Few things can wreck the normal operations of your life like a medical emergency that leads to a permanent disability. Bad day doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of having a stroke, especially if you didn’t see it coming. That is the case for perhaps the majority who have them. We get only a little warning that something is happening. By the time we can interpret the warning signs, it is too late. There is also no way to determine in advance how bad a stroke might be. We just have to wait and see how things work out.
TIAs, commonly known as mini strokes, occur at a rate of 200,000 cases per year in the US alone. That is an awful lot of people who find themselves on the wrong side if a sudden, life-changing event. After a stroke, you no longer have the same control over your body. You lose confidence. Your social life takes a hit. Your career is also suddenly in question. Depending on what you do for a living, you might have to do something entirely different. That said, life doesn’t have to be over for you. There are just a few things you will have to work out without any time to prepare. Start here:
In-Home Care
There will be a period of adjustment. During that period, you will possibly need extra care, especially if you live alone. That is why you need to check into in-home care for stroke patients. One thing you should know about in-home care is that it is for a time and a season. That time might be now. But the season could well be brief. Sometimes, it is used as a transitional aid after a major surgery or lengthy hospital stay. Other times, it may be for the long-term. But people who have major wound care needs often turn to in-home care because it helps so much.
Another thing in-home care is good for is getting patients home from the hospital sooner. Long stays in hospitals can be cripplingly expensive and unnecessary if a little bit of home care is all you need. New stroke patients will find they need help with a lot of little things. Give yourself the time to relearn how to do things. Also, give yourself some grace. Things will get easier. Help is available. You just have to be willing to accept the help.
Home Automation
After suffering a stroke, you will really benefit from home automation tools. You could lose anything from a little to a lot of manual dexterity. And it might last from a very little to a very long time. Either way, you will want to reduce the little tasks that you have to do throughout the day such as flipping light switches and fiddling with thermostats.
Depending on how elaborate your setup, you should end up with something that automates everything on a schedule. More than that, smart things can make decisions that are helpful to everyone. Your air conditioner does not have to run all the time in every room. It can come on when people are up and about and direct the energy where it is needed. Lights can come on when a person enters the room and shut off when they leave. You might find it difficult to manually open the blinds. Fortunately, that can also be automated. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of the home automations that can make life after a stroke more manageable.
Counseling
You can and probably will tell yourself that everything is okay. You will want to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. But the fact is everything is not okay and not even in the same postal code as normal. It is perfectly natural to go through a bout of situational depression after suffering a stroke. It’s the human thing to do. It is also the human thing to see someone and make sure your situational depression doesn’t become something even more severe. A stroke is not the end of the world. Depression can be if it is allowed to get out of control and go untreated.
Strokes are serious. But they are also manageable. Manage the aftermath of your stroke by taking on in-home care, home automation, and counseling.
