A stroke is an emergency medical condition that can affect anybody at any age.
Whilst many people are aware of strokes, they often don’t know about the amount of support that is needed to help rehabilitate the patient.
What is a stroke?
Before being able to help somebody who has had a stroke, it’s important to understand what it is.
There are two main causes of a stroke:
- Ischaemic – where the blood supply to the brain is cut off due to a blood clot (this is common in 85 per cent of cases)
- Haemorrhagic – where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts
The lack of blood supply or bleeding to the brain can cause areas of brain tissue to die or become damaged, causing a brain injury that can have a lifelong impact.
Recovering from a stroke
Due to there being different types of strokes that will affect different areas of the brain, there will be different treatments depending on the type of brain injury the patient has.
This can mean that treatment plans may vary in whether they need regular medication and how much rehabilitation support may be needed, which can vary from help with movement to speech and language therapy.
In severe cases, the patient may even need permanent care support to help them in their everyday life.
How can I support somebody who has had a stroke?
The types of support needed after having a stroke can include physical, mental, and emotional help.
A stroke can be very distressing for the patient, so offering emotional comfort and guidance can be of great help. This could even be simply talking to them over a phone call.
Support and care you give can also vary from doing the patient’s shopping for them and helping with their medication to doing tasks such as cooking and cleaning.
The Stroke Association is a charity which specialises in giving support to stroke victims and their loved ones and can be a useful place to find further advice on supporting somebody who has had a stroke.
Carers
Before leaving the hospital, there should be a support plan put in place for the patient including what type of support they will need and who will give it. This can sometimes involve the need to have professional carers.
Here at Synergy Complex Care, we understand that everybody’s needs and abilities will be different after having a stroke, so we can create tailored care plans for everyone. We specialise in not only recovery but also social activities and family commitments which can also help with the emotional effects of a stroke.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help people who need help as a result of a stroke, contact us today.