Beginners Guide: How To Care For A Stroke Patient

Being a new caregiver for a stroke survivor is not an easy task. It requires utmost patience, understanding, and compassion. If you are searching for the best ways to care for your loved one at home, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will share how to care for a stroke patient to help them recover quickly. But remember that this does not mean that you can put your health aside. For instance, you should still meet your dentist once in a while for a routine checkup. Get your teeth checked at A2Z Dental’s clinic in Emerald, QLD.

Ways To Care For A Stroke Patient

So the question here is, how are you going to provide home care for a stroke patient? First of all, there are some things to consider in caring for stroke patients. It is important to remember that this is a crucial stage in their lives and might cause them to be irritable at times.

Second, the stroke recovery period is a combination of mixed efforts from you and the patient himself. Promoting self-care to stroke patients can be quite challenging as they think that their situation makes them helpless.

Fret not cause here some tips to care for them without causing you any stress.

Encourage them to stay active

There are several exercises for stroke patients that can help them regain strength and mobility. Many patients suffer physical disabilities after surviving a stroke, thus making exercise a vital activity in their recovery. You can care for a stroke patient by scheduling their daily exercises to help amplify the brain. The stroke recovery for patients will be smoother if they are physically active.

Don’t overdo things

One of the common mistakes of people who care for stroke patients is that they tend to overdo things. This could affect the patient as it might discourage them from self-care and making movements independently. On the contrary, some stroke patients don’t like overbearing caretakers because it makes them feel useless at some point. The tricky part in caring for a stroke patient is knowing when to draw the line and be conscious if you are exaggeratedly doing things for their benefit.

Ask experts for some tips

Thanks to the internet we can now easily get in touch with other people without leaving the house. Hoe care for stroke patients will most likely restrain you from going out as you please. You can ask some expert caregivers online for some tips and how to make things easier for you and the patient. Often, tips on how to prepare nutritious meals are the most useful ones.

Consider home modifications

Due to the restrictions in the stroke patients’ movements, it would be better to make minimal changes at home. For instance, if their bedroom is located on the upper floors, it would be wiser to move their bed to the ground floor. This will make things easier for them as they can still roam around the house and prevent them from getting bored. It will also help you so that you won’t need to assist them in going up and down the stairs.

Be more knowledgeable about their medication

As a care provider, it would help a lot if you are aware of the side effects and the purposes of the medicines they take. Monitoring their medicine intake could also become handy in some circumstances. Pro tip: keep a logbook for all the medicines your patine takes and record the time when they took them.

Know more about stroke

The best way to care for a stroke patient is by understanding their condition. Understand how it feels to be a stroke patient and the common effects of stroke on their mental health. It will be easier for you to communicate with your patient if you know what they are going through.

Be patient

Stroke recovery is different for each patient. Some recover quickly, while others go back and forth in moving forward. Remember that this condition has affected them physically and emotionally, so try to be extra patient in dealing with them. One of the things that you can do is to support them in hobbies that won’t be dangerous for them. If they like baking or sewing, try to encourage them to bake or sew and engage yourself as they do it.

Always double-check supplements

Sadly, not all supplements should be taken by stroke patients. Some of these supplements may even make the situation worse. Always check the label and do your research. You may also opt to speak with the patient’s doctor before giving them any extra supplements apart from what was recommended by their physician.

Do NOT ignore falls

Because stroke patients can’t make solid movements like they used to, chances are they are going to fall once in a while. It will be hard for them to get back up on their own, so be sure to prevent this from happening. To do this, you cant buy anti-slip carpets or mats and place them in areas where the patient usually walks.

Be supportive

The last thing that stroke patients need is a care provider that is too pushy or compassionate. Their recovery period will depend not only on how willing they are to get through this but also on the support they receive from the people around them.

Overall, how you care for a stroke patient will have a significant effect on them. You don’t have to treat them like helpless children, but you need to exert extra care and love to ensure that they will stay encouraged to keep pushing through.

Reference:

How to Care for a Stroke Patient at Home with 15 Best Practices – June 6, 2019
(https://www.flintrehab.com/how-to-care-for-stroke-patient-at-home/)