How to care for a patient after a stroke at home

1 Monitoring breathing disorders

The most severe consequence of a stroke is a disorder of the respiratory system. That is, the part of the brain that is responsible for performing unconditioned reflexes is damaged. When the patient is at home, loved ones always have to pay attention to his breathing. After all, the patient himself cannot always understand that his lungs are not working at full volume. Accordingly, there is a lack of oxygen in the blood, which provokes a second stroke (the risk of relapse persists for the next several years). Make money from school answers to Teachs.ru. Answers to questions about the school curriculum.

And sometimes even what we can perceive as an ordinary cold or cough is a consequence of a disturbance in the work of the neural system, which is responsible for the process of normal breathing. The task of relatives is to timely notice the deterioration of the patient's well-being and immediately contact an ambulance.

It should also be mentioned that the patient's sensitivity in the whole body worsens in principle. He may not notice that his throat is dry or even thirsty. All this will have to follow. The simplest option is to make a schedule for when the patient should be fed, watered, etc.

2 Hygiene procedures

Caring for the bedridden also means that you will have to worry about the patient's hygiene. It is necessary to wash it at least 2-3 times a day, monitor the cleanliness of the linen, and change bed linen in a timely manner (about 2-3 times a week or as needed). Doctors diagnose urinary incontinence in many of those who have had a stroke, which is associated with dysfunction of the sphincter, which is responsible for the work of the urethra. Therefore, you will either have to often clean up after the sick, or use special diapers for adults. These are sold both in regular pharmacies and in some household goods stores.

But using diapers doesn't completely solve the problem. Prolonged exposure to excrement will cause skin irritation. He will need the same care as small children.

In the event that the patient cannot go to the toilet for a long time, he must be given an enema in order to provoke the release of feces. Unfortunately, the patient also cannot always diagnose intestinal overflow and prolonged constipation due to decreased sensitivity.

3 How to feed properly

In order to feed the patient at home, it is recommended to purchase a special chair with an additional backrest to support the head and neck. Such chairs are inexpensive, and with proper skill, you can make it yourself. That is, while feeding the patient, it is necessary to take into account that his neck should be flat. Otherwise, it may simply choke on pieces of food, since the sensitivity of the elastic fibers of the digestive tract during this period is dramatically reduced.

When caring for bedridden patients, it must be borne in mind that the caregiver cannot select the diet on his own. This task is entrusted to a qualified nutritionist. Indeed, after a stroke, it is necessary to completely eliminate the use of cholesterol, heavy fats, and some groups of ingredients. Eating a habitual meal can cause another stroke.

4 Physiotherapy

If the patient does not move for a long time, then he may develop muscle dystrophy. To prevent this, you need to use physiotherapy exercises. It is also mandatory for bedridden patients. The rehabilitation course includes not only a set of therapeutic exercises, but also massage, whose main purpose is to restore normal blood circulation (especially in the lower limbs). If the patient is not helped with rehabilitation, then he quickly develops muscle atrophy, followed by gangrene. It is for this reason that the care of bed patients is recommended to be trusted by experienced people with medical education. Although now you can easily sign up for free courses, where a specialist will teach you how to do massage correctly and what kind of exercise will be most effective for the patient.

Physiotherapy is also an effective remedy for eliminating the consequences of paralysis, with the help of which the work of the neural system is restored. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to completely get rid of the incapacity if the stroke has also affected the work of the spinal cord (but this is extremely rare).

5 The importance of the psycho-emotional state

Caring for a bedridden patient is not only a complex of physical procedures that can prevent muscle atrophy or help restore functional capacity. You will have to monitor the patient's mental state, since bright emotional outbursts are contraindicated for him at this moment, even if they are caused by joyful events.

What you need to pay attention to:

• to the appearance of tears;
• on independent attempts to get out of bed (the patient does not want to recognize himself as such);
• refusal to eat (statistics indicate that those who have experienced a stroke do this with the aim of committing suicide).

Doctors recommend communicating with the bedridden patient for at least 1.5 hours a day. It is not necessary for him to answer. Just tell him about your business or read books - that will be more than enough. If the stroke also affected the mental abilities of a person, then you need to read simple literature: fairy tales, short stories, children's poems. But it is very important that the patient hears the voice of a familiar person. If necessary, write down fairy tales and include them at a time when you need to be distracted by your business. But caring for bedridden patients in any case means that the caregiver will not be absent for more than 30 minutes - take this factor into account.

6 Using a multifunctional bed

Home care will be greatly simplified by purchasing a multifunctional bed for the patient. These are often seen in clinics. With their help, you can raise the patient's head or correctly configure the position of his back. At the top of such a bed there is a special frame, with the help of which the patient will be able to independently train to rise. Such furniture will be simply irreplaceable in caring for bed patients. In many private clinics, it can be rented for a low fee.

But it must be borne in mind that such beds are not suitable for all patients. For example, some after a stroke are generally forbidden to rise, as this can provoke a thrombus moving through the vessels. That is, they need to be only in a lying position for a certain time. All these rules will definitely remind you before the patient is discharged.

7 Professional help

If something does not work out in caring for a patient after a stroke, then it is better to immediately consult with your doctor. Unfortunately, the behavior of a patient after a stroke can be unpredictable. Many have hallucinations and some have seizures. You should not try to help him on your own if you do not understand what is happening. Better to call an ambulance right away. On the line, be sure to specify that we are talking about a patient after a stroke.

There are also a huge number of social organizations that provide assistance to those in need of care. They have qualified specialists who will tell you in more detail and show you how to properly care for the patient and what to do in this or that case. Their help should not be ignored, because it is provided free of charge. It is strictly forbidden to leave the patient unattended. Even if he just tries to roll over, it can lead to tragedy. This happens quite often.