Understanding Home Health Care

Strokes can cause a myriad of neurological problems including paralysis, memory loss, speech difficulties, and swallowing problems. It can also cause partial or total vision loss, balance problems, and bowel and bladder incontinence. If your loved one is a stroke survivor and needs help with your activities of daily living and managing your symptoms, consider the following ways a home care services professional can provide to help enhance their life.

Medication Reminders And Monitoring

If your loved one's stroke has impaired their memory, then they may forget to take their medication. While missing a dose of a pain medication or iron supplement may not result in serious health consequences, forgetting to take diabetes medication, blood pressure medicines, or anti-arrhythmia cardiac drugs can result in an emergency medical situation.

In addition to forgetting to take their medications, stroke survivors who have memory loss may accidentally take multiple doses of their medications as a result of not remembering that they took it already. A home care provider can remind your loved one to take their medication and will reassure them if they repeatedly ask if they have taken it. The caregiver can also monitor the individual for any side effects they may experience when taking new medications. If side effects are noticed, the care provider can let you and the physician know.

Fall Prevention

Strokes can cause significant weakness, numbness, tingling, or paralysis of the arms and legs and vision problems which can raise the risk of falls, accidents, and injuries. Your loved one's home care provider can help them move around the house safely and assist them to the bathroom and help them get in an out of the shower or bathtub. If the stroke survivor is not ambulatory, the care provider will help them transfer from their wheelchair to the bed, chair, or toilet, and will give them a bed bath if it is not safe for them to take a bath.

The caregiver will also make sure that your loved one wears proper-fitting shoes and that their laces are always tied. Stroke-related neurological deficits can cause foot-dragging, limping, and a shuffling gait, so wearing comfortable shoes that fit well and that have non-slip soles can help prevent falls.

If your loved one has suffered a stroke and needs assistance to help manage their care, consider hiring a home care provider. Not only can the caregiver help the individual with their care and help keep them safe, but they can also provide emotional support and companionship, which is important for people recovering from strokes and other severe health conditions.

Reach out to a home care company to learn more.