The treatment of someone who has suffered a stroke requires the aid of many members of different specialties and professions. Therefore, the treatment of a patient after a stroke is called multidisciplinary. The multidisciplinary team includes rehabilitation nurses, doctors, neurologists (vascular neurologist and neuropsychologist), speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and more. The collection of professions who share a common working area but with different skills and knowledge makes for effective service delivery and it improves the patient's outcome.
Rehabilitation nurses help the patients manage their personal care and perform daily activities that one has to do. Rehabilitation nurses assist the patient by helping them function. They also help the patient manage their health problems that can reduce the risk of another stroke in the future.
The patient’s doctor is the one responsible for managing the long-term care for the patient, and they coordinate rehabilitation programs that are specific for the patient's needs. The doctor is also responsible for advising the patient on preventing strokes, such as eliminating risk factors like the patient's blood pressure and how they need to control it. As well as this, a neurologist works alongside a doctor to figure out what has caused the stroke and the steps that need to be taken to reduce the threat and the risk of another stroke in the future.
There are also many subspecialties with neurology that work in the rehabilitation process after someone has had a stroke, one of which is neurophysiology. A neuropsychologist visits patients who have difficulty with their thinking and emotions, and those who cannot portray their emotions in a certain way after they have suffered from a stroke. Speech and language therapists assess the patient's level of communication and understanding after they have suffered from a stroke, then they advise the patient and their family how best to move on if the stroke survivor has any communication problems, difficulties with their speech, writing, reading, and understanding others. They also assess the patient’s difficulty with swallowing and help the patient if they have issues with swallowing.
The occupational therapist would first assess the patient after they have had a stroke to test their ability to perform daily living activities, such as personal care. They would then help the survivor learn their motor skills to perform activities, such as gardening, and other basic activities that are a necessity for a human. For example, a patient after a stroke has limited use with one hand, therefore an occupational therapist would find a strategy to help the survivor adapt to their environment. For example, if the patient cannot tie his sneakers, then they can replace them with sneakers that have Velcro on them to make it easier to wear. An occupational therapist's job is to also teach the patient to adapt to their life by making changes to their surroundings to increase safety and reduce the risk of injury so that it aids with performing tasks in an easier way. An example of this could be adding grab bars in areas where the survivor would need them in their house, such as the bathroom.
If the patient went through a major stroke that leads to paralysis, then a physiotherapist would come and assist. The rehabilitation process for this would take longer, and it could consist of focusing on taking short steps, standing and walking, or even getting out of bed. A physiotherapist can aid with temporary paralysis and restore movements so the patient can relearn everyday activities with the help of an occupational therapist.
Commentaires