advice needed on stroke care provision

Sarahsaver

Just a quickie.
Re. therapy after a stroke. if sghe is able to hold a pen get her to write her name. Being able to do so is v important for your identity, you can feel like you lost your identity after a stroke. A doctor wrote a book about writing after stroke, it is an area overlooked by medical professionals.
Talking books may be good as first of all after my stroke I could not read because I got confused, but got very bored also. Fatigue will still be a BIG issue as the body has had a BIG shock.
Swallowing - suck ice cubes this helps improve the swallow. blowing bubbles helps re-learn to control your mouth. If you get the bubbles you cannot pop then you can practise hand eye coordination and also exercise the mouth with the blowing, i.e. blow a bubble then catch it!

margaretclare

Talking Books - well, I subscribe to Audible.co.uk and I download books onto my iPod. A nice present for someone like her? Mine was an absolute godsend when I was in hospital recently.

Margaret

markymark10_2

Hi all

Sorry ive not replied recently, its been a busy time and there never seems to be enough hours in a day. Mum has improved a little & although she still has no speech or use in her right side she can now sit up in a wheelchair with support & ive achieved a small breakthrough in that she can play noughts & crosses with some skill although strangely she cannot do a cross although a nought is no problem.

Id like to thank you all once again for your advice most of which I am taking on board either now or for the future & special thanks to Sarah & Margaret for their posts. I hope that all is going well for you now Sarah as it sounds like you really most have gone through a lot & I do appreciate your insight into the problems from a stroke survivors perspective.

Sarahsaver

That is a great amount of progress!

Marg

Hello Mark
I was sorry to hear of your Mum's stroke I know what that's like as my Dad had a very severe (dense) stroke many years ago and for the first month or so things looked very gloomy but the hospital were good & he worked hard to get better. It is possible to get communication back but you have to try lots of alternatives. Yes/No questions are best & watch for facial expressions as magic57 said they easily get them confused if you go too quick. Stroke victims get tired very quickly and need much motivation from you & carers to achieve their potential. Try Dominoes once she's beaten you at noughts & crosses!

My dad tried to talk & it sounded like baby talk but I was told he heard it 'as normal' so keep encouraging your Mum to try. There are lots of aids out there to help with day to day life - non slip mats - plates with deep rims to help one handed eating - hoists to help moving. Try the Stroke Association - sorry I don't have a link but they do have a website.

Nowadays, social services try as hard as possible to keep people in their own homes - even back then my Dad lived on his own but had carers going in 3 times a day & a call system as back up. Ask the hospital about getting your Mum a social worker when it gets near the time for her discharge.

On finances depending on Mums age think about Attendance Allowance or if she's younger Disability Living Allowance. Neither will pay whilst in hospital initially & wont back date but they aren't dependent on contributions paid. Don't be pushed to sell assets - take your time - & discuss everything with your Mum & gauge her reactions over time - only part of her brain has been damaged.

I do hope she improves but it will take time and will be hardwork for you both.

Biggles

Sounds very promising, Mark.

If she is communicating (as best she can), see if the staff agree that she still has 'mental capacity'. If so, you would do well to ask her to sign a Lasting Power of Attorney, so that you can act for her in all her affairs. Her signature (or mark - oops, no pun intended!) will be witnessed (preferably by the member of staff who agreed she had mental capacity), so there should be no arguement in the future as to whether she was able to sign.

Information about the forms here http://www.publicguardian.gov.uk/forms/Making-an-LPA.htm

You should do it now, just in case there should be a change in her condition.

Sarahsaver

Hospitals do an assessment of your abilities, and they look for things you need to be able to do in the outside world. I had to go up and down stairs, go round a supermarket (dropped a jar - oops!) slice an apple (I never slice apples!) get in and out of a bath. they didnt think I would want to hold my 5 month old son or my 18 m.o. toddler!
I got speech therapy which in fact is not just speech but helps with memory and so on.
She should not be forced into any setting before she is ready, be it home/care/mixture of things. Listen to today's You and Yours radio 4 show as it is all about community care. All the best x

Biggles

Sarahsaver wrote: »

Hospitals do an assessment of your abilities, and they look for things you need to be able to do in the outside world.

Before they let Mum come back to her own home a couple of years back, they took her there for an assessment.

They said, "Let's see you make a cup of tea".

"OK", she says, and trots, well, hobbles, off into the kitchen. Obediently makes a perfectly good cup of tea and sits back down in her chair.

They said, "Aren't you going to drink it?". "No". "Why not?"

She says, "I don't like tea".

Priceless!!

Sarahsaver

I suppose I should have said they assess the bare minimum and not necesarily relevant stuff;)

Marg

Good to see that you have both retained a sense of humour - a much needed thing when dealing with any illness of nearest & dearest.