When your senior has had a stroke, you might feel as if you don’t know how to help her recover. With the help of occupational therapy, physical therapy at home, and other types of care, your elderly family member can make some great strides in her recovery. Here are just a few things to focus on to help your senior recover from her stroke.
Make Sure Her Home Is Safe
After a stroke, your elderly family member’s ability to move safely through her home may be much different than previously. Look for all the possible ways to make your senior’s home as safe as possible. That may include removing clutter, adding ramps, adding handrails, and ensuring she has plenty of space to move around.
Make Rehab Easy to Access
Making sure your senior has easy access to physical therapy at home helps her recover in a comfortable and familiar environment. Physical therapy at home works to improve your senior’s ability to move her body. Likewise, it can help her become stronger. This is especially important if she was in the hospital for an extended period after her stroke.
Offer Emotional Support
Your senior will have good days and bad days, even after a minor stroke. What matters in that situation is that you’re there for her as much as you can be, so that she can share with you how she’s feeling and move through her feelings. Holding onto her feelings isn’t going to do anything helpful for her, so knowing that she can vent to someone she trusts is important.
Learn to Use Communication Aids, if Necessary
Some people find after a stroke that they’re unable to communicate easily or well. Speech therapy at home can help your elderly family member learn how to use different communication aids, some of which involve learning new technology. If you can also learn how to use these communication aids, it can relieve some strain for all of you.
Stay Alert for Signs of Another Stroke
The last thing your elderly family member needs or wants is to experience another stroke while she’s recovering from this one. Following her doctor’s instructions as thoroughly as possible is essential. Ask what the signs are of another stroke, so that you can be as aware as possible. If your elderly family member’s doctor recommends changes to her diet or activity levels, work out a plan for making those changes as quickly as possible to support your senior’s health.
Recovering from a stroke may require your senior to help from various sources. Making the most of all those resources can help your elderly family member recover as thoroughly as possible. Celebrate all the little victories your senior achieves along the way, because they add up quickly.