25 Feb Stroke Caregivers, This Blog is for YOU!
Caring for Your Loved One After a Stroke
As a caregiver, caring for your loved one who has just survived a stroke, you may feel unprepared in your new and unfamiliar role. Typically, stroke caregivers have little information about stroke care, what to expect during recovery, and how to best support their loved one. In this blog article, we will cover the areas that can be expanded upon by a therapist.
As you can imagine, stroke survivors may need help to perform daily activities that were previously completed independently. The job of your stroke therapy rehabilitation team is to improve the stroke survivor’s independence as much as possible. That will require significant support from you, the caregiver!
How You Can Help as a Stroke Caregiver
Ask Questions! Lots of Them
Therapists love questions. The more you ask, the more they get to share!
– Ask about the type of stroke your loved one experienced
– Ask about the side effects of that particular type of stroke
– Ask how the therapy will improve function
– Ask how to communicate with your loved one
– Ask why they’re recommending certain exercises
Support the Home Exercise Program (HEP)
The work your loved one does at home will exponentially improve their functional performance of daily activities, including arm and leg movement, as well as attention and memory. One of the first things your rehabilitation team will ask of you is to help the stroke survivor carry out their HEP. Because a stroke creates drastic deficits with motor control, the best way to improve function is to practice the desired motion repeatedly. So much so, that your stroke therapy rehabilitation team may recommend a series of exercises to be completed for three minutes every hour.
Provide the Appropriate Amount of Help
We want you to help your loved one, but not TOO much! Each member of your stroke therapy rehabilitation team will teach you the amount of cueing your loved one needs to perform an activity; may that be a verbal command or physical touch.
Understand Changes in Thinking and Behavior
Caregivers often make statements, such as “My husband was never this lazy before the stroke,” or “My wife seems so impatient and I’m worried if I take my eyes off her she will try and get up without me and fall.”
Your loved one has experienced an injury to the brain and with that can come changes in thinking and behavior. They may experience decreased initiation, impulsivity, and an inability to stop thinking about something (perseveration). Your stroke therapy rehabilitation team will support you with understanding how to manage these behaviors and even alter them.
Get Rest, Know the Signs of Caregiver Burnout
We cannot encourage you enough to take a break from caregiving. You may need to ask for help from friends, family, or members of your church. In addition, there are multiple places to seek and pay for support from home care services. At Trio Rehab., we often support our caregivers by block scheduling the stroke survivors’ appointments, so that caregivers can get away for a couple of hours. To learn more about caregiver support, read WebMD’s article on recognizing caregiver burnout.
“There are times when I meet with my stroke therapy clients and their caregiver to encourage respite for the caregiver. The caregiver often denies while the stroke survivor agrees,” reports Jennica Colvin, occupational therapist at Trio Rehab. “Caregivers are often surprised by their loved one’s reaction, but it’s often the permission they need to take a break from a very demanding role.”
As a stroke caregiver, you have an enormous role in the recovery of your loved one who has experienced a stroke. It is a task that cannot be completed alone. At Trio Rehab, we are here to help you as much as we are here for your loved one. You are a key member of the stroke therapy rehabilitation team. Therefore, we do our very best to encourage and educate you about your loved one’s recovery process, help manage family expectations and financial concerns, and provide personal caregiver support so that you can get the rest you need.
Should you find yourself in need of a stroke therapy rehabilitation team for your loved one, give us a call at 830-755-6091 or email us. For more education about what a stroke is, and how to address financial and legal concerns, read “The Caregiver’s Guide to Stroke,” by the American Stroke Association.