We’re sorry to hear that your loved one, family member or friend has recently had a stroke. As a care home that specialises in supporting those who have suffered a stroke, we wanted to provide you with some advice, statistics and tips. It’s also important to understand when it’s in their best interest to get additional support through either home care or full time at a dedicated stroke care home.
Why did the stroke occur?
Firstly let’s begin with why the stroke could have occurred in the first place… There are 2 types of strokes which we have explained below:
- Ischaemic – This type of stroke occurs when the blood supply is stopped because of a blood clot. This is the most common type and accounts for 85% of all cases.
- Haemorrhagic – This is when a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts.
There are also transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) which simply are mini-strokes. These usually lead to one of the above strokes in the near future, so it’s important to still get treatment immediately if this occurs.
After stroke care: Therapies and treatments
Medical treatments – After a stroke has happened, the sufferer will be assigned certain medicines which will aim to avoid a second stroke and control the blood supply. These medicines prevent and dissolve blood clots, reduce blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels.
Physical therapy – Depending on the level of the stroke the individual may require physical therapy. Generally these are very simple exercises that can be done at home, and you could do these with your loved one to help their recovery further. A few examples of exercises to help with mobility include:
- Standing leg raises – this assists with hip movement
- Seated leg extensions – supports leg strengthening
- Standing balance exercises – improves balance
- Arm raises – improves stiff and weakened shoulder muscles.
Here is a guide from the Stroke Association for carers of those suffering from a stroke.
Signs and symptoms that another stroke could be happening
When caring for a stroke victim at home it’s important to keep an eye on your loved one and check in regularly with how they are feeling. Signs and symptoms of a stroke include:
- Severe headache
- Disorientation or double vision
- Unstability or lack of balance
- Lack of communication
- Weakness to one side of the body or face.
Stroke stats in the UK
We thought it would be helpful for you to understand how common a stroke in the UK is, so here are some UK stats*…
- 100,000 people have strokes a year
- A stroke strikes someone every five minutes
- There are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK.
When should you consider getting additional support?
Some people need a lot of rehabilitation and unfortunately, in some cases, the effect of the stroke makes it very hard for the person to re-learn simple skills they wouldn’t have thought twice about beforehand. Tasks such as the below can become hard:
- Washing and cleaning themselves
- Getting dressed
- Cooking and eating
- Driving
- Walking and getting around
- Communication and interpersonal skills.
This is the point where you may want to consider getting some additional support for your loved one to ensure they are getting the correct help they need.
Looking after someone who has had a stroke will also be hard work for you too and you must remember to look after yourself at the same time.
There is some useful information on the NHS stroke guide.
Additional support could come in the form of professional day care to help you with the above tasks, or it may be necessary to look into a stroke care home as in some cases caring for a stroke victim at home can become hard. This is where Country Lodge comes in.
By choosing a stroke care home you can rest assured that your loved one is then getting 24/7 assistance and receiving all the therapies and support that they may need. This will include:
- Physiotherapy – We have a physiotherapist that regularly visits our residents to support them with issues such as balance, coordination and agility.
- Nurses on duty – Our fully trained nurses are fully aware of the symptoms and signs of another stroke occurring so can get the help required immediately.
- Companionship – Your loved one will be surrounded by like minded people and will receive companionship from other residents and our staff. This can help with depression and anxiety that is recurrent after a stroke.
Contact Country Lodge today
We hope this article has given you some insights into caring for a stroke victim at home and when to consider a stroke care, but we are always available to answer any other questions you may have.
If you are ready to enquire about Country Lodge, we would be more than happy to arrange a viewing of our home and a call with our care home manager.
Contact our nursing home in West Sussex by calling us on 01903 830600 or emailing us at manager@countrylodgenursing.co.uk. You can also find us on Facebook for updates and reviews.
We look forward to welcoming your loved one into our home.