One of the most common solutions to take care of stroke patients is to move them to a rehabilitation unit or a care home. However, residential accommodation is not the only place where a stroke survivor can receive proper care. Home care can be an option if the stroke patient wants to stay close to their family. You can either take care of your beloved ones by yourself or with the help of local home care services.
What are the post-stroke effects?
A stroke will affect health and can cause both physical and mental impairment. You can check on your loved one to see if they are suffering from these symptoms:
Movement and Balance
Spasticity and muscle weakness are the common reasons why stroke patients cannot move freely like before. Spasticity, which causes tiredness and stiffness in the muscles and limits movement, might occur a week after a stroke or later. Meanwhile, muscle weakness was reported by 75% of the patients who had experienced difficulty in walking or griping. These after-effects are dangerous as they increase the risk of falling and injury in the elderly.
Fatigue and Pain
Pain and tiredness can drain patients’ stamina faster and be less active than before, which can harm the recovery process due to lacking exercise.
Impairing Vision
According to Stroke Association, around 60% of stroke survivors have visual impairments and eye disorders. Not being able to see as clearly as before might cause anxiety and sadness.
Emotional and Behaviour changes
Stroke can be frustrating and desperate as patients lose control of their everyday life. It is understandable for people to behave differently and be more emotional after a stroke. They might suffer from depression, demotivation, and losing interest in everything, which can be deduced by receiving adequate care and encouragement.
Read about how to help the elderly feel less lonely at home.
There are more severe consequences that stroke patients can experience. You can read more about other negative effects in Stroke Association to understand how to care for stroke patients.
The good news is that many stroke survivors experience the most improvements after the first few months. However, the recovery process then slows down and requires long-term treatment.
How to take care of a stroke patient at home
- Install necessary equipment to support stroke patients at home. Some patients might suffer from losing balance and limited movement, so installing handrails or anti-slip mats can prevent injury for the elderly.
- Encourage independence in stroke patients. Don’t be overprotective towards the patient and let them slowly take control.
- Change roles among family members. It might take time for a stroke patient to recover and return to their original role in the house. Divide the responsibilities among the rest of the family members and make sure to balance your private life.
- Have hope and be patient. The recovery journey can be long and complicated but remain positive to boost the patient’s confidence and energy.
Join Interact Stroke Support charity to hear and be heard by the stroke survivors community. You will find more useful information on how to recover from stroke there.
You can find more information about the care guidance for stroke patients provided by Headway.
Asking for help from professional home care services for stroke patients
If the situation is too much to handle, you can always seek help from a local professional home care provider. For instance, if you are staying in the West and South West of London, Visiting Angels West London might be the one for you.
Here are some tips about how to choose the perfect home care services for the elderly.
Why Visiting Angels have the perfect home care services for stroke patients
Visiting Angels West London confidently states that we are one of the best care providers in West London with professional and thoughtful services. We create a strict service procedure following these steps to ensure the benefits for our clients.
- Step 1: Understand your needs. We will confirm how you want us to help to provide the service that meets your expectation.
- Step 2: Build a program tailored-made for this case. We believe every client is different, so there is no one-fit-all care programme in Visiting Angels West London.
- Step 3: Intensive training 1-1 to make sure your caregiver is qualified to take care of the stroke patient.
- Step 4: Meet and greet your carer to see if you are compatible. We will arrange a meeting so that you can choose your angel.
- Step 5: Build long-term rapport and medical records to follow closely with your health recovery process. We will take care of the patient’s daily tasks, maintain their active lifestyle, and make sure they receive emotional support.