1. Encourage Rehabilitation Efforts
If your friend or family member suffers a stroke, he may go through weeks of rehabilitation before returning to live at home. It's important to help him re-adapt to life at home, but it's just as important to participate in his continued rehabilitation, spending quality time with him and encouraging him to practice skills learned in therapy. Encourage your loved one to take on tasks independently when possible, but remember to assist him with difficult activities, so he doesn't become frustrated.
2. Lend Emotional and Relational Support
At the end of a difficult day, all people need the love and understanding of others. When a stroke victim arrives home, make time for leisure activities like board games, movies and dinner outings. If your friend or family member is not up to an afternoon activity, make yourself available to chat, share a cup of coffee or watch television together. Much of the emotional support that stroke sufferers need can be provided through encouragement and relationships with others.
3. Rent or Purchase Assistive Devices
Assistive devices can help stroke victims manage everyday activities like eating, getting dressed, walking and taking medication. Since your friend or family member may still be struggling with mobility, provide a walker and cane to increase stability and help her get around the house. While she may be in a wheelchair when she arrives at home, mobility can improve with time and rehab. Standing or walking on her own may not be feasible for awhile, but she may be ready to transition to standing devices before long.
Other assistive mechanisms include large, easy-to-grip silverware, cups with t-shaped handles, long reachers and shoehorns, shower benches, raised toilet seats and fixed grab bars. Your loved one will probably struggle with every part of her daily routine at first, from toileting to preparing a meal. Providing her with these tools enables her success while giving her the satisfaction of participating in life activities.
4. Address Comprehension and Communication Difficulties
It is likely that if your friend or relative is recovering from a stroke, he will have to deal with language comprehension or speech disabilities. Take the time to visit with the hospital's language rehabilitation professional to discuss ways you can help him with speech deficits.
When conversing with a stroke victim, speak slowly, simply and clearly, enunciating well and giving him adequate time to respond to questions or queries. Maintain eye contact, listening carefully to everything he says. Don't correct every mistake. Instead, offer encouragement as speech and comprehension begin to improve.
When your friend or relative arrives at home, avoid big gatherings that surround him with people. It can be overwhelming and frustrating to follow and participate in large discussions if he's struggling with language use.
5. Learn to Recognize Signs of Depression
Experiencing some depression after a stroke is not unusual, but it's critical to watch for intense psychological changes in those you love. It can be difficult to discern the difference between depression and normal rehab frustration and post-stroke pain. If a stroke victim suffers from clinical depression, however, she may undergo a personality change that negatively impacts her continued rehabilitation efforts.
Watch for persistent sadness, sleep disturbances, changes in diet, excessive crying, decreased energy or a loss of interest in relationships or activities. These may be indicators that your loved one is clinically depressed and may need to seek the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist for counseling and antidepressants.
