Tips For Caregiving for Someone After a Stroke

When a loved one suffers a stroke, it can be a relief that they survived and are getting good care.

But recovery can take time for the patient.

Making sure they get the care they need can be a challenge for the spouse, grown child, or other loved one who is providing that care at home.

Fortunately, resources exist to help you through this difficult time while taking the best care of your loved one and yourself.

Mary Harris’ husband’s stroke “…changed the entire course and purpose of our lives,” she said in the American Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke guide. “But we go on. We have learned to adapt. While our lives are forever changed, we feel that the experience of stroke and recovery has enriched us as individuals and as a couple.”

The guide offers positive encouragement, asserting “there is life — and hope — after stroke. With time, new routines will become second nature.”

Still, stroke can dramatically affect mood, physical ability and memory.

And engaging caregivers in stroke recovery is important for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of services, according to a study published recently in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.