A stroke can happen in two ways Arteries carry blood to the brain A blood clot (thrombus) can block an artery Then no gets to the brain This damages the brain part that the artery supplies This is called an ischemic stroke The walls of a blood vessel may be weak They can burst Then the blood spreads into the brain This damages the brain This is called a brain haemorrhage Each brain part controls different things The effects of a stroke are different This depends on the area damaged
The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body After a stroke people go to hospital They usually go in an ambulance The staff find out about any difficulties They give a brain scan This why the stroke happened Was it caused by a bleed in the brain? Was it caused by a clot?
If it is a clot Thrombolysis may help This is an injection It may break up the clot The blood may flow freely again Thrombolysis has to happen in the 4 1/2 Not everyone can have thrombolysis The doctor will decide Hospitals have a stroke ward The staff are experts in stroke People go as soon as possible Finding out what has happened
The stroke staff are a team sometimes called the multidisciplinary team They watch for any change They give care and help They ask questions and do tests They find out about problems They decide if further tests are needed The tests will look at Movement of the arms and legs numbness balance confusion
Scan The staff also ask questions Sometimes telemedicine is used This uses technology It gets help from specialists The specialists are not in the hospital For some people the signs of a stroke go away within 1 day (24 hours ) This is called a Transient Ischemic Attack or TIA People with a TIA need to have regular checks by their doctor They may need to have medicine
It helps keep the arteries open This lets the blood flow through Hospital staff and how they help A stroke consultant makes the medical decisions They manage the care in hospital A stroke nurse gives medical care They watch for any change This is called monitoring Rehabilitation is help to get better It is also called therapy There are therapists on the stroke ward They are experts in stroke People may not need help from all therapists The therapists do assessments They find out more any difficulties
Physiotherapist A physiotherapist checks movement They are sometimes called a physio They check arms and legs They check coordination They if muscles are weak They check balance They check walking They may use equipment such as an exercise bike or a treadmill They may give equipment They may give a foot splint This helps with walking Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) This is a small electric shock The shock is given to the nerves
This helps movement of muscles Physiotherapy is sometimes in a swimming pool Occupational therapist An Occupational Therapist with activites They are sometimes called an OT They help people be independent if possible They help people with everyday activities After stroke it can be hard to make drinks and meals get out of bed keep clean and tidy
clean the mouth and teeth get dressed look after the house It may be hard to do the same hobbies An occupational therapist may give equipment to help An occupational therapist helps with relearning skills Speech and language therapist A speech and language therapist helps communication Stroke can affect communication
They may arrange conversations These will be with people trained to help A speech and language therapist Helps with eating and drinking They check for difficultity swallowing Food and drink should go into the stomach a stroke sometimes the swallow does not work Food might go into the lungs Drink might go into the lungs Some food and drink is easier Some people cannot eat or drink They may get food through a tube This goes through the nose
Rehabilitation assistants help practice therapy A dietitian helps people get the right food This helps them keep healthy A psychologist helps with emotions A psychologist helps with thinking A social worker organises help from social services The help is for after hospital A pharmacist helps with medicines An audiologist helps with hearing A podiatrist helps with feet
Other hospital staff Leaving hospital At first rehabilitation happens in hospital The stroke team plan for leaving hospital The rehabilitation team also plan They plan for therapy after hospital Any family or carers will help plan The stroke team give patients the plan The plan covers lots of things It may include how to claim benefits information about housing
There is support and therapy after hospital This happens wherever people live There are different ways of organising this Some areas have a team of specialist stroke therapists They are called the Community Stroke Team Some hospitals have an Early Supported Discharge Team Some people can move easily from a chair to a bed They can leave hospital quite soon These people get support and therapy at home instead Family may help at home The therapists will train them Stroke can make it hard to live in the same way Staff will check the home They check it is safe They check it is suitable
Therapists visit at home They visit within 3 days of leaving hospital They plan the support They plan the therapy They ask about any changes They ask about any new difficulties The therapists say who to contact for help They give a name They give a telephone number There are people who give support They help people manage at home This is their job They are sometimes called paid carers The effects of the stroke Every stroke is different
Some people make a good recovery Some people still have difficulties Some people have difficulty with eyesight They may have double vision They may see half of what they look at Some people have epilepsy Some people have pain Many people have shoulder pain after a stroke Staff give advice They tell how to prevent this
They will say how to reduce the pain There is medicine that can help Some people feel tingling or numbness Some people are very tired Some people can’t remember things Some people can’t concentrate Some people have no confidence Other people still have confidence Some people have no motivation A stroke can affect emotions
Some people go back to work The therapists can help plan Parts of a job may be difficult They can talk to an employer They can teach ways to cope They know equipment that helps Some difficulties don't improve Technology may help some people There are many ways to use mobile phones They may help Apps may help Therapy will carry on for a while Then people progress on their own Family or friends may help Some people need more support A GP will know where to get this