Rehabilitation – Let's Talk Stroke

Optimizing Therapy Outcomes in Stroke Rehabilitation

curtschulz — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:57:16 +0000

In order to maximize your stroke recovery efforts, it’s important to get the right care at the right time. You should also closely follow the guidance of your stroke rehabilitation provider team and be diligent about doing the work needed on your own as well.

Timeline of stroke recovery

Anticipating a reasonable stroke recovery timeline can help you to manage your expectations throughout your stroke rehabilitations process. While there is some variation from stroke survivor to stroke survivor, your doctor can give you a rough estimate of what to expect. Regardless of the overall expected stroke recovery timeframe, the brain has the most effective neuroplasticity and produces the most significant gains in the three months immediately following a stroke. That’s why stroke survivors should begin stroke rehabilitation as soon as possible.

Your Stroke Rehabilitation Treatment Plan

Different disciplines will play a role in stroke rehabilitation. The providers on your team may include:

Physical therapist
Occupational therapist
Speech therapist
Nurse
Social worker

Your team will collaborate closely with each other, communicating regularly about your case in order to deliver the most effective care possible. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions that you may have to any of these providers.

Importance of Independent Patient Practice

If you initially begin your stroke recovery in an inpatient setting, your activities will be closely supervised and monitored. However, when you transition back to your home or an outpatient setting, you’ll take on more of the responsibility for your recovery. That means that you must do the work in between therapy sessions in order to see continued progress. Your PT and OT will give you detailed instructions regarding frequency and repetitions of your exercise regimen.You may want to enlist a caregiver or another accountability partner to check in with regularly and help you stay on track. Taking full advantage of all of the resources available to you during the stroke recovery process will set the stage for success. If you are committed to the process and follow your health care team’s directions closely, you will be able to maximize your potential functioning moving forward.

Stroke Rehabilitation Settings

curtschulz — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 17:26:03 +0000

Different stroke survivors will receive care in different settings, with some offering more intensive services than others. You and your health care team will collaborate to determine which environments will be most effective in meeting your stroke rehabilitation needs.

Options For Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech therapy, along with medical care may be provided in:

Acute Rehabilitation Center: Intensive services for patients with the greatest impairments and the most significant needs
Skilled Nursing Facility: Closely supervised services for patients with significant needs, but not as intensive as those provided in acute rehabilitation facilities
Home Health: Therapies and other services delivered in the stroke survivor’s home setting
Outpatient: Services provided in an outpatient clinic, which may include therapy or ongoing medical care

Most stroke survivors will transition from inpatient to home health to outpatient settings over the course of their stroke rehabilitation. However, patients who are appropriate for an inpatient level of care typically will be in either acute rehabilitation or skilled nursing, not both, depending on the initial effects of the stroke.

Which Setting Is Right For Me?

The setting that will be most appropriate and effective for each patient is determined by the treating physician and is based on severity of the stroke’s effects, along with the patient’s care needs. Not all stroke survivors necessarily need to receive care in an inpatient setting, and some may actually do better in familiar home environments where they feel more relaxed. Your health insurance provider can also play a role in determining the most appropriate level of care for you. This may be dictated by certain clinical measures of impairment. If you feel that your health insurance provider is standing in the way of your getting needed care, work with your doctor to navigate the appeals process. Getting the right level of post-stroke care in the right environment makes all of the difference in stroke recovery outcomes. Look to your providers for direction on which rehabilitation settings make sense at different points in your post-stroke journey.