TIPS to take care of stroke patient ; based
on my experienced taking care of paralyzed wife for 15 years.
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The tips described in this blog are based on the advice of a
doctor and my experience of take care my wife who’s has been paralyzed side of
the body (right) over the past 15 years. Wife paralyzed as a result of
head surgery in 2001 after she had been in a coma for 3 days due to “Arterio-Venous Malformation” (AVM).
The Tips mentioned in this article is a method of how
kin caregivers can help patients to recover back from stroke. Given the stroke
occurs quickly, (without early alert). If that the case most possibility
all immediate family will be jump to panic situation. Sometimes at an early
stage patients in attack, we will bring the patient to the hospital for
emergency treatment, Having been several days (usually more than two weeks) in
a hospital ward and the patient's condition is relatively stable, the hospital
will ask Family took home the patient to stay at home and follow-up treatment
such as physiotherapy clinics and also get repeat treatment in hospital within
a specified time.
Based on my experience taking care of a paralyzed wife. On
the first day she was discharged from the hospital ward and brought her home,
the following actions I've done:
TipS 1: BENEFICIARY IMMEDIATE CHANGES ARE READY TO MIND PARADIGM,
Next of kin must be prepared to make a change in mindset as
starting on the day the patient is brought back home, you will be the main
person who will care for the stroke patients requiring intensive help of others in her
daily lives basic need.
Our mindset must be change in perception that ( wife) who previously
became one of the important people in the family were not able to help us
anymore. Means starting the day you had to do all the work on your own. (Even
more so if your kids are still small).
We also need to continue the main responsibility
(as the husband) to earn a living and to support the family. That mindset
should be set that now the workload at home and in the workplace is the
responsibility of husband/ caregivers alone. Should be prepared to bear
the burden of excessive work within 24 hours of each day. To enable us to
meet the challenges of life ahead for a possible over indefinitely, we should
supplicate Allah SWT, to be guided to meet the expectation. With God's
help us can go through all patience and serenity. To further strengthen
our patience go through these trials, should be set in our minds that this is
all a test of God to cleanse all our sins in the past, and we must put hope that if everything is successful, we will
be promised heaven in the afterlife. Insya
Allah.
TIPS 2: ENSURE PATIENT MIDICATION DOSE GIVEN
BY SCHEDULE..
We need to ensure patients
given medication dose according to the
schedule prescribed by doctor. To
ensure the patient's medication needs to be completed. Have to provide a
special diary, bag clocked drugs given to patients. This method can avoid
forgetting to give medication to patients. If they are not likely to
forget in a diary note to remedy happen and may cause patients possibility be
attacked once again by the stroke. Risk of second stroke attacks will
cause the curer process to be more complicated treatment and patients will be
more severe. Besides hospital medicine, stroke patients may also be given
an alternative medicine such as nutrition formula helps to restore the brain's
nerve. We must be carefully select
the supplement nutrition because
sometimes it will have side effects, as result it will damage internal organs
such as liver, kidney waist, lungs, gallbladder, intestines and so on. My
wife takes a table spoonful of olive oil every morning and night (before sleep). Olive
oil has been found effectively to control the level of cholesterol in blood.
TIPS 3: NEED TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT
CHANGING NATURE OF PATIENT EMOTIONAL AND FEELING.
The person who will take
care of the stroke patient , have to study some changes of patient personal and mindset. The
most important area of focus is to keep patient emotional feeling in well
manageable situation and should avoid any quarrel which can be prolong their
bad feeling. The following guide can be associate as a good practice of caring
stroke patient.
a. Needs to take care
patient emotional and feeling:
The personal nature of stroke patient some time totally change from their normal life. One of the immediate effect is changes or personnel attitude . The stroke patient will be a talkative, this is because the patient will be so many restricted to move around, so she will asking other to help her. Everything she asked have to completed by time If the helper action very slow, she will done by herself. Other change is that she easy to be patient and sensitive, moody and easily cry. . This happens because before the attack by stroke, anything she can do her own, and she will do it by herself has habitually. When it hurts cause she was not able to do on her own, therefore if patients need something to get help from another person, If the helper take times to fulfill her need, she will be easily sensitive whether anger, emotional or cry, therefore we are taking care of patients should be proactive, and ensure all matters required by the patients to be fulfill as soon as possible. Especially during early stage of stroke attack.
