Recovering from a stroke can be a lifelong process for both patients and their loved ones. It is unlikely that a patient can fully recover from stroke within the first few months of treatment. But it all depends on the level of care that patients receive from their caregivers to make progress. Besides multiple treatments and medications, stroke patients need emotional supports from their loved ones.

This article is an in-depth guide for stroke patients to recover fast with the help of caregivers.

A stroke is a serious life threatening medical condition that occurs when for some reason or another the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. The sooner the treatment is started the less damage is likely to happen to the injured person.

The prevalence of stroke increases every year with an increased risk of disability across the globe. About 110 million people worldwide are affected by stroke every year. Stroke highly reduces the quality of life and imposes an emotional and financial burden on patients and their caregivers. Patients with stroke might be unable to perform their basic life functions, including; keeping a good balance, walking, speaking, and swallowing.

Emergency surgery and medications are the only options to treat stroke depending on the type of stroke that a patient experiences. Making lifestyle changes and rehabilitation can help a stroke patient recover faster.

If you want to speed up the recovery process of stroke, here are some tips that you can follow:

1. Make Appointments With Your Doctor

After you return home from treatment, it is important to take advice from your doctors and specialists, and maintain regular appointments. Unless a regular follow up is maintained it can slow down one’s recovery.

2. Modify Your Home According To Your Needs

Stroke patients might be leaning on one side of their body for walking a short distance. Sometimes, they are unable to maintain balance, which increases their risk of falling. A stroke patients may need medical equipment in their homes, such as a hospital bed, a wheelchair, or a walking aid. Depending on how severe the stroke was, your home needs to be modified for your safety and comfort. You can take advice from your medical professional and Therapist, about the equipment you need at home. 3C Malta also provides; Occupational therapists, Physiotherapists and Speech and language pathologists apart from nurses and carers to support your specific needs.

3. Go For Regular Blood Testing

The main reason behind stroke is restricted blood flow to the brain. Therefore, patients with stroke might be prescribed regular anticoagulants to facilitate recovery. It is important for you to follow up with regular blood testing so that your physician may prescribe the required medications and dosage based on your blood results and recovery.

4. Attempt Basic Tasks As Much As You Can

Doing daily tasks with which you’re comfortable can also facilitate your physical recovery. When you start doing daily activities, you’ll not only accomplish a mental boost, but also you’ll re-establish small movements that may be lost due to the stroke. You can also take support from your family or caregivers for daily tasks. Do whatever you can as safely as possible, this means that you might need assistance from a family member/caregiver or make use of specific tools to facilitate your daily activities.

5. Maintain Your Therapy Schedule

If you want to recover faster from stroke, you should start your therapy (occupational, physical, or speech therapy) as soon as possible. Adhering to recommended exercises and appointments is also suggested. You can take advice from trained professionals to focus on your long-term goals through various therapy sessions. These sessions might vary from week to week according to your recovery progress and individual needs.

6. Watch Your Diet

Sodium, cholesterol, and unhealthy fats can put extra stress on your body. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the intake of such foods with a balanced diet so that you can recover faster. Maintaining a regular meal schedule and proper calorie intake can give your body the energy to heal. At 3C Malta our dietician can devise specific meal plans to improve recovery as well as minimise the recurrence of stroke.

Below are some tips that can help informal caregivers to handle common issues while providing care to post-stroke patients:

1. Keep A Record Of Side Effects Of Medications

Multiple forms of medications are prescribed to stroke survivors for different purposes like cholesterol control or blood thinning medications. An informal caregiver must carefully monitor the side effects of such medications. Keeping track of any changes and keeping a log of behaviour and symptoms of the patient can help in case of any side effects.

2. Keep Your Loved One’s Medical Records Organised

Keep all records of your loved one’s behavioural changes, medication lists, and stroke’s side effects organised is very important as the medical practitioners will need to refer to them often during the care plan and various other therapies. In this way, you’ll be able to help professionals in case they will need to refer to any medical notes as well as take this information with you to any doctors’ appointment.

3. Encourage Daily Rehabilitation Exercise

Once back home, the first time you should notice is motor impairments that your loved one experiences after a stroke. Daily rehabilitation exercise according to your therapists instructions and regular movement can help rewire the brain of your loved one, helping them recover faster. 3C Malta home care services aim for restoring these functional abilities with regular bespoke and client specific rehabilitation exercises by professional and experienced therapists and Nurses.

4. Provide Emotional Support

After a stroke one may become emotionally sensitive. One sign of the Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is sudden outbursts of laughter or crying, which can be resolved by medications. Also, it is normal for patients to have depressive or anxious feelings following a stroke. During these times, patients need motivation and emotional support from their family and caregivers to facilitate recovery and empathising with them.

You can also provide assistance to your loved one with:

1. Mobility assistance
2. Driving and errands
3. Emotional support
4. Medication reminders

If you are finding any challenges in caring for your loved ones to recover from a stroke, our professional care team can assist you or your loved one with post-stroke recovery. 3C Malta provides complimentary in-home assessment to those who are struggling with post-stroke symptoms like the risk of falling, loss of balance or issues with managing basic daily activities. We focus on creating personalised care plans for our customers to meet their care needs.

Contact Us or call us on +356 7973 3333 to get more information about our home care services.