Home Care Following a Stroke

You are in the car on the way home from work and you get a call from the hospital. Dad has had a stroke.  He will be treated to remove the clot and will undergo physical therapy to learn to walk again; speech therapy to learn to talk again; occupational therapy to learn to dress himself and feed himself again.  When he goes home, how are you going to care for him?

Can you imagine how terrifying it must be to have a stroke, or even worse, TO BE HAVING A STROKE?  To be in midst of it’s strange, debilitating grip.  To feel your senses slip away.  To be able to think, but unable to speak.  To make an attempt to move, but your body be unable to respond.  To have been in a normal life routine one minute, then in a disabled state the next.  Things will never be the same.

It’s important that everyone is aware that some of the effects of a stroke can be reversible if the stroke victim is able to get to the hospital immediately.  There is a “gold standard” medication, Alteplase IV r-TPA, that is administered intravenously that can dissolve the clot that is causing damage to the brain.  If administered within 2 or 3 hours, many of the effects of stroke are reversed.  Sadly, most stroke victims are unable to get to the hospital in time to receive this treatment, so they live with disability for the rest of their lives.

At Senior Care Management Solutions, we see families dealing with the effects of stroke regularly

I always give these clients a jolt of positive enthusiasm by saying the following, “Here’s the good news in all of this.  Of all the clients that we have, you, as the victim of a stroke, are different.  You, unlike most of our clients, have the ability, with our help, to improve your status.  What you are today is not what you will be in 30 days.  We are going to work with you and your family so that hopefully we work ourselves out of a job, and that you do not need us anymore.”

I find that this statement gives the client strength, and gives the family hope, and lets them all know that we are there to support them for as long as they need us.

A caregiver from Senior Care can help your loved ones accomplish any number of activities of daily living that might have been compromised by the stroke:  bathing, toileting, dressing/grooming, feeding, meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping, and medicine reminders.  Caregivers can also help with the exercises or tasks that therapists have prescribed.  Our caregivers will provide encouragement and motivation to increase mobility and prevent falls.

Stroke is terrifying and life changing

Senior Care Management Solutions can help you and your family work through your new normal.  Call us for a free in-home consultation.