In: Nursing
You are preparing an 81 year old woman for discharge following a stroke. her husband will be the caregiver. what teaching might you to provide to prepare him for the caregiver role
Having a stroke can be life changing and it can effect people in different ways. Adjusting to these changes will take time, patience and effort. I will tell the patient's husband that now he has to adjust to new roles, routines and certain part of life in order to assist her wife in recovering from stroke. It is very normal to feel grief, frustated, angry or upset sometime on this journey. It would really help if they spend a lot of time talking, taking morning and evening walks regularly at a certain possible level for the patient or if they join a social, recreation or exercise program (if possible for the 81 year women) as all of it can help in early recovery process. I will ask him to share his feeling with his wife and keep and open communication with her as well as the healthcare provider if he/she feels any difficulty. I will tell him that as a caregiver he has assess the basic needs of her wife like bathing and dressing, coordinating with the her health care needs and medications as well as rehab appointments, managing the financial aspect of the treatment and insurance coverage and most importantly help her wife to maintain and regain her functional ability. I will also ask him to monitor the appetite of his wife as well as her sleeping habits. This is because after a stroke, our brain undergoes some changes that can cause major depression, anxiety or uneven mood. In case of any symptom like face drooping, muscle weakness or speech difficulty, contact 911 as soon as possible as these are indicative of second stroke. Stroke reehabilitation is very crucial in getting a person out of this problem and he must address certain rehabilitation like speech, occupational, and physical therapy for her as soon as possible. At last I will tell him that in these hard time, it would be really difficult for him to be patient, calm, collective and focused and there will be times that he will fell weak physically as well as emotionally. So it is equally important to take care for himself, check out his own health and make sure that he is doing okay. Then only he would be able to futher support her wife. Stress is the leading cause of institutionalization for stroke survivors so it is really important that the family caregiver manages their stress not only for their own well being but also for the stroke survior as well.