Facts & Figures
A stroke is an event that causes a disruption of either blood flow or oxygen supply to the brain. Strokes range from mild to severe, and impact a person’s neurological, speech, and physical abilities in this range of mild to severe impact.
In 2022, the CDC predicts that 800,000 Americans will suffer from a stroke. 25% of those will be people that have had a previous stroke. That’s a 1 in 4 possibility of having a stroke again.
Multiple risk factors like obesity, stress, inactive lifestyle, heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol affect more Americans than ever before. These risk factors contribute to the rising number of adults who suffer from a stroke.
Recovery
There are 3 key things that determine an individual’s ability to recover from a stroke.
- Timely Intervention – Recognizing the signs of a stroke and getting medical attention are very important in stroke recovery. Seconds will matter! Rapid medical intervention can decrease permanent or long-term neurological or physical damage after a stroke.
- Types of Stroke
- There are 3 common types of strokes:
- Ischemic Strokes – these occur when a blood clot blocks blood supply to a the brain and are the most common type of stroke
- Hemorrhagic Strokes – these occur when a blood vessel ruptures and disrupts the flow of oxygen to the brain
- Warning Strokes (a type of ischemic stroke) – these are a mini or mild stroke which are indication of future strokes
- The type of stroke determines the severity and any long-lasting impacts.
- There are 3 common types of strokes:
- Preventing Future Strokes
- The common recurrence of strokes means that after care requires vigilant and experienced caregiving to monitor for signs of another stroke and to help manage/ reduce the risk factors that can increase the chances of another stroke.
Given the multiple factors involved, no 2 stroke patients have the same journey of after care or recovery. A stroke affects every individual in a different way. The path to recovery needs to be tailor-made to address the type of stroke, the severity of the stroke, the medication or treatment for the stroke, and most of all any contributing lifestyle factors that will need to be changed.
Treatment
Medical treatment for stroke consists of 2 common plans:
- Medication to help dissolve the blockage that caused the stroke and to help control any contributing factors like excessively high blood pressure, for example.
- Surgery to remove the blockage or repair a ruptured blood vessel/ hemorrhage.
Treatment for stroke is based on timeliness. It is essential to have medical intervention immediately after you notice the symptoms of a stroke to make these treatment plans effective.
Treatment for stroke also has long-term recovery implications. Dissolving the blood clot or having surgery requires continuous monitoring, a careful adherence to a medication, diet, and exercise regimen to encourage a healthier lifestyle and recovery. In the instances where the stroke caused neurological or physical changes, there is a rehabilitative protocol that is created by physicians and physiotherapists to follow and implement.
Symptoms
Symptoms of stroke can range from mild to severe physical changes. Symptoms of stroke can range from physical, cognitive, and emotional impacts that can affect your loved one’s daily life in a number of ways. Even if a stroke is mild or a singular occurrence, the simple act of having a stroke can leave the strongest individual feeling fragile and vulnerable in the days after.
Typical stroke related lexicon to understand as you support your loved one’s care include:
- Paralysis on one side (face, body, or both) – also typically referred to as Hemiplegia
- Fatigue
- Seizures
- Muscular immobility, most commonly known as spasticity
- Aphasia – an inability to find words for a thought or an idea you want to express
- Apraxia – the inability to speak coherently or logically
- Dysarthia – lacking control of face and mouth muscles causing garbled or incoherent speech
- Anxiety/ depression – caused by the surprise of having a stroke and undergoing so many cognitive, physical, emotional changes with little to no control over your own body
- Memory loss or difficulty retaining new information – due to the disruption in the brain caused by the stroke, memory loss and the ability to plan or organize or learn new information can become challenging
Rehab and After Care
No two strokes are alike. Having said that, there are some common principles when providing or arranging for post stroke in home care for a loved one. One of the most important things about caring for someone who has suffered a stroke is the importance of experienced and 360 degree after care.
Plans for rehabilitation and after care are only successful if they are implemented wholly and followed for the prescribed duration of time. With the high chance of recurrence with strokes, it is important to enact the changes prescribed by medical professionals to reduce the risk factors for a stroke.
At this stage in the recovery journey, the experience, qualifications, and importance of the right caregiver make all the difference. Unlike other medical conditions that may have a simplified rehabilitative plan, stroke care is multifaceted and nuanced – it takes a number of interdisciplinary skills and experience across emotional, clinical and personality related factors.
Timeliness plays a big factor in stroke treatment and after care. Multiple changes have to be enacted at once – these range from physiotherapy to help with paralysis or spasticity, cognitive treatments to help regain memory loss and speech disruptions, overseeing medicines, and implementing necessary dietary and lifestyle changes. There is also the assistance required with daily tasks ranging from toileting, dressing, feeding, driving or even walking.
All of these changes are made with a keen attention to your loved-ones reactions and responses to the treatment plan to ensure that it is going well. There is also the continued observation to recognize the signs or symptoms of a recurring stroke.
In-home Care solutions for post stroke care
With in-home care after a stroke, an experienced and qualified caregiver is matched to your loved ones needs to help them rehab and recover in the comfortable environment of their home. In-home care provides familiarity with the same team of caregivers returning daily or staying overnight to provide night time care. The consistency of the caregivers helps achieve the multi-tiered recovery plan with all of its steps in the timely manner recommended by medical experts. In-home caregivers also provide companionship and support during the very lonely and challenging time after a stroke. Speech difficulties can make communication difficult. Anxiety and depression are normal and common feelings to navigate after having a stroke. A compassionate and experienced caregiver is equipped to deal with these feelings and can help manage them before they become overwhelming for both you and your loved one.
Care Mountain
Having a stroke is life-altering on many levels. With the right care, timely care plan implementation, and an experienced personalized assistance services caregiver, a person recovering from a stroke can go on to live a long, healthy, and in some instances, independent life.
An experienced caregiver has the patience, multi-faceted expertise, and knowledge to support their patients maintain their sense of self, mental acuity and physical autonomy to help them live with dignity and agency.
When you work with Care Mountain to manage your in-home care needs, our commitment is to ensure high quality care with a personalized care plan for your loved one’s post stroke care
Our quality caregivers undergo national background checks, extensive reference checks, and in-person interviews to ensure that they can provide the expert and personalized care necessary for a successful live-in care plan.
With over 17 years of experience providing live-in and in-home care including high quality post stroke care specialized caregivers to families across Dallas and Ft. Worth and ranging from Arlington, Southlake, Preston Hollow, Highland Park, Plano, McKinney, Allen and Friso – Care Mountain is well-versed in understanding the nuances and specifics of every family needing caregivers to support their loved ones.
Contact us today to help with your caregiving needs.
2022-10-10 12:31:36
Post Stroke In-home Care – A Guide to Best Practices to Set This Up Correctly
Gagan Bhalla is the Executive Director of Care Mountain Home Health Care. For over 19 years, Care Mountain has offered dedicated expertise in senior in-home care in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Managing seven locations across Texas, Gagan has committed his life to enhancing the well-being of seniors and their families needing home health care. Through insightful articles and blogs, he shares his wealth of knowledge, empowering families to make informed decisions about home care. Trust Gagan’s experience to guide you on the path to compassionate and professional senior care.