[vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1602488691191{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css_animation=”slideInUp” width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12005″ img_size=”500×500″ alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Nisha Andrea Raj, Care Specialist from Homage Malaysia
” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:left”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_text_separator title=”” color=”black” border_width=”3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Being a caregiver to a stroke patient comes with great responsibility too” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:34px|text_align:center|color:%23ed1c24|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css_animation=”appear”][ultimate_fancytext strings_textspeed=”350″ strings_backspeed=”0″ fancytext_tag=”h3″ fancytext_strings=”By Edeline Anne Goh” strings_font_style=”font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;” strings_font_size=”desktop:15px;” fancytext_color=”#ed1c24″ strings_font_family=”font_family:Montserrat|font_call:Montserrat|variant:regular”][vc_text_separator title=”” color=”black” border_width=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1602492080055{padding-right: 40px !important;padding-left: 40px !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”2em”][vc_column_text]The daily routine in a household naturally changes when a family member suffers from a stroke. One of the major changes is that typically a family member will assume the role of the primary caregiver for the patient. As stroke occurs abruptly, caregivers are given little time to adjust as they are required to assume this new role immediately.
From helping the stroke patient adapt to a new way of life to caring for the patient’s needs, the responsibilities that a caregiver carries on his or her shoulders are endless. Moreover, caregivers often put the patient’s needs before theirs. In the long run, this could lead to caregiver stress and burnout.
We understand that being a caregiver is not an easy role but there are healthy ways to help you cope mentally and physically. Care Specialist from Homage Malaysia, Nisha Andrea Raj shares more about coping with the demands of this selfless role.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1597027682459{margin-top: 3% !important;margin-bottom: 3% !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][ultimate_carousel slides_on_desk=”1″ slides_on_tabs=”1″ slides_on_mob=”1″ infinite_loop=”off” autoplay=”off” next_icon=”ultsl-arrow-right2″ prev_icon=”ultsl-arrow-left2″ dots_color=”#ed1c24″ adaptive_height=”on” centermode=”” item_space=”0″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12196″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602666916263{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp”][info_list_item list_title=”As a caregiver to a stroke patient, what are some of the challenges commonly faced?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]The most common struggle and challenge that family members or the main caregiver face in caring for a stroke patient is adjusting to the change and managing expectations. Most stroke survivors are totally dependent on the family or main caregiver. This could cause the family member or main carer to be more distressed emotionally.
Unfortunately, families also face other struggles such as their loved one’s non-compliance to any treatment, medication or therapy session. This may sound or look like a minor issue but it could be very stressful for the family or main carer as it can be emotionally challenging to balance relationship difficulties and responsibilities.
The struggles are not only in caring for their loved ones which are related to physical and psychological health but even with financial burdens in obtaining services from a formal care service provider.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”How does looking after a stroke patient affect someone emotionally?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Apart from stress, lack of time is one of the other key sources of emotional burnout. Especially during this time where the majority of people are working from home and taking care of their kids as well, caring for a loved one with a stroke would also require the caregiver’s full attention.
It may also stem from the expectations that a caregiver has for the stroke patient’s abilities. Activities of daily living such as showering or eating on their own would now be compromised as compared to life before stroke and caregivers may feel discouraged as to why their loved ones are suffering and feel helpless about the situation.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12199″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602667234358{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp” css_info_list=”.vc_custom_1602664985958{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][info_list_item list_title=”Can you share with us more about caregiver stress?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Demands are placed on the caregiver without realising that carers often put their own health on the back burner. People who experience caregiver stress can be vulnerable to changes in their own health. Stress, especially over a long time, can harm your health.
Also, you may not get enough sleep or physical activity, or eat a balanced diet, which increases your risk of other medical problems and inflammation in the body. Stress hormones are very important in helping us detect threats in our day-to-day life.
When stress does begin to take hold, a hormone called cortisol floods the body, causing pH levels to become imbalanced with acidity. High acid levels after a certain period of time can kill the good bacteria in the body while allowing bad bacteria to rise. This will weaken the immune system. Subsequently, carers of stroke survivors are highly susceptible to becoming ill themselves, increased risk of medical problems and also have symptoms of depression or anxiety. [/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”How can one avoid caregiver stress? ” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Caregivers should set goals to establish a good sleep routine, find time to be physically active on most days of the week, eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water. The carer can also seek counselling and advice from stroke educators through appointments located in their loved one’s respective hospital.
Besides that, adopting stress management exercises such as yoga, deep breathing, tai chi, qi gong, and meditation, can limit one’s cortisol levels, promoting overall health.
It is important to take advantage of the many local resources and tools available to help you provide better care for your loved one.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”12235″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602667234358{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp” css_info_list=”.vc_custom_1602664985958{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][info_list_item list_title=”What are the signs of caregiver stress? ” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]As a caregiver, individuals may be so focused on their loved one’s recovery that they don’t realise that their well-being is suffering. Usually, you will be able to notice these signs of caregiver stress:
- When you see them often feeling very tired, always getting too much sleep or not enough sleep.
