What Happens Next?

Once you have a stroke, you will be taken to the hospital for medical help. After getting the required and necessary treatment, it’s time to go home and plan a post discharge care plan for fast recovery. You should be aware of the fact that when you get back home, you should be aware of the following issues:

• Difficulty in performing daily tasks
• Movement with one side of the body
• Not being able to pay attention to details
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Not able to think and comprehend properly
• Seeing on one side 
• Any change in the behaviour
• Issue with memory and remembering things
• Muscular spasms
• Not aware of or loss of sensation of some body parts
• Difficulty in talking or understanding people

Considering the above, you might feel issues and difficulty in these areas. Thus, it would help if you were well prepared for all these issues. The biggest issue which many patients feel is the level of depression after stroke. You have been independent and active throughout your life, and one fine morning after stroke, you see yourself dependent on others. This can cause severe depression in some way. 

Moving Around Can Be Difficult

After a stroke, performing normal routine tasks can be difficult. You have to find a safe place at home, accessible to all the family members and easy to approach. You can ask for advice from medical practitioners about bringing productive change in your daily life routine. 

As far as family and friends are concerned, their full-time support is needed in these areas:

• For contractures involving joint tightening
• While sitting or lying, the position of both arms and legs need to be accurate and in the proper direction
• Proper exercise every day for keeping shoulders, elbows as well as other joints intact
• About the correct positioning of the splints

If you have planned to use the wheelchairs, then you should be aware of some other factors like:

• Keep low pressure on ulcers. For that matter, frequent changes in the positioning of the wheelchair several times during the day
• You should consult medical advice or the internet for seeing means for reducing pressure on ulcers
• Reducing pressure on knees, heels, tailbone, ankles, and elbows
• Regular exercise. In case you are not able to get exercise, they may hire the services of the caregivers. 

How To Speak And Think:

There are also tips for making thinking and speaking easier for stroke patients at home. Some can be:

• Rather than getting zippers and buttons, go for Velcro. For buttons and zippers, make sure both are on the front side for easy access and use. 
• It is better to use pullover clothes, plus shoes.

People who have had strokes find it hard to speak and even think at times. The communication barrier can very well be managed with the help of proper support from the family members. Also, some trained caregivers know how to talk and understand. Such help can do wonders for stroke patients at home.