Medical News

When someone you love has a stroke, your biggest concern is taking care of them in the best way possible. While it is possible for stoke recovery to take place, there are many times when things seem to be different. To take the necessary safety precautions in the home so as to prevent stroke patients from getting injured, there are many tips available that can help you as you begin to take on the role of caregiver.

Once someone has a stroke, they will need to have a few things changed at home in order to make their return safe with accessibility in mind. For the stroke patient who is wheelchair bound, automatic doorways might need to be installed as well as a ramp for easy access into the home. Doorways will need to be at least 32″ wide and there should be a 24″ clearance from the door on landings. By switching the traditional doorknobs to the lever variety, you can be sure that accessibility is not a problem during stroke recovery.

Upon considering the changes that will need to be made in the home environment, you might find that it is helpful to remove pieces of furniture that are no longer needed, especially if they are creating a cluttered space. Since lighting is often a concern, be sure to use automatic night-lights and plenty of lighting that is in-direct with no glare. Along with the necessary lighting to prevent tripping and falling in lowly lit areas, be sure to tack down rugs, cords, and anything else that could be tripped on in the home.

While all of these tips are great for safety within the home, there are a few other items that can be considered in order to make things seem a little nicer for the patient going through stroke recovery. Since a great deal of time may be spent within the bedroom, be sure to make it bright and cheery in color and lighting. A great way to add some much needed relaxation and distraction to the room is with an aquarium or photos of family and friends on a bulletin board. Keeping everything that may be needed within reach of the bed is a good idea, so consider using a bed organizer that can hold tissues, flashlights, remote controls, or anything else that might be needed for the patient while in bed.

Although there are many things that will need to be considered for the stroke patient coming home for stroke recovery, these few tips can help you start the process. As you continue your role as caregiver, you will likely find a few other things that can be done in order to increase the overall safety and accessibility of the home.

The symptoms of a stroke is usually appear suddenly, and always be treated as a medical emergency. These include the sudden onset of any of the following:

• The weakness of the face, arm or leg on one side of body
• Numbness in the face, arm or leg on one side of body
• Inability to understand spoken language
• Inability to speak
• Inability to write
• Vertigo and / or imbalance of gait
• Double vision
• A strong headache and unusual

Symptoms of a stroke start suddenly because they are caused by a sudden interruption of blood flow to an area of the brain. When this happens it only takes a few seconds for the brain to stop functioning. Only a small proportion of strokes produce headache symptoms. However, the sudden onset of severe headache make doctors suspect a bleeding within the brain. Due to the high risk of death in these cases, people entering the emergency room complaining of severe headaches are quick to detect the presence of blood in the brain.

Whether or not the symptoms of a stroke is permanent depends on the length of the affected part of the brain is without blood flow. While the events of poor blood flow, or ischemia, lead to a full recovery, and events can leave permanent deficits. The severity of stroke symptoms varies depending on the part of the brain that is affected. For example, strokes affecting the brain areas that have minimal importance in the daily activity of the brain, usually produces mild symptoms or undetectable. By contrast, stroke affecting the brain areas that are of overriding importance in the daily brain activity causes the most debilitating symptoms and remarkable.

For example, stroke affecting one area of the brain smell rarely cause identifiable symptoms. Conversely stroke affecting one of the language areas of the brain almost always do. For the most part, the left brain controls the right side of the body, while the right brain controls the left side of the body. When a blood vessel that carries blood to a specific part of the brain is blocked, only the part of the brain where the blood vessel affected. This causes the symptoms on the opposite side of the body.

The sooner we come to the emergency room the better the chances are that you will receive a treatment that can reduce and even reverse the long-term career. After calling the ambulance to prepare to answer the following questions, which help doctors select the best treatment:

What time did your symptoms start?

• What is your complete medical history?
• Have you ever had a stroke? Have you had bleeding within the brain?
• Do you have any metal inside your body? (this is important to decide if your head can be imaged with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the MRI machine has a powerful magnet. Articles of base metal within the body of the people include pacemakers, artificial joints, treatments dental, and even bullet fragments)
• What medications and supplements you take regularly?
• Do you have a bleeding disorder? It is very important to be aware in symptoms of a stroke for early management and prevention of more serious complications.