Stroke and recovery
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Anonymous
| If your elderly parent had a stroke, would love to hear what recovery looked like. I know it’s different for each person. My mom is 82 and in poor health. She had a stroke on Wednesday which the neurologist said for the MRI is “not that bad” however she still has essentially no ability to move the right side of her body and is having difficulty with speech. They’re doing all the things, she’s being set up with PT and OT, additional cardiac workup etc. This is new territory for me and I’m just curious to hear what the next phase has looked like for folks as she will probably be leaving the MedSurg unit in the next day or two. Thanks for any insight. |
Anonymous
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My dad stayed at the facility with rehab for two weeks - until he could use a walker again.
Afterwards, he had occasional home rehab visits, took awhile for most motor skills to return but my mom was home to help, getting him mobile was the big hurdle. |
Anonymous
| My dad was in an acute rehab facility where he did 3 hrs of PT/OT a day. It was intensive but he gained back so much mobility. It was probably 6 months before he really seemed back to his normal self except for a slight gait issue. |
Anonymous
| Rehab. If she goes straight from the hospital it's all covered by medicare. |
Anonymous
| My dad had a stroke at 82, and then 3 more in succession after that. He was non verbal and practically vegetative after that. We had to hire 24/7 care for him to feed him and get him cleaned/etc and turn him / massage him so he wouldn’t get bed sores. He lasted 8 years in this terrible, non-communicative state (I’m not even really sure if he was conscious of what was happening around him) but my mom wasn’t willing to let him go. He died last year. |
Anonymous
| Ugh 82 is pretty old. Does she actually want rehab or do the drs want it to bill insurance? I'd figure that out first. |
Anonymous
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My dad had a stroke a year ago. It took a long time to recover and he still has lingering deficits when it comes to things like numbers and complex tasks, but he’s back to his usual self and can live independently etc.
Definitely do the rehab, it is always worth it. |
Anonymous
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It’s impossible to say right now. All you can do is make sure she has the best OT/PT/SLP and show her lots of love. It’s going to depend on the nature of the damage (“not that bad” is so vague, I would press for more information), the quality of rehab available, and your mom’s motivation to do the sometimes grueling and frustrating work.
I’m sorry, I know this is a rough road. |
Anonymous
| My mom had a stroke and lost a lot of capability on one side of her body. Could not dress, eat, or bathe herself, and had to use a mobility scooter to get around. Obviously had to go into assisted living. Her brain was not harmed and fortunately she could still enjoy reading, using the internet, and spending time with grandchildren. |
Anonymous
| You want acute rehab- OT to focus on the affected arm (limits your ability to take care of self independently) and PT for walking |
Anonymous
| OP here - thanks all, the hospital helped us understand options and she heads to acute rehab tomorrow. Trying to find the balance of being optimistic and realistic that we need to have in this time. |
Anonymous
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Be realistic. They say that what you see in 5 to 7 days is about 80 percent of where they will end up, even with rehab.
I’m sorry. Btdt |
Anonymous
I had heard this too but in the case of my dad he made a lot of progress for months afterwards. But this may have been unusual. In any case, I think preparing for the worst but hoping for the best is the way to approach it. Best wishes for her recovery. |
Anonymous
The doctors who recommend rehab do not earn money from the rehab. And some 82 year olds are still in good health prior to crises such as these. |
Anonymous
And some make good recoveries and have high quality of life for several more years. The course is hard to predict. |