Stroke - expectations for home rehab and mobility.

[northernlass81]

My lovely mum had a haemorrhagic stroke at the end of November that left her unconscious for about a week. She has now recovered some speech and cognition and can feed herself. She remains unable to move her right side so is being hoisted from bed to chair. She can sit up straight in a chair but can't stand or move her right side. The hopsital are starting the ball rolling in terms of getting her home and have said she'll need a hospital bed and hoist with 2 carers going in 4 times a day. She was super fit and active prior to the stroke - a very young 77 who thought nothing of walking 10 miles. I'm concerned that once she's home, the rehab element won't be as often as she gets now that shes in the hospital and even her chances of standing/regaining any independent mobility are very slim, I feel she needs to be given the best opportunity to do this. Will home physios have the right equipment to be able to assess/help her? I'm also concerned that she will be left alone in bewteen visits and is at risk of falls as she is strong in her left side and can push herself forwards/reach and lean so possibly could fall out of a chair fairly easily. Has anyone else been in this situation? Did you parent regain any further mobility once having rehab at home? how did they cope? I will obviously ask all of these questions to the team this week and see where we are at. I know the recovery after stroke is so variable and personal but it would be good to hear any other experiences. Thanks.

How much improvement has happened in say the last four weeks? None? Nearly none? From what you say, she's pretty much as good as she's going to get. Have you had a proper frank conversation with her consultant about prospects for further improvement, as you sound quite unrealistic. Really sorry to be so blunt but if you're expecting her to be up and walking again, I think that's unlikely.

The alternative to home is a care facility with rehab at least temporarily, there's no more they can do in an acute hospital.

Thanks - don't worry about being blunt - I agree unlikely to be mobile at all. We weren't expecting her to survive at all so to be where we are now is all a bit odd. A huge improvement in speech, cooridination and understanding etc. Little in the way of right sided mobilty improvements, some slight hip flexion. Just wondering if 7 weeks is enough time to say 'that's it' in terms of mobility.

She could still improve but she needs to really really work at it. Is she getting the support and physio to improve though?

First question is if anything happened could she summon help - use a phone, call alarm etc. If not then push like hell for a care home discharge. But I would be pushing for gate anyway for social stimulation.
MIL had a bad stroke that left her worse off than your mum is already but she did improve for about a year. The most improvement was in the first 3 months after that it was really just gaining strength in the things she could still do, no real new things.
Be prepared for her personality to have changed as well. MIL went from being someone who wouldn't say boo to a goose to being very difficult e.g. she liked a glass of water and a glass of squash and if the water was on the left or the glasses were not 2" apart she screamer until they were moved.
Good luck, it's a hard road and it can be a long one. I don't want to acare you but MIL survived nearly 9 years paralysed on one side, incontinent and non verbal.