If your elderly mother is in the hospital recovering from a stroke, you'll need to start planning for the long recovery stage. If she is too impaired to live safely at home, a nursing home may be the best alternative. Some nursing homes specialize in rehabilitation after strokes and other medical problems. Your mom will get physical therapy and other treatments she'll need to get her to a state where she can return home, if at all possible. She may need therapy for several weeks or months before she's strong enough to be discharged. Here are a few things you should know.
Choose The Right Facility
The hospital discharge planner should help you choose a facility for your mom. Not all nursing homes are suitable. You want one with a skilled care unit that offers physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, as well as any specialized nursing care she needs. You may want to tour a few facilities to find one near you that has comfortable living conditions as well as all the equipment and staff needed for rehabilitation. As long as your mother is strong enough and has enough stamina, she will probably spend a big portion of her day in some type of therapy. The goal is to restore her physical abilities as much as possible, and then decide on the proper long-term placement when rehab treatments have concluded.
Physical Therapy Treatments
The type of therapy your mother receives is customized to her condition. She may need to start out learning to stand again and maintain balance. If that's the case, her goal will be to eventually walk and maybe climb a few stairs. If one of her arms is affected, the therapist may recommend restraining the good arm so the weak arm is forced to do most of the work. In addition to regaining muscle strength, your mother may have to relearn how to use her arms and legs again. She may have to learn balance and coordination.
All this is done in physical therapy through a variety of exercises including leg lifts, arm cycling, and stretches. If your mom isn't able to move her arm or leg on her own, the therapist can do passive exercises on her to keep the muscles stretched and limber. Exercises are gentle and done at a pace your mother will tolerate.
Other Therapy
Speech and swallowing are often affected after a stroke too. A speech therapist can help your mother learn to swallow without choking. He or she will also work with your mother on pronouncing words and identifying objects.
Occupational therapy is usually necessary too. An occupational therapist will coach your mom on skills needed for daily life, such as dressing, bathing, and cooking. He or she may also go to your mother's home and make recommendations for making it safer by doing things like adding grab bars and removing rugs.
Recovering from a stroke is often a long road. Your mother may be left with some type of permanent impairment such as a very weak arm or a limp. Before she is discharged from the nursing home, her therapists will recommend the optimum long term living situation for her based on her improvement. She may return home alone safely, or she may need to hire home help if she wants to stay at home. It's also possible that the safest place for your mother will be an assisted living facility or a long-term nursing home.
