The aftermath of a stroke is incredibly difficult to navigate, no matter the circumstances. While there’s no predicting what will happen to the patient, as the family members, it can be very hard to consider what comes next. No one wants to reach a point where they have to enter their loved ones into hospice care, as it can be scary to do so.
With that said, coming to that realization that it’s necessary is a healthy one to reach. It definitely isn’t easy to get there, though. There will be support for you and your loved one throughout the entire process – that’s just the basics of good hospice care options.
As you can see on this page, there are many options out there for palliative and hospice care. However, when your loved one has had a stroke, then you may need to make more specific arrangements for them in the care that they receive. Allow us to explain.
What are Strokes?
Before we can fully delve into the type of care that stroke victims need, it’s important to understand what happens when a stroke occurs. Essentially, it’s when there is some sort of disruption of blood flow from arteries to the brain. There are a few different types of them, but each is dangerous.
Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts. It then leaks into surrounding brain tissues and can cause severe damage. They are difficult to treat in the moment and can be quite frightening both to experience and to witness.
In contrast, ischemic strokes are when there is a lack of supply of blood to the brain because the heart can no longer supply it. Typically, this is due to a blood clot or a different form of blockage in a person’s arteries.
The final type we would like to highlight are not as severe but may be a precursor to a more severe stroke down the line. These are known as transient ischemic attacks. They may not be immediately apparent due to the fact that blood is only cut off from the brain for five minutes or less, so there are not really any symptoms in the moment.
Severe strokes can result in significant loss of cognitive function, and even a vegetative state. Many sufferers of severe strokes will be vegetative for the remainder of their lives, and caring for them can be a challenge for family members. That is when something such as stroke hospice may be what you want to look into and research.
What is Hospice Care?
For the most part, hospice care directed specifically to stroke victims is intended to assist with symptom management. Unfortunately, there are a lot of symptoms that can arise in these situations. It’s important to remember that hospice care is not necessarily end-of-life care, despite the common misconception that this is always the case.
Rather, these caregivers are there to help assist their patients with their recovery and will only transition to end-of-life care when appropriate to do so. More often than not, the hope is for a full recovery to happen. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always occur.
What Can Hospice Care Services Provide?
Obviously, the main priority of most hospice care is to help the patient themselves manage their symptoms and to make a recovery. However, they are also able to help provide any support that is needed for the family. What all might that entail?
Requisite training is one aspect of it, should that be something you want. Additionally, they’ll provide the medical supplies that the patient needs so that you as the family member or caregiver can utilize them. Along the way, they can provide the emotional support and empathy that you will need throughout the process.
Are These Services Worth it?
One roadblock that many patients and families face is that they find most hospice and palliative care facilities and services to be too expensive to realistically afford. However, there are ways to find cost-effective options. You simply have to know where to look.
As you can see here: https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care, many insurance companies and services will help to cover the expenses that you encounter. Even if not, though, you will have options available that are not absurdly expensive.
The thing is, despite the seemingly steep price tags for many of these services, it is hard to deny that they are worth the money. They provide care that most of us as family members simply cannot, especially when it comes to treatment management for stroke victims.
If you’ve been debating on whether or not you want to enter your loved one into hospice care after they have had a severe stroke, hopefully this article has helped you to get a sense of what that will entail. This is a very stressful time for everyone involved.
