Making Choices About The Care Of A Parent When They Have Had A Stroke

When one of your parents suffers from a stroke, you may be the one who has to make important decisions about their treatment. If you were already caring for your parent in your own home, you may have to make the choice to pursue a residential placement for rehabilitation or custodial care. There are a number of things to consider when a person has a stroke, and these include:

  • The area of the brain where the stroke was located.
  • How healthy your parent was before they had the stroke.
  • How safe it is for your parent to remain in the home.
  • If you are capable of providing the additional care.
  • The level of rehabilitation your parent needs.

Get Informed About the Your Parent's Recovery Potential

To become more informed about the decisions in front of you, the best person to talk to is the primary physician who is handling post stroke treatment. You should ask any questions that you have, to include whether the doctor believes your parent needs a nursing rehabilitation placement or can safely recover at home. It's important to remember that while there are great home health care services for rehabilitation purposes, you will have the added responsibility of taking your parent to additional medical appointments throughout their recovery.

Try to Be Practical

Making the decision whether to place a parent in a nursing facility is one of the hardest decisions you will make. In an effort to reduce your stress about this decision, try to look at the practical side of things. If your parent has a good chance at recovery, framing the nursing home stay as a way to get better faster will help. If your parent does not have a good prognosis for recovery, consider how difficult it would be to take care of their needs at home. While you may want to care for your parent, the demands of caring for a parent in the home who has had a stroke are significant.

Options for treatment for your parent may include staying at home with home care services put into place. They may require extensive physical therapy, in the home or at a facility. Your parent may need speech services, and significant rehabilitation to include relearning basic skills that they have lost because of the stroke. Your parent may benefit from a short term stay in a nursing home on a rehabilitation floor.

Make informed decisions on the care of a parent who has had a stroke by talking with treatment providers and talking over your options with a person you trust. To learn more, contact a company like ComForcare Home Care - Slidell, LA


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