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One of the things that is very important is keeping EMOTIONS AND
FEELINGS OF PATIENT. Usually in the early stages of a patient suffering from a
stroke, her emotions will be disturbed by the thought that her husband will
marry another women. So the husband should give confidence to the patient
that his love still remains. (as before her illness). This is important
for gain confidence and motivation to the patients to recover faster. With
confidence she will be adopted with positive attitude, this thing if not taken
care of it will feel herself in deviate due to illness and has been disabled. When
this situation occurs, the patient will be thinking negatively. Thus will be
effect to the process of recover the illness. To faster recovery of illness the
patient mind must be positively developed and help by kindness of helper to
sustain their happiness. The sole of patient will be strongly influence the
recovery process.
b. Patients should undergo physiotherapy / traditional
massage.
Physiotherapy treatment is one way of treatment recommended by
doctors for patients recovering from stroke. Some forms of exercise will
be given to the patient by physiotherapist. Training to move the limb
through physiotherapy will help patients to recover any weak nerves returned
functions as normal. undergo
physiotherapy training will takes a relatively long time (usually takes 6
months or even longer) to recover.
In addition physiotherapy treatment, traditional massage treatments are
also very important, my experience treating wife found traditional massage can
restore much quicker to recover if compare with physiotherapy, However, be careful spills
right masseur right skilled. for the comfort of the patient need to find
artisans Massage of the same sex (female-female; male-male). This is
important because during the massage session it involves all parts of the
body. For my wife masseur is a village midwife with a certificate of
recognition from a government hospital. Time sequence for 3-4 hour session
once a week. My wife took more than six months for him to recover and can
walk slowly. The sequence for the frequency of once a month to do for over
2 years. Now the sequence only when necessary. In the case of
traditional massage with my wife masseur, has made our relationship too
friendly to the extent that we assume to be the masseur relative. Our
relationship continued until now that has taken more than 14 years.
TIPS 4:. MAKE SURE
PATIENTS PERFORM THEIR PRAYER ACCORDINGALY AND BUY RELIGIOUS BOOKS FOR HER
READING,
Primary caregiver to assist the patient to pray without fail 5
times a day (it is very important to give personal confident that her sickness
giving by God to clear her past sin). To make it easier for patients to be
at the right time to allow a one-time programmable ablution can be used for prayers twice, for instance - zohor solah time at
the end of time and Asr prayers at the beginning of time, Maghrib and Isha
final time in the early hours. Morning prayer can be in the beginning or
at the end of time, according to the ability of the patient to wake up.
In addition patients can be
taught how to pray forenoon, tahjjud prayers, prayers of repentance ,
prayer wishes, praying Witir at late night and various other prayers. When
patients spend a lot of time for prayer.. That means they are getting
closer to God. God willing, it will be calm soul. People who are
close to God, when she sought the help of God, she easily gets the pleasure of
Allah. God willing.
Religious books should also be
given to stroke patients from time to time. Because patient have a lot of
free time, with multiply reading religious books, it will provide an understanding
of religion teach. It can improve the understanding of religious that to
be practiced daily. It will change the minds set of patients, particularly to
assure that chronic pain given by God to someone is one of the ways of God to
remove our sins of the past. If we are patient and pleased to receive it,
we will get very many rewards in the afterlife and provided a haven full of
enjoyment.
From my experience, my wife of
a paralyzed now been changed to Multiply the circumcision of worship such as
prayer, prayers, forenoon, isyarak, circumcision dawn, prayers tahajud etc. She
also has a lot of zikir after prayers
and also was interested to recite the Quran every day. To
facilitate the Quran reading I
bought to my wife a set of Quran Pen Reader. By the helped of the
set she able to recite Quran fluently. Thus situation make her very happy to
recite Quran when she has a free time. By reading Quran it calm the mind. Alhamdulillah. books
related to the practice of reading the Quran and prayers for healing diseases
should also be purchased to be read and applied by the patient. Islamic
treatment method also has benefits to cure stroke.
TIPS
5: PROGRAM SCHEDULE TO ENABLE THE
PATIENT EXERCISE, SOCIAL AND SHOPPING.
We also need to arrange the time schedule so that patients can
exercise (walking with the stroller), go to the resort, and shopping. If such
schedule will enable patients to enjoy the situation recreation, picnics and
shopping together with other families, it will give patients confident mind
that he is also able to carry out various activities such as healthy people as
well. I find this method greatly affects the recovery of the patient's
mind to give a new determination that she can live as healthy people, When the
mind has to be recovered perception about life it will help to heal faster
stroke pain.
