Stroke Recovery at Home: How Home Care Services Can Help

Navigating life after a stroke can be an incredibly difficult and uncertain time. Finding the right care to best support the needs of a stroke survivor’s rehabilitation is a daunting task, but with home care services, it can be a lot easier.

Home care services can greatly influence the recovery and rehabilitation journey by supporting your loved one in specialized areas they need to help regain their confidence, strength and independence. In this blog, we’ll go over how home care services can help positively impact recovery after a stroke.

What to Expect After a Stroke

The after-effects of a stroke will vary from person to person. These factors will heavily depend on the type of stroke, the areas of the brain affected and the severity of the stroke. Generally speaking, the majority of stroke survivors experience the following:

• Cognitive Symptoms: Trouble with speaking, communicating, understanding and memory problems
• Physical Symptoms: Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, fatigue, spasticity and seizures
• Emotional Symptoms: Depression, anxiety and Pseudobulbar affect (PBA)
• Heavy fatigue and trouble sleeping

In order to determine which areas of the brain were affected, it’s important to be assessed to see what areas of improvement are needed. One of the main focuses of rehabilitation after a stroke is the activities of daily living (ADLs). By having home care services implemented in your recovery plan, you can take advantage of services like physical, occupational and speech-language therapy.

How Can Home Care Service Help With Stroke Rehabilitation?

A stroke can change many facets of everyday life and it’s a learning process for both the survivor and their family. By enlisting the assistance of a home care service company, you get the benefit and knowledge of medical professionals to best support the recovery and rehabilitation process.

Home care services can help build recovery treatment plans that are centred around the needs and gaps present in the stroke survivor. Since strokes can range in severity and after-effects, it’s essential to have a support team that can assess which areas to focus on.

Home services can assist in areas such as:

• Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): ADLs can include things such as eating, dressing, going to the washroom, bathing, functional mobility and more.
• Home Assessments: A licensed nurse can help individuals identify areas of their loved one’s home to see where hazards or fall risks may be present. Additionally, recommendations on where mobility support will be needed are provided as well.
• Customized Care: Depending on what orders are requested by the doctor, a registered nurse will work with your family to give the attention and support that your loved one needs the most.

What Post-stroke Treatments Are Crucial to Recovery?

The treatment and care a patient receives after a stroke will significantly impact the health outcome and recovery. After having one stroke, there is an increased risk of having another stroke. One in four stroke survivors has another stroke within 5 years. This highlights the importance of quality rehab with a team specially trained to improve the chances for the best recovery possible.

Some of the best ways to aid stroke recovery are through different types of therapy such as:

• Speech therapy helps patients who have problems speaking, or understanding speech or need assistance retraining the muscles around their face and mouth.
• Physical therapy uses exercises to help patients relearn movement and coordination skills that may have been compromised because of the stroke.
• Occupational therapy focuses on improving daily activities, such as eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, reading, and writing.

Home care services like skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy allow a patient’s family to have peace of mind when it comes to their loved one’s recovery. These customizable treatment plans are designed around the best and most optimal treatments to encourage healing, recovery and regaining independence.

Final Thoughts

Moving forward after a stroke can be an intimidating step. There are many areas that will feel very unfamiliar and uncertain. But this is why home care can help, our nurses are able to give specialized, individualized care that is centred on your loved one’s recovery. Each person’s recovery will look different, some may need more speech therapy while others need assistance with their mobility. Regardless they all deserve a high standard of care.

Contact us today for a free in-home assessment or to learn more about our services.