- March 3, 2021
- injuredsenior
- Senior Injuries
Eighty percent of strokes are preventable; however, you still need to know what to do if you potentially have one.
There are two different types of strokes – ischemic and hemorrhagic. An ischemic stroke is when a blood clot goes up to your brain. A hemorrhagic stroke is when you have a blatant brain bleed. Ischemic strokes are the most common. In fact, they happen eighty-seven percent of the time.
Administering tPA
Sometimes, when paramedics get on the scene of a stroke, they do not administer tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). There are advantages of administering the tPA. However, it can also be in your best interest to not receive tPA. If you’re unfamiliar, tPA is a tissue plasminogen activator – it is the gold standard treatment for ischemic stroke. The hospital could give it to you if you have a stroke four and a half hours beforehand. When you hit the four-and-a-half-hour point, it is a no-go. If you have a stroke in your sleep, they will have no way of knowing when you had a stroke. Thus, you will not want the tPa.
The Aftermath of Strokes
After a stroke, there is a lot to think about regarding the aftermath. Some people become paralyzed, and are unable to walk, leaving people stuck in a wheelchair for quite some time. Also, many people cannot speak after a stroke, and some can’t even swallow correctly. Well, when you can’t swallow, that’s dysphasia. When you can’t talk, that’s called aphasia. Unfortunately, some people get both dysphasia and aphasia after a stroke. It can take a decent amount of time to recover from aphasia. Luckily, aphasia does not interfere with a person’s intelligence, and it does not mean that person has a mental illness.
What To Know About Aphasia
In fact, aphasia is a lot more common than people think. Two-million Americans are affected with aphasia. However, most seniors haven’t even heard of aphasia or know what it means to recover from aphasia. There are multiple types of aphasia, including global aphasia, Broca’s aphasia, mixed non-fluent aphasia, Wernicke’s aphasia, etc. If you want to learn more about the different types of aphasia, we highly recommend checking out The National Aphasia Association. When aphasia symptoms take longer than two or three months, the person is a lot less likely to recover. However, it’s not impossible, and there is still hope for people who have aphasia. Treatments for traumatic brain injury survivors can help with aphasia, and it can change your life.
Neurofeedback For Stroke Survivors
Neurofeedback can be useful for stroke survivors and stroke survivors with aphasia. Stroke is an incapacitating neurological issue that results in atypical electrical brain activity and the impairment of sensation, motor, or cognition functions. So, neurofeedback can be a useful tool. Biofeedback teaches control of brain functions by assessing brain waves and providing a feedback signal. Electroencephalography (EEG) is recorded during this treatment. Then, these recordings are used to inform the person and activate neurons. Multiple studies insist that neurofeedback therapy is effective for the treatment of many diseases. It’s a complicated process, but it will definitely be worth investing some time in understanding how it works for stroke survivors.
Becoming Your Own Healthcare Advocate After A Stroke
Stroke survivors need to be their own healthcare advocates. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the opportunity to be an advocate, especially for people with aphasia. It would help if you had someone who is taking care of you as a stroke survivor. The caregiver will need to understand what you want and need. Plus, they will need to look out for the way doctors are treating you as a stroke survivor. For instance, sometimes seniors can’t walk after a stroke. So, if a nurse tries and gets the senior to walk to the bathroom, it will result in a crash. Having a health advocate in the room will be essential for staying healthy. If you can speak after a stroke, then you need to be your own caregiver as you start to take your independence back. Suppose you don’t like your treatment at a specific hospital. Then find someone else who will treat you better! If you want to stay up to date with what is affecting our senior population, follow The National Injured Senior Law Center on Facebook.