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Health tips after stroke

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Life after stroke is difficult because there’s a change to your life but having the right support structure can help recovery process much smoother. this article will discuss Health tips after stroke.

At Coming Homme organization, we believe that stroke recovery tips should address both your physical health and your lifestyle, as both impact recovery.

Some of the Health tips after stroke includes:

Physical Healing Stroke Recovery Tips

  • Understand How the Brain Heals

Did you know that the brain is capable of healing itself after an injury like a stroke? It revolves around the phenomenon of neuroplasticity: the mechanism that your brain uses to rewire itself and create new neural pathways.

  • Focus on Good Nutrition

As your brain and body recover from the secondary effects of a stroke, you can boost recovery by focusing on proper nutrition. Some of the best foods for stroke recovery are whole foods like vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. It may also help to limit saturated fat and sugar intake.

  • Don’t Get Discouraged If Progress Slows

You can’t mention Health tips after stroke without taking about the stroke recovery. At this point, recovery tends to slow down — but it will not stop as long as you don’t stop participating in rehabilitation.

Studies have shown that some stroke survivors are at the same level of improvement 5 years post-stroke as they were 2 months post-stroke. One possible reason for this long-term plateau could be a lack of consistent rehabilitation at home.

The brain needs consistent stimulation in order to rewire itself. To avoid getting stuck in a plateau, it’s imperative to find an appropriate home therapy regimen and stick with it.

stroke myth

Stroke myth

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According to the Stroke Survivors Foundation Stroke is among the top three causes of death and a leading cause of disability in South Africa.

Coming Home Organisation is on a mission to educate the broader public about stroke and shift the wrong mentality that people have about this disease.

Yet, there are many misconceptions about this serious medical emergency. Let’s separate fact from fiction as we debunk some common stroke myths.

  • MYTH: You are bewitched if you have a stroke!
    • False – Having a stroke is definitely not because you have been bewitched!
  • MYTH: Women are immune to having a stroke
    • False – A stroke does NOT discriminate from age, gender or race.
  • MYTH: Strokes only happen to elderly people.
    • False – The older you get, the risk for stroke increases, there’s also an increasing number of strokes in people between the ages of 18 and 65.  Stroke also occurs with children and unborn fetuses

Stroke myth: Strokes are rare.

    • False – Stroke statistics reveal that strokes are quite common. 1 in 4 people will have a stroke in their lifetime (WSO, 2019)
  • MYTH: A stroke takes place in the heart.
    • False – A stroke takes place in the brain. If the blood supply to the neurons in the brain is cut off either because of a blood clot or bleeding or a disease of the blood vessels, those neurons die and a stroke occurs.
  • MYTH: Strokes are not preventable.
    • False – A study examined risk factors and found that 90 percent of strokes can be attributed to vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are preventable.

·         Stroke myth: Strokes cannot be treated.

    • False – The vast majority of strokes are ischemic (clot), and they can be treated. If a person gets to a hospital within 4 hours of the onset, clot-busting medication can be administered.
  • MYTH: The most common sign of a stroke is pain.
    • False – Only about 30 percent of people will have a headache with ischemic stroke, so pain isn’t a reliable symptom.
  • MYTH: Strokes aren’t hereditary.
    • False – Strokes do run in families, the vascular risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all have a genetic component.

·         Stroke myth: If stroke symptoms pass, you don’t need treatment.

    • False – When someone has temporary symptoms of stroke, called a transient ischemic attack or a mini-stroke (TIA), it’s also a medical emergency! The difference between TIA and stroke is that the blood vessel that was blocked during a TIA opens before it causes permanent damage. A TIA should consider a definite warning sign.
  • MYTH: Smoking doesn’t affect your chances of having a stroke.
    • False – Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, especially in younger people, this is true for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, as well as first-time and recurrent strokes.
  • MYTH: Post-stroke recovery only happens in the first few months.
    • False – While most of the healing takes place in the first few months, recovery can span over several years, and people can benefit from physical therapy and other treatments a few years after a stroke.
    • there is more to stroke and you need to look into the different stroke myths to make sure you are on the right route.

Surviving a stroke

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Surviving a stroke changes your dynamic and circumstances in life. It changes the life you once knew.

No post discharge support = wasted acute care improvements
The Stroke Survivors Foundation working actively with teams from around the world is introducing the PDSS program, powered by Stroke focus, a project run by passionate survivors and organizations, who share the belief that stroke care can be improved by empowering local support organizations.

Designed and implemented by survivors for survivors based on Surviving a stroke, PDSS overcomes existing barriers preventing post-discharge stroke support in South Africa. The technology powering PDSS offers the path of least resistance allowing us to provide immediate and early support, care and information dissemination.

Early contact means we can establish an open channel of communication, which allows for a long-term relationship, making all the difference for the survivors and their family. PDSS is accessible to all people who have suffered a stroke and is available when they are still in early recovery and still fragile.

The critical point is to ensure that after Surviving a stroke, the survivor registers on PDSS before they are discharged from hospital.  By rolling out PDSS, we are building an ecosystem, made up of four categories, open for everyone passionate about improving stroke care to participate.  Let us find opportunities to help you reach the stroke community who, currently, is vastly underserved.
The Stroke Survivors Foundation stroke survivors Company Reg No: 2010/002369/08 NPO Number: 083-885 PBO number: 930 035 711

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THE STROKE SURVIVORS FOUNDATION OR CONTACT 0835357735

stroke symptoms

Stroke symptoms

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A lot of misleading information has been shared about stroke, before knowing Stroke symptoms it is important to first understand what is stroke?

This is a sudden interruption in the normal functioning of the brain, often resulting in slurred speech and loss of muscle control and feeling on one side of the body. Usually stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.

Coming Home Organization(CHO) helps to recognizing stroke symptoms

Since the medical management of a stroke varies depending on the length of time since stroke symptoms first appeared, and due to the fact that this will affect prognosis, prompt recognition of a stroke is extremely important.

How to recognize stroke symptoms?

Keep in mind that stroke symptoms usually start quite suddenly and get worse over time. You may be sitting at a table and suddenly be unable to hold your coffee cup or get your words out correctly.

Signs and stroke symptoms include:

  • sudden onset of weakness on one side of the body and slurred speech or dysarthria, meaning, the inability to make your words come outright.
  • A sudden change in the way you walk or feeling that one leg is not “acting right” can be a sign of stroke. Some patients also notice changes in their ability to see. Loss of balance is another common sign of stroke.
  • Patients who have blood around their brain may complain that “they have the worst headache of their life”.

CHO has recognized a useful acronym to recognize and respond to stroke symptoms using the word FAST approach:

  • F-Face

Drooping of one side of the face. Ask the person to smile and note if it is uneven.

  • A-Arms

Weakness or numbness in one arm. Ask the person to lift both arms. Does one extremity drift downward or is the person unable to lift it?

  • S-Speech

Difficulty in speech, is it slurred? Ask the person to repeat a phrase and note any changes in speech.

  • T-Time

If any of these symptoms are present, it’s time to call 911 immediately. Also, take note of the time since symptoms onset, which will be required by doctors to decide on appropriate treatment.

CHO is committed to educating the public about stroke and other chronic diseases. Make sure to follow us on social media: Coming Home for extra tips.