If you’re caring for someone who has had a stroke, you can do a number of things to help keep them comfortable while on the path to recovery. Additionally, if you’re a full-time caregiver for a stroke survivor, you need to include some self-care for yourself.
How do you care for someone after a stroke?
It’s essential to get answers to some questions when caring for someone after a stroke. You need information about the medications your patient needs and how to administer them properly.
Communication with your stroke patient’s doctor can give you the facts you need to know to help keep your patient from having another stroke or getting injured during the recovery phase. Some specific ways to care for someone who has had a stroke include:
- Add protein drinks and supplements to their diet as needed to avoid the risk of malnutrition.
- Administer medications on time and exactly as prescribed. Use a pill organizer to help keep track of medication.
- Be alert to emotional changes and signs of depression and quickly get help if necessary.
- Be patient and calm – expect even small tasks to take longer for someone recovering from a stroke.
- Get rid of anything that could be a tripping hazard for a patient with limited mobility, such as throw rugs that can slide or have turned-up edges.
- Participate when your patient exercises to make it more enjoyable. Resistance bands can be effective exercise tools that are easy to use.
- Secure anything tall with wall anchors if someone falls, and try to grab it when getting back up from the floor.
Also, look around the house to see if other home items might make things easier for them. For example, grab bars near the toilet and shower give them something to hold onto when in the bathroom. Grabbers can help them reach things high up or on the ground.
Consider what eating aids they might need, too. Little things like flexible straws and cups with lids can make all the difference for someone who wants independence after a stroke.
Can a stroke survivor live a normal life?
Each stroke patient can be affected differently, and several factors determine the extent of recovery. Someone can live a normal life after a stroke, but for many, it can be a new type of routine. Stroke patients can end up with some physical limitations that linger and require accommodation, such as:
- Inability to swallow normally when drinking. They may require a thickening agent to make it safer
- Poor sense of balance or paralysis on one side of the body
- Speech problems
- Trouble seeing clearly
We offer products you can use to help keep your loved one comfortable while recovering, such as underpads and briefs for incontinence and walkers to help with mobility issues. Check out Simply Medical today for all your caregiving needs.