A FULL LIFE AFTER STROKE
What We Learned
Undiagnosed Atrial fibrillation (AFib) was determined to have been the cause of my grandmother’s stroke.
She spent two weeks in intensive care and then another three weeks at inpatient rehabilitation at UCLA. She was then moved to a skilled nursing facility to continue her therapy. She lived with my family for another year as she continued to work on her recovery. During these stages we learned many things that we hope will help your loved one on his/her path to recovery.
AT THE HOSPITAL
If your family member requires hospitalization following a stroke, you should immediately start asking about what kind of rehabilitation he/she may require so you can start researching the options.
It is also very stressful time for everyone, and my family tried to make my grandmother’s hospital room as calm and peaceful as possible. The following are some suggestions:
Bring in a CD player, ipod, etc to play calm classical music or meditation stories.
Use lavender pillow and room sprays to create a sense of calm.
Heating pads that can be warmed in the microwave are very comforting.
Bring your own cooling and hydrating face wipes.
There will be many doctors, nurses and other medical persons coming and going. The following helped keep track of everyone:
It was helpful to keep a notebook at the bedside and to write the names of each doctor and his/her specialty.
Also write down the plan for care that day and list any questions for the next family member to follow up with the medical staff and doctors.
Keep a small whiteboard by the bed and write your name and family contact numbers and cell phones.
Ask the nurses to write their names on the white board each day to keep track of who is working that shift.
AT SKILLED NURSING
My grandmother was still not walking or using her left side after leaving the inpatient rehabilitation center. She was moved to a skilled nursing facility that offered occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy on site. She received physical therapy six times a week.
My mother moved my grandmother to a skilled nursing facility in our town so she could be closer to us. It was only a block away from my elementary school. Before school we would have breakfast with her. After school, I would go over and do my homework. I was in first grade at the time and had only a few weeks of school left. When it was summer, I would visit every day. It was a small one-story facility and the nurses all knew my name.
My grandmother was not walking and still had no movement in her left side. She was an artist and yet she could no longer draw and could no longer read. I brought my sight word flash cards and sat with her every day going over each letter and then the word and one day it worked and she began to read again. We then used my early reader books to continue working on our reading together.
These are some more suggestions:
Again using a whiteboard was very helpful at the skilled nursing because the staff is so busy.
Write your name and contact phone numbers. You can also write down questions. List your family members name and any important questions or concerns.
Get a large paper calendar and write the days and times of any therapy appointments, shower days, doctor visits etc.
We try to make my grandmother’s room as cheerful and relaxing as possible. We would have classical music playing and lavender spray for the pillows and we brought in fluffy blankets for her bed.
Simple early reading books, flash cards can be used to help recover reading.
Soft stretchy clothes that make it easy to get dressed.
Athletic shoes with velcro closures make it easy to get shoes on and off.
Bring in your own cleaning wipes and constantly wipe the room and anything that anyone touches.
If you can – buy your own lotions and wipes and write your loved one’s name on them with a sharpie.
RETURNING HOME
TIPS FOR THE RETURN TO YOUR HOME
You may need to make some modifications to your home if your loved one moves in with you. When my grandmother lived with us, my mother took the shower door off and install a curtain so we could get a shower seat into the shower. She also installed grab bars in the bathroom.
Here are some things you may need to do at home:
Install grab bars in the bathroom, shower and at steps.
Remove throw rugs.
Install raised toilet seat or seat with handles.
Add ramps.
the website discount ramps.com has many different ramps for inside and outside.
my grandmother keeps a folding ramp in her car so she can get into friends’ homes that have a step or two.
Buy large washable bed pads.
Use heavy duty overnight briefs – favorite brands are Tranquility and Prevail.
Buy an over the bed table/tray
Use a tap light for table. Your loved one can tap with one hand to turn on the battery operated light.
Echo Show – is a voice activated smart device. Your loved one can ask it to listen to music, watch tv, read the news and even make voice and video calls.
A pizza cutter can be used to cut food if your loved one can’t use one arm.
The Pill Pack is an online pharmacy that sorts and separates medication into sealed envelopes by date and time. This is very helpful for the caregiver who does not have to fill pill boxes.
A Kindle or E-Reader. You can change the font size and reverse the background which is helpful for those having trouble reading after a stroke.
Ponchos and wraps work great as jackets when a loved one can't move an arm.
My grandmother wears the cotton elastic waist pants and shirts from Land’s End Star Fish collection. They don’t look like workout clothes and are easy get on and off.
Slide sheets help get her into the car and her bed. slide sheet
Light weight wheelchair. The wheelchair my grandmother received from Medicare was a extremely heavy. We donated it to the skilled nursing facility and bought a Karma wheelchair. It is very lightweight, folds so it fits in her trunk and is very easy to maneuver.