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After A Stroke: A Case Study

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“Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the US, with one person dying every 4 minutes as a result (McIntosh, 2016).” Strokes occur more often than one might think and by understanding the deficits that can occur after a stroke, individuals can be more prepared. There are many who do not believe in prophylactic medications and life style changes that can prevent a stroke or do not acknowledge the deficits that can be life long after a stroke. Teaching and being open to learning from healthcare professionals can be extremely important in stroke care before and after one occurs. After a stroke, patients can suffer from a number of challenges. Understanding these challenges are important in order to give patients individualized care directed …show more content…
“People resist following orders, so perhaps that is where the change needs to start. It’s a simple shift in attitude, from seeing a person as an adversary to viewing them as a friend (Stroke Association, 2017).” This is particularly important because by seeing the patient as a friend and not just treating them like another patient will help to ensure the patient that their best interest is in mind. With a little bit of teaching, the healthcare professional will be able to help and teach the patient the challenges they may encounter and the best treatment option for them. Unfortunately for the patient, they have a lot of information coming their way and it is hard for them to focus on the important things that are being said (Stroke Association, 2017). It helps to educate the patient at their own pace to help ensure that they are retaining the information that is coming their way and will hopefully decrease the non-compliance factor a patient may have. It is vital for healthcare professionals to understand how overwhelming challenges can be after having a stroke to give the patients the best care possible. Even though patients can be non-compliant with treatment, it is helpful to educate the patient on the treatment they will receive and how important it is. Informing patients of the challenges they will endure after a stroke will …show more content…
After a stroke one can experience many symptoms the common effecting their gat and speech. One of the most common challenges a patient may face is the problem with communication, also called aphasia (Stroke Association, 2017). Aphasia can be either trouble understanding words or the trouble actually speaking the words. A stroke patient can have two different types of aphasia, either Broca’s aphasia which is the trouble to form the actual words or Wernicke’s aphasia which is when one has trouble understanding certain words and/or language being spoke (Stroke Association, 2017). Aphasia, both Broca’s and Wernicke’s, can be hard for a patient to cope with, but by understanding the type of aphasia that is being expressed will help the healthcare professional to give the patient the treatment they need to help to improve the challenge. Along with aphasia, “many people experience muscle weakness or paralysis after a stroke, which can affect your mobility and balance (Stroke Association, 2017).” The muscle weakness usually occurs to only one side of the body, making a patients gait very difficult. Physical therapy and occupational therapy can be very helpful to a patient after having a stroke. Even though the paralysis may be life long, it will be educational to teach the patient that with the right treatment it can help to increase the severity of the symptoms. These challenges are the most

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