Stroke- what can help

[HaddyDome]

My lovely dad had a stroke over 18months ago at 69. It has left him unable to walk, incontinent and with his dominant arm ( right) with no ‘power’ at all. He lives in a place where the healthcare isn’t great and almost everything is paid out of pocket for, by me. i have hired him a full time nurse so mum doesn’t get burn out. I have had to change jobs to earn more money recently so I can continue to do this.

Anyway the above is just to show that aids thst the NhS would provide are not available there.
I am going to visit him soon and I’m looking for ideas on aids, etc that people with experience of caring for someone with stroke can suggest please. He has a wheelchair and a rolling zoomer frame but he really struggles to use it and his foot has to be supported while he tries use it. I also got him some hand strengthening things when I went last time but it’s not helped at all. He also has a ‘grabber’

Please help me with ideas. My dad has always been my number cheerleader and a brilliant dad.

Sorry to hear this. Is his bathroom fitted with grab rails and a raised toilet seat with handles? Is he able to dress himself? If so, are there some items of clothing that might be easier for him to wear?

do they live in social housing? if they do ask for the tenant sustainment officer they will sort out what is needed in the home
if private home please ask GP for a social worker referral and an occupational therapist for help and advice
it is difficult and sadly these days you have to fight to get things sending hugs

He doesn’t have any of these. thank you. I will look at getting them.

They do not live in the UK and social
services does not exist, I’m afraid.
I need to get everything.

Specialist physio if you can find it. Even though it has been 18 months he might get some benefit. I am supporting a friend who has had multiple strokes and we ended up taking her to see an nhs specialist privately due to getting nowhere with gp. He said physio is very important and the sooner the better. Not easy to access even with the nhs.

Thank you for that. I had been paying for a specialist physio i. hospital for a while at the hospital, then due to logistics they started coming to the house and then the appointments became very infrequent because the blood pressure medication wasn’t effective, struggling to maintain his blood pressure and the physio wouldn’t do it when it wasn’t within the normal range. I will look into getting that started. Thank you

He needs a medication review if his bp is not controlled. Have you looked at his diet? I am assuming he has high bp and has had a haemorrhagic stroke? Is he drinking plenty of fluid and having a low salt diet? Is the nurse experienced with stroke patients? Fluid intake is usually recommended st 1.5 litres daily.

www.stroke.org.uk Get in touch with them for expert advice. Especially regarding aids. A rollator isn't the best thing if he hasn't got use of both hands.

You need a proper Occupational Therapy assessment. Don't waste money buying the wrong things or fitting rails at the wrong height.
My friend's relative went out and bought expensive bits of equipment, mostly unsuitable, now cluttering up an already hazardous house. We now have a care plan, but much later in the day than we should have done.

Be careful about buying equipment you know nothing about OP. For example the toilet frame mentioned is likely to tip if your dad only has use of one arm.

I agree with prioritising paying for private specialist occupational therapy before buying any equipment. It isn’t that easy to find but it will be so helpful. If you can’t find any locally you could see if a therapist in another country will work online - if you could be there during the assessment it might work. They will also have the best view on whether active forms of therapy for his arm are worth trying at this stage - they still might be, but again if his medical status/blood pressure aren’t managed that may work against that.

Maybe the answer is to pay for an occupational therapist to visit your dad and see what they would recommend?

Thank you.
Apparently they’re struggling to get him to take enough fluids. He’s recently been treated again for urine infection.
The nurse previously looked after a stroke patient, I’m told.
It’s beyond difficult trying to support him from so far away.
We’ve had great advice on diet etc, but unfortunately my mum soon after started letting him have usual amounts of salt, which is already quite high. The nurse has advised over and again but she continues, sadly.
I understand that it m must be very difficult for mum in the situation but …

Thank you. I first got in touch via when Ddad first had the stroke regarding the possibility of getting consultants remotely and they were really helpful, although It couldn’t find one in the end.
Ive sent them another email asking about the aids.

@endofthelinefinally and @fairywary and @PermanentTemporary good point thank you.
Sadly occupational therapists are so hard to come by over there; i know it’s sounds unbelievable. I have searched and searched but the closest one is the capital city which is hundreds of miles away and they won’t travel to the second largest city.

When I tried to find SLT over here to consult for him, no one wanted to do it. I’ll see if any occ therapists will be willing.

Apparently the arm looks like it cannot recover 😭

could they do part of an assessment on line? Or even fly out?

Might be worth the investment. My husband is an OT and during Covid managed to get quite a lot done from looking through the window or being on a video call.

Ooh ok will contact them and see what they say. Thank you.

I know a lot of British SLTs who work online. If you want to DM me I can show you how to find them. Actually you don’t really need to dm me - they’re all on www.asltip.co.uk and you can do a special search for online therapy.

Sorry www.asltip.com that previous one was definitely wrong…

Thats great to know. I’ll try the website. Thanks very much.