Social activities may also
reduce patient stress (because of the
paralyze will feel stress when she was just sitting in bed around the
clock 24 hours). Stress management is important to prevent the patient
suffered from a depressive illness. My experience managing paralyzed wife
of nearly 15 years, these activities can help instil confidence to my wife,
when she has paralyzed early days, her attitude changed into a very humble and
ashamed to socialize in public. She often brought to the place of the public
mall for shopping, picnic and play and visit family and friends, little by
little negative tough can be reduced. After more than 14 years she was
paralyzed. She now fully recover her confident to leave as normal person.
TIPS
6: IMMEDIATE FAMILY TO BE GIVEN INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF STROKE PATIENTS.
All patient immediate family should be given an understanding of
stroke patient. They has to Informed that stroke patients attitude has totally change
compared to their attitude before attack by stroke. When all the family understands
about keeping taboos-patient stroke. It will help to reduce the patient
from been stress. If all the family members will give hope to patients
they can be cured, The level of confident of stroke patient will be higher and thus will help patient to heal faster and live in a
state of joy.
On the other hand, if the majority of kin do not take care of patient and said that the patient to bring bad luck and trouble to the family,
this cause the patient to become more stressful and can lead to second stroke attack .. Usually
when the patient were attack for the second time it was more severe and potentially
fatal will happen.
TIPS 7: PLAN A HEALTY NUTRATION FOR STROKE
PATIENT.
Doctors advise patients fed with vegetables and white
meat. Try to eat less red meat. Multiply the number of fish meal as a
protein source. Vegetarian diet can reduce cholesterol in the blood that
can help to cure stroke pain. Vegetables can also control blood pressure
in the early stages of attack stroke patients should be given soft foods easily
digestible as rice porridge, vegetables, water and so on.
Patients are encouraged to
drink plenty of water, if possible given the zam-zam water to drink a lot of
nutritional value. Zam-zam water is the best water in the world, has the
gift of high pH and other minerals needed by the human body.
TIPS 8: SETTING CHECK BLOOD AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR.
Blood tests should be performed periodically to find out in more
detail the contents of the blood, blood type, and potential diseases will we based
on the structure blood, blood type and condition of the blood sugar.
TIPS 9: SHOW YOUR LOVE warmth and still
remains the same:
Stroke patients will assume partner has started to change love her,
she has a physical disability that cause her husband would find another woman
to get the love and affection of many other women. This is natural for
stroke patients thought that her husband would be taken by another woman.
this cause her will be left alone.
As husband and wife are responsible to the family, should always
keep company his wife and tried to give
love and affection in a way that romance like during our honeymoon period when
first married. This action is required in the early stages the patient
having a stroke, Once we can convince herself that the love and affection we
still have not changed, then she will be less likely to think about it. My
personal experience, to create a situation of trust, we treat it accurately
wife almost five years. Provided we shall always be with her and always expressing affection and love him every day
TIPS
10: VACATION PLANS - honeymoon
planning honeymoon-style vacation at least once a year, is an action that can enhance the atmosphere of love and conjugal affection. For the wife who had a stroke, when the husband brings back will pose noticed he still cherished by her husband. This will bring the 'flash-back' during the honeymoon after marriage first. This exciting experience will be a catalyst for the recovery of stroke patients mind. Our experience during this holiday cheerful wife saw it and gradually be able to give confidence to survive despite the physically he has become as a disabled. During the holidays alone with this, her husband always be available the side of his wife and is willing to help, will increase the confidence of a wife whose husband is of course a very faithful to the promise of love and affection for them. When the sick instinct to give confidence and clarify honesty and loyalty to her husband ... It can give confidence to the patient (wife) to survive and be able to convince yourself that stroke patients "tomorrow is another day". activities arranged by the husband to give pleasure to patient like the honeymoon is going to give a boost of excitement and also speeds up the recovery of patients, patients will be able to accept the fact that now he classified site as disabled, but able to live a happy life like everyone else.
planning honeymoon-style vacation at least once a year, is an action that can enhance the atmosphere of love and conjugal affection. For the wife who had a stroke, when the husband brings back will pose noticed he still cherished by her husband. This will bring the 'flash-back' during the honeymoon after marriage first. This exciting experience will be a catalyst for the recovery of stroke patients mind. Our experience during this holiday cheerful wife saw it and gradually be able to give confidence to survive despite the physically he has become as a disabled. During the holidays alone with this, her husband always be available the side of his wife and is willing to help, will increase the confidence of a wife whose husband is of course a very faithful to the promise of love and affection for them. When the sick instinct to give confidence and clarify honesty and loyalty to her husband ... It can give confidence to the patient (wife) to survive and be able to convince yourself that stroke patients "tomorrow is another day". activities arranged by the husband to give pleasure to patient like the honeymoon is going to give a boost of excitement and also speeds up the recovery of patients, patients will be able to accept the fact that now he classified site as disabled, but able to live a happy life like everyone else.
