How to deal with elderly stroke

When a neighbour called to say that mum had been found buttering her bread with a clothes peg, I assumed she was getting rather forgetful.  Best to check it out I thought, so I collected up a few things and drove to Worthing

There I found her in her armchair holding court with a group of neighbours and sipping on her nightly ‘wee dram’
Well, I say holding court, but she wasn’t making much sense and the neighbours seemed rather relieved to see me. `Ah, look at the time, it’s quarter to Nikki’. 
She seemed well in herself, so she polished off her whisky and the next morning the GP confirmed she’d had a stroke
She prescribed aspirin. So far, so wrong!

Recognising Stroke

Each year 152,000 people have a stroke.  It’s the leading cause of severe adult disability and yet, often it isn’t even on most people’s radar

Today health professionals recognise stroke as a medical emergency, so the sooner you can get your parent to hospital the better chance they’ll have of a good recovery

The important thing for families is to be able to recognise the signs of stroke and know what action to take

Anyone can do the FAST test

• Has your parent’s Face has drooped? Are they able to lift their Arm?
• Is their Speech is slurred?
• If so it’s Time to ring 999.

You’ll probably have seen the television ads of someone with their head on fire  – those were the FAST ads that saw a 100% increase in stroke related 999 calls from the public

Recognise the symptoms of a stroke

Sometimes the symptoms of stroke may only stay for about an hour or so and then seem to disappear

This may be mini stroke otherwise known as TIA (Transitory Ischaemic Attack)

Still ring 999

TIAs may be a warning sign that a major stroke is on the way

It’s important that they get to a TIA clinic where their stroke risk can be assessed and managed

In fact, 40% of all strokes could be avoided by the better management of high blood pressure

What is a stroke?

What happens if your parent has suffered a stroke?

For those who have a stroke and are admitted to hospital, they’ll be admitted to a stroke ward

Here, there’ll be a multidisciplinary team of people, including Stroke Association Life after Stroke staff, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists who work with the stroke survivor to support them in their recovery

Stroke can be cruel, it can cause a wide range of disabilities but it’s also worth remembering that more people than ever before are making a good recovery

In fact, more than a third of stroke survivors go on to make a full recovery

For people who are left with a disability, the most obvious problems are the physical ones, perhaps the loss of mobility in their leg or arm

But the emotional impact on the stroke survivor and also the family can be just as traumatic

The sheer suddenness of a stroke turns people’s lives upside down and families are left to make sense of what’s happened and to create some kind of order and normality from what has happened

Stroke can also affect people’s ability to speak and understand what is being said

They may find it difficult to make sense of the everyday things around them and their ability to connect with others

There are a range of services and groups that can help. The Stroke Helpline on 0303 3033 100 can point you in the right direction

Leaving hospital after a stroke

The burden of stroke often hits home when families bear the brunt of care after leaving hospital

Support from the stroke team for the stroke survivor who has returned home can last up to about a year

But it’s often after this time that people suddenly find themselves on their own

Remember, no-one should be left to struggle alone and you can ring Stroke Association’s helpline for advice on 0303 3033 100 and to find out more of what’s available in your area

It’s really important that stroke survivor’s needs are regularly assessed. By doing so health and social care professionals will be in a much better position to work with the stroke survivor and carer to establish what kind of treatment, care and support is needed

If this hasn’t happened, speak to the key worker involved in your parent’s stroke, or ask your GP

The Stroke Survivor’s declaration sets out what level of treatment, support and care people who’ve had a stroke should be entitled to expect

Make sure your GP is aware of your parent’s changing health needs.

You can ask to be tagged on the records as your parent’s carer, that way, if you need to speak to the GP you can get yourself a ‘carers appointment’

This can be a really helpful way of getting things moving on those occasions when things appear to be stuck

Long term stroke management

The vast majority of strokes happen to people over 65 and, consequently, they are likely to have some existing conditions but new ones will constantly emerge

This can be the most challenging and complex of things to manage, as health services are set up to treat a range of conditions rather than the whole person

You may find that you end up doing much of the co-ordination of services as the only way to move things on

Things are changing in that direction but there’s still a long way to go

Even if your parent has had a stroke, it’s still important to ensure that their basic health care is maintained

It’s often the seemingly small things that cause people to become trapped in their own homes

Try to ensure their blood pressure is regularly checked to prevent a second stroke, that their sight and hearing is regularly checked (stroke can affect vision and hearing) that their toenails are regularly clipped and their teeth are OK

If their understanding of what’s going on around them seems to be changing, again it’s worth getting it checked out

And if that’s not enough to be thinking about, loneliness, isolation and sheer boredom is probably the greatest enemy of older people

Ill health can diminish people’s world significantly and if they’re unable to get out of the house it can lead them to feel as though their lives are of little value

Small things can make a big difference.  Making time to have a proper chat, rather than ‘signing in’ to make sure everything is ok can make a massive difference to them. Asking them their opinion on things going on in the world, asking them to do things around the house when you’re there sorting things out can help them feel as though they’re not just being ‘done unto’ but that they are actively engaging in life

Stroke rehabilitation

And as for mum?  Well, in spite of my incompetence and health professionals taking the wrong action, she survived, recovered pretty well and at 90 continues to enjoy an active, engaged and fulfilled life.  That generation was made of pretty stern stuff!

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Nikki Hill, deputy director of communications for the Stroke Association