living, cognitive problems, emotional difficulties and speech problems.
One of the most noticeable problems affecting stroke survivors is aphasia which is a form of speech disability resulting from the stroke. Continue reading
Different Types, One Challenge: Depression After a Stroke
“I feel a sense of sadness and joy. Mostly sadness though about what I’ve experienced and sadness about what others have experienced in reference to the stroke.” –Luther Vandross
Stroke is one event that forever alters a man or a woman’s life. And once it occurs, it leaves a lasting impression. Numerous disabilities can result from that major event. Such impairments vary from speech deficits, physical disabilities, problems with cognition and many more. It even includes problems affecting moods and emotions.
Risk of Sores After a Stroke : Easily Avoidable
STROKE AND SORES
One of the major problems affecting stroke patients is the loss of or diminished sensations in certain parts of the body. During a stroke, blood flow to the brain is impeded. When blood flow to the brain is impaired for a certain amount of time, this will result to cellular death and eventually could affect neurons in the brain which perceive the sense of touch.
Outdoor Areas and Additional Considerations
Outdoor areas
Safe outdoor areas are important, since falls are one of the most common complications after a stroke. To prevent any accident, outdoor safety features should include:
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Use non-skid flooring and floor waxes.
- Ramps for access on uneven ground
- A deck with a sturdy railing
- Outside doors that are locked or have alarms
- A hidden key outside
- Enough light to see walkways at night
- Nonslip step surfaces in good repair
- Stair handrails fastened to their fittings
- Step edges marked with reflective paint
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In addition, be sure to unplug or remove power tools.
The Telephone
Contact your local phone company’s special-needs department or visit a store that sells phones and accessories to inquire about:
- A phone unit with big number buttons to improve visibility and ease of use phone cradle
- Step-by-step, large-size instructions for using the phone
- Amplified handsets
- Signal devices, such as lights that flash when a call is coming in
- TTY (text telephone yoke), a device for people with hearing loss
- A portable phone
- Speed-dial buttons with names or pictures of friends and family instead of numbers
- A one-line phone that automatically connects to a preset number when the button is pressed
- A list of emergency numbers and medicines beside the telephone
- Clear instructions on how to direct emergency personnel to the street address of the house
- A personal emergency response system to signal a friend or emergency service
The Bathroom
Many accidents happen in bathrooms, so check the safety of the bathroom that you will use for home care.
Safety
- Cover all sharp edges with rubber cushioning.
- Install lights in medicine cabinets so mistakes are not made when taking medicine.
- Remove locks on bathroom doors.
- Use nonskid safety strips or a nonslip bath mat in the tub or shower.
- Consider installing a grab rail on the edge of the vanity. (Do not use a towel bar.)
- Remove glass shower doors or replace them with unbreakable plastic.
- Use only electrical appliances with a ground fault interrupted (GFI) feature.
- Install GFI electrical outlets.
- Set the hot water thermostat below 120°F.
- Use faucets that mix hot and cold water, or paint hot water knobs and faucets red.
- Insulate hot water pipes to prevent burns.
- Install toilet guard rails or provide a portable toilet seat with built-in rails.
If possible, have a shower stall that is large enough for two people. Use a hand-held shower head with a very long hose and adjustable jet stream. Put a tub seat or bench in the shower stall.
Home Therapy and Stroke Patients
When a stroke attack occurs, the best way to bounce back is to immediately undergo stroke rehabilitation or stroke rehab. During the course of a stroke rehab, a team of healthcare professionals work with the stroke patient to reclaim skills that were lost during the stroke attack. Rehab helps the stroke victim to be as independent as possible with daily life. It also helps the stroke patient to learn to live with the changes that happened to the stroke patient’s mind and body because of the stroke attack. And, rehab also helps the stroke victim to adjust to living at his own home, living with his family and even adjusting to life in the community.
Rehab should start as early as the stroke was diagnosed. It starts while the stroke victim is still in the hospital. Once the stroke patient leaves the hospital, home therapy or home rehab should immediately start. Almost all rehab programs lasts for at least 3 hours per day and eats up 5 to 6 days in a week. The likelihood of recovering skills and abilities is very high during the first few months after the onset of the stroke. Hence, it is vital that a stroke victim must undergo home rehab as early as possible. Continue reading
The Kitchen
Many of the following suggestions are made to fit the needs of stroke patients who are disabled who are able to help in the kitchen.
Safety
- Use an electric teakettle.
- Set the water-heater temperature at 120°F.
- Use a single lever faucet that can balance water temperature.
- Provide an area away from the knife drawer and the stove where the stroke patient can help prepare food.
- Use a microwave oven whenever possible (but not if a person with a pacemaker is present).
- Ask the gas company to modify your stove to provide a gas odor strong enough to alert you if the pilot light goes out.
- If possible, have the range controls on the front of the stove.
- Provide a step stool, never a chair, to reach high shelves.
Cover the floor with a nonslip surface or use a nonskid mat near the sink, where it may be wet.
Continue reading
The Bedroom
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Provide an adjustable over-the-bed table like the ones used to serve meals in hospital rooms.
Make the bedroom bright and cheerful.
- Make sure adequate heat (65°F at night) and fresh air are available.
- Make the bed 22″ high and stabilize it against a wall. Or use a bed with wheels that can be locked. This will allow the person who uses it to get up and down safely.
- Use blocks to raise a bed’s height, but be sure to stabilize them carefully.
- Install a monitor to listen to activity in the room of the person in your care. (Some are inexpensive and portable.)
- Provide a firm mattress.
- Provide TV and radio.
- Consider a fish aquarium for distraction and relaxation.
- Use disposable pads to protect furniture.
- Install room-darkening blinds or shades.
- Place closet rods 48″ from the floor.
- Provide a chair for dressing.
- Keep a flashlight at the bedside table.
- Provide a bedside commode with a 4″ foam pad on the seat for comfort.
- Hang a bulletin board with pictures of family and friends where it can be easily seen.
- Provide a sturdy chair or table next to the bed for help getting in and out of bed.
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