TIPS: 11 - MODIFIED BATHROOM.
To keep stroke patient safety, the equipment in the bathroom need
to be modified to facilitate use by stroke patients. Bathroom floor should
be installed to ensure the rubber mate bathroom floor is always safe from
spills soapy water or water shower gels. Because of the stroke if there is
a little slippery on the floor as a result of contact with water soap or shower
gel may cause the patient slips and falls (due to stroke patients is difficult
to balance the body when sliding, causing it fall out). If a stroke
patient falls it can cause a variety of serious injury may occur as a slip dish
to allow the spine due to paralysis from the waist to toe. If this
situation happen will result in increased stroke patients and can be attacked by a
second stroke. Familiarity stroke incidence was the two side impact is
greater.
TIPS: 12 - STRESS MANAGEMENT
Either the husband or the wife who had to care for their partner
to be a stroke, he must undergo a Stress Management course. This is
important because of the increasing burden of responsibility can lead us to
experience stress. Prolonged stress if not managed properly can lead to us
being attacked by various diseases such as hypertension, depression,
etc., Based on the kinds of problems that appear in the dictionary of
everyday life, then we must have the physical and mental strength for the
management of stress. among the things that should be emphasized
is: 1. Accepting the fact that affliction and suffering borne by our
partners and jug burden of responsibility that we bear is the God test for us.God chose us to receive test is because God knows that
we can effort to face . We also need to be planted in our minds the
feeling to have been chosen by God to receive the test. If we are able to
face it would be a great reward in the Hereafter. Today's trouble is
rewarding to occupy the heaven of God in the afterlife 2. Be assured
that the inconvenience faced by today, we are promised by Allah's paradise full
of enjoyment. Thus we will assume, every difficulty would be follow
possible for eventual success. Therefore we need to be patient in the face
of any challenge.3. All problems will be resolved shall be based on our
ability to overcoming them. If we are not able to finish it alone can get complaint from others. Help can be obtained from the nearest family close
friend or from certain bodies. authors experience in overcoming stress is
to read the Koran every day, besides that we also need to understand and
appreciate the content of the verses are read, as far as possible try we
practice the teachings that is described in the Qur'an in our lives, hopefully
we will get a guide in getting the blessings of this life and success in the
Hereafter. Multiply the number of prayers we have to wish and pray to God if
you have any impasse in resolving a problem. God willing, there will be a
way solving problem.
TIPS 13: HELPING PATIENTS TO BE POSITIVE THINKING FOR RECOVERY.
Stroke patient with
positive thinking that a cure can be achieved by the grace of God and it is
also striving to
restore physical paralysis. When patient have the
positive mind to heal, it will give confident to patients to do physical
movement such as undergoing exercise, able to do the work normally done by him
prior to the attack of stroke. When this situation exists in patients mind,
She will be likely to engage in activities that will strengthen weak muscles.
When recovery process occur little by little, She will be continued until recovery
of stroke better functions .. God willing, set mind that says every disease can
be cured by God consent. Makes itself does not give the basis and will be
determined through a test of God. If this situation could be built
within a stroke patient, making it more spirited to do things that can help
activity to faster the healing process. My personal experience caring wife
with stroke, changes of healing process
happened to my wife when she begin dominated by positive thoughts that
stroke can be cured. In the first year to third year my wife pretty weak with negative mind set. Always shaded with sadness as she becomes paralyzed. She feeling
no hope of recovery to normal condition, she like to be lonely and grieving every day. This worst situation affects
the physical body crouch saw it as only a matter of patients receiving any
decree of his death will arrive. contrast was injected with positive thinking
can pliers possibility heal
illness. it has seen marked changes. Start has the gift of
self-confidence. began actively to do normal work activities done by her.
With that position more cheerful life and love doing everyday.. This
attitude has been changed to reflect the situation as normal people who do not
have any chronic illnesses.
