How to Support a Loved One After a Stroke

Every year, about 800,000 Americans suffer strokes, brain injuries that can have far-reaching impacts on mobility and health. Loved ones can play central roles in a patient’s stroke recovery, providing emotional support and physical assistance.

At Advanced Medical Care, neurologists Marina Neystat, MD, Maria Dolgovina, MD, and Ivan Mikolaenko, MD, offer compassionate, patient-centered care for stroke patients, including guidance focused on supporting a healthy, robust lifestyle. In this post, our team offers tips on what you can do to support your loved one following a stroke.

Learn everything you can about stroke

It’s difficult to support someone when you don’t have a grasp on the issues they’re facing. Learning what you can about stroke — what it is, how it happens, and the ways it can affect the brain — is an essential part of providing support to your loved one, particularly in understanding the challenges they’re facing. 

Educating yourself also helps you set realistic expectations about what your loved one can and can’t do and what you can do to help.

Practice patience

Recovery can be very slow and unpredictable. Strokes affect each patient differently, and that means the road to recovery — and the degree of recovery that’s possible — vary, too. 

Again, have realistic expectations about goals and abilities, stay positive, and be ready to celebrate small achievements throughout the journey.

Improve the home environment

Strokes often affect mobility, balance, and coordination. You can help by arranging for ramps to be built, removing area rugs that present trip hazards, and looking into assistive devices to help with simple tasks like grabbing or dressing. 

Assist with tasks when needed

When a loved one has a stroke, you may feel an overwhelming desire to take control and relieve your loved one of challenging daily tasks. But while some assistance is important, it’s equally necessary to let them do everything they can to encourage recovery and promote feelings of self-confidence and empowerment.

Don’t be overbearing. Promote self-sufficiency, and remind them that you’re available when needed. 

Understand communication needs

Stroke often affects a person’s ability to speak and communicate. Your loved one may have difficulty talking on the phone or reading handwritten notes, for instance. Learn the best ways to communicate that limits frustration and helps them feel that they have a voice. Using visual aids can sometimes help.

Offer emotional support

Having a stroke is an overwhelming experience that can quickly lead to feelings of hopelessness, frustration, and even depression. Make yourself available to listen to their concerns with a compassionate, empathetic ear. 

Don’t try to problem solve unless asked — instead, just be there for your loved one to vent and release their stress. Help them seek counseling when needed.

Keep it relaxed

Helping a loved one during their recovery can make you feel frustrated and overwhelmed, too. Keeping a relaxed attitude and maintaining a sense of humor helps you and your loved one stay calm, and that can help them be more forgiving and more patient with themselves as they recover.

Support rehabilitation activities

Stroke rehabilitation often includes daily activities or exercises outside of the therapist’s office. Encourage your loved one to attend all sessions and to perform their exercises as directed, assisting when needed. Staying involved with their rehabilitation can go a long way toward keeping them motivated and on track.

Supporting a loved one who’s had a stroke can play an invaluable role in your loved one’s recovery while helping them enjoy a better quality of life. 

To learn more about strokes and stroke care, request an appointment online or over the phone with the experienced neurology team at Advanced Medical Care in Forest Hills, Queens, and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York.