- Losing interest in their hobbies and activities that they used to love doing which will then make them become easily irritable or angry.
- Overwhelmed by things to do, constantly thinking and worrying about everything else but themselves.
- Overseeing these signs will eventually lead them to weight loss as they have poor or no appetite to eat.
Frequent headaches, body pain or other physical problems that might lead them to be alcohol or drug abuse, including prescription medications.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”What are the options that a caregiver has, in the event he or she is not able to cope with being a primary caregiver to the stroke patient?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Unfortunately, many caregivers have a hard time asking for help. This can lead to feeling isolated, frustrated and even depressed. Rather than struggling on your own, take advantage of local resources for caregivers. Most communities have some type of respite care available nowadays.
There are care providers that provide in-home respite care for e.g Homage, where they send nurses, caregiver or therapist to the comfort of your home to provide daily care, nursing services, and therapy care. Other options are adult day care centres and programs which provide care for older adults during the day with a group of seniors their age. There are also short term nursing/assisted living homes where they accept people needing care for a short stay while the main caregiver takes a break.
“Rather than struggling on your own, take advantage of local resources for caregivers. Most communities have some type of respite care available nowadays.”[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”For families who are on a tight budget and cannot afford to hire help, what caregiving options do they have to help the stroke patient?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]One of the challenges in dealing with stroke patients especially if they are bedridden is the financial aspect of having to bear the medical costs such as equipment and medications. Individuals with stroke who lose the ability to ambulate independently are in need of full care and supervision from the family members/caregivers in order to avoid more serious complications such as another stroke. Furthermore, stroke patients would most of the time be in need of medical equipment such as air mattress, nasogastric tube, special formula milk, infusion pump, and oxygen concentrator. All these will be a burden to those who are less fortunate especially if the caregiver is the family’s main breadwinner.
Prior to being discharged from the hospital, a multidisciplinary team who is in charge of the patient will refer them to a Medical Social Worker (MSW) to provide therapy support (individual/ family counselling, consultation, service advisor and crisis intervention) and practical assistance (medical equipment, instant aid, trace family member and institutional placement).
Usually, after meeting the family, the Medical Social Worker will be able to gain basic demographic information of patients and a clear understanding of their ability. Then, they will identify the patient’s financial resources and generate a report and submit or refer to certain agencies such as Tabung Bantuan Perubatan (TBP) under the Ministry Of Health (MOH), Tabung Kebajikan Perubatan Malaysia (TKPM) under the association of Malaysian Medical Social Work Officer, Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) under the Ministry Of Women Development, Family & Community, BaitulMal/ Pusat Urus Zakat, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and other relevant organisations.
Alternatively, the family can consult their insurance agent (if they have any) and verify if there is existing coverage for stroke care in the policy they purchased before.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/ultimate_carousel][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1594189719583{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_text_separator title=”READ MORE” title_align=”separator_align_left” align=”align_right” color=”custom” border_width=”9″ accent_color=”#dd3333″ el_class=”read”][bs-grid-listing-1 columns=”3″ show_excerpt=”1″ title=”” icon=”” hide_title=”0″ heading_color=”” heading_style=”default” category=”14,29,13″ tag=”” count=”3″ post_ids=”” offset=”” featured_image=”0″ ignore_sticky_posts=”1″ author_ids=”” disable_duplicate=”0″ time_filter=”” order=”DESC” order_by=”date” _name_1=”” post_type=”” taxonomy=”” _name_2=”” cats-tags-condition=”and” cats-condition=”in” tags-condition=”in” tabs=”” tabs_cat_filter=”” tabs_tax_filter=”” tabs_content_type=”deferred” paginate=”none” pagination-show-label=”0″ pagination-slides-count=”3″ slider-animation-speed=”750″ slider-autoplay=”1″ slider-speed=”3000″ slider-control-dots=”off” slider-control-next-prev=”style-1″ ad-active=”0″ ad-after_each=”” ad-type=”” ad-banner=”none” ad-campaign=”none” ad-count=”” ad-columns=”1″ ad-orderby=”date” ad-order=”ASC” ad-align=”left” bs-show-desktop=”1″ bs-show-tablet=”1″ bs-show-phone=”1″ custom-css-class=”” custom-id=”” override-listing-settings=”0″ listing-settings=”” bs-text-color-scheme=”” css=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1594697216061{margin-bottom: -10% !important;}” offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_custom_heading text=”5.0″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:60|text_align:right|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_custom_heading text=”Out of” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594696759538{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”5 Stars” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594697016740{margin-top: -6px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1594780415864{margin-bottom: -10% !important;margin-left: -4% !important;}” offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md”][vc_custom_heading text=”5.0″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:45|text_align:center|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594784592259{margin-bottom: -1% !important;}”][vc_column_text]
Out of
5 Stars
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