Elder Care: 8 Tips To Communication After Your Parent's Stroke
After suffering a stroke, you may find that your parent has trouble expressing him or herself. You may notice they have difficulty understanding what you say to them. You may also notice that they have trouble reading or writing.
This is not uncommon.
A stroke or other brain injury may damage parts of the brain involved with communication, however your parent's thought process is not neccessarily impaired.
People suffering with this condition, also known as aphasia become prisoners within the constraints of being able to communicate. Their thought process is working, but they cannot communicate because of the damage that's been done due to the stroke.
Unfortunately, you may notice your parent or spouse with this condition may be quite frustrated. He or she may have a hard time sharing their thoughts, and this frustration may be the precursor to becoming isolated... which could also lead to depression.
Althought the condition cannot be cured, it may help to work with a speech pathologist. Unfortunately, insurance and Medicare coverage for therapy is not always covered. You may find that your parent has this condition and when discharged from the hospital you may find that you don't have the skills or knowledge of how to cope with it.
Dealing with this difficulty in communication after a stroke can be made easier with a few steps to minimizing situations that can be the cause of frustration:
- Minimize stress and pressure. This inability can be made worse when the person feels that they are in a pressured situation and must give a response.
- Allow ample time for the person to answer. Keep in mind that it takes them longer to share what they are thinking.
- Minimize distractions and background noise. Turn off the television or the radio and enable a situation where the person can concentrate.
- Don't shout. That's not going to help. Use normal speaking tones. Louder doesn't mean better.
- Sometimes it may help to have the person write what they want to say.
- Pictures can help. If you can use pictures to communicate that may reduce some of the stress of trying to come up with the words.
- Ask simple questions with a yes or no answer. Nodding the head may be easier than answering a long drawn out question.
- Check to make sure the person understands you. After a stroke, your parent may sometimes say yes but they mean the opposite. Double check by asking something you know the answer to to be sure you correctly interpret the response.
As our parents age, it can be difficult to understand and deal with the infirmities, but knowledge on how to deal with these situations can be very helpful.
prn is a home health care provider located in the Pittsburgh metro area, specializing in elder health, home health care, in-home health services and long term care.