Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: stroke care + stroke victims + stroke  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Banner Baywood Medical Center certified as a Primary Stroke Center EVLiving - Using a ?FAST? method of identifying possible stroke victims, all hospital staff ranging from housekeeping and food service workers to lab techs and nurses ... BBC News Thousands of stroke victims to be saved by new treatment guidelines Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul 22, 2008 Thousands of stroke victims a year could be saved from death or serious disability after the launch of new national guidelines recommending faster treatment ... Stroke victims to be given 'fast-track' care Daily Mail Stroke victims only get the right drugs 1 per cent of the time Telegraph.co.uk Stroke victims will get clot-busting drugs within 24 hours to save ... Daily Mail all 122 news articles » We have healthier hearts now . . but for how long? Scotsman, United Kingdom - Aug 4, 2008 Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison, said: "Coronary heart disease and stroke remain two of Scotland's biggest killers. "I welcome the progress that ... Women at risk for rare stroke Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX - Aug 3, 2008 For Gonzales, access to quality health insurance has been a barrier to seeking care. Physicians told Gonzales that she was at risk for another stroke and ... 'Robot doctor' offers quicker treatment for stroke victims Irish Times, Ireland - Jul 23, 2008 The RP7 is not limited to just stroke treatment. Dr Collins explained that it could be used for everything from paediatric care to vascular surgery. ... Heart Scan Taking Center Stage in Sudden Cardiac Death Earthtimes (press release), UK - The higher the score, the higher the risk of heart attack or stroke. Candidates for a heart scan are generally 40 years or older and may have risk factors ... Health Matters: Keeping safe in the summer heat Needham Times,  USA - Aug 4, 2008 Consult your health-care provider. Heat stroke: A medical emergency ? the body?s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, ... Heart Healthy: Preventive Medicine 2008 Medscape (subscription) - Aug 4, 2008 In the area of stroke, the AHA recommends the development of national coordinated stroke systems of care and establishment and expansion of stroke ... Enloe Medical Center honored for stroke care Enterprise-Record, CA - Jul 29, 2008 By Staff Reports CHICO ? Enloe Medical Center has been honored by the American Stroke Association for its care of stroke victims. ... Wrexham toddler suffers stroke after heart operation Evening Leader, UK - Jul 31, 2008 She said that there are 10000 stroke victims every year snd that a quarter of them are under 65-years-old. As well as dealing with the effects of the stroke ...

Caring for a Stroke Victim

When someone close to you suffers a stroke, the emotional impact can be tremendous, but as anyone caring for a loved one after a stroke knows, the psychological challenges are only half of the story. The responsibility of helping someone through recovery and rehabilitation can be extremely demanding, and there’s a lot to learn. Who do you call in emergency situations? How do you find the right kind of care for your loved one? How do you pay for it all? Those are just some of the questions.

Below is a conversation with two stroke experts that might offer you some answers. Family involvement is crucial, but when does it start?
DAVID ALEXANDER, MD: Generally it starts right at the time of the stroke, and it’s often a family member who discovers or helps the patient who’s having a stroke get to the emergency room and get to the hospital. Then it continues through the whole process: the acute side of the hospitalization, into the rehabilitation phase and, of course, for the rest of the patient’s life.

There comes a point when a person with a stroke goes home. How do healthcare workers know if the caregiver is up to the task of caregiving?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: In the acute care hospital, we have to determine functionally how that patient is managing, and then we have to interview the family and see whether or not they can care for the patient at his or her particular level. If they can, the patient probably can go home safely. If they can’t, then we probably will consider them for a stay in rehabilitation. After we have a chance to evaluate them in the rehab setting, we’ll get the family to come in to participate in therapies, learn what the patient can and can’t do, and learn what they should and shouldn’t do as caregivers.

This is a big responsibility. Is there anything you do to prepare a person for this?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: We try to give them as much training as we can in the rehabilitation facility. What we also do is have them come in if we see that there are potential stressors that might make care difficult. We’ll have them start seeing the psychologist in the rehabilitation facility so we can start dealing with some of those things. What we can also do is make referrals to them for support groups, both patient support groups and caregiver support groups, so that when the patient and the family go home, the caregiver doesn’t feel isolated. This is a wonderful way to network so that they can find out ways that other people are dealing with some of the same issues that they are dealing with.

What about the incidence of depression in caregivers? Do you see this a lot?
DAVID ALEXANDER, MD: Yes. It’s a very stressful job, being a caregiver, and there is a higher incidence of depression and medical problems. Caregivers are so focused on the needs of the patient that they neglect their own care. They don’t get to see the doctor. They don’t take their medications properly, or they overstress themselves physically. And they are more frequently depressed than other people because they’re dealing with this new substantial life change for themselves.

RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: There are some recent studies that even suggest that caregivers who are stressed may even have a higher rate of death than caregivers who are taking care of themselves. Is there a way to get them relief so that they can take an hour to do whatever they need to do?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: We encourage a respite from the duties of being a caregiver. There aren’t many organized programs that can do things like that, but obviously, the larger the social net of the patient, the more friends and family they have, the easier it is for them to take a break and take care of themselves.

What about the cost associated with caring for someone?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: Costs can be somewhat prohibitive for some patients, and if they don’t have the financial resources, then it makes it much more difficult. Sometimes patients and families can reach out to their churches or synagogues, and find more informal networks where they can hire somebody for somewhat less money than it might be through a home health agency. But these are people who may not be as well-trained as some of the caregivers that come from the health agencies, so you have to take all of that into consideration.

Does insurance cover it at all?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: Since it is really considered custodial care, usually it doesn’t.

DAVID ALEXANDER, MD: It’s often a major shock to families when they realize that a lot of these things aren’t covered by Medicare or their insurance, and it can be a very big financial burden.

RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: What I think is really very interesting is that under Medicaid, you might be able to get paid to be in a nursing home, but to get paid to be home, which, really, is a lot less expensive, it’s usually left to the family. What about long-term care insurance? Would they cover something like that?
DAVID ALEXANDER, MD: I believe that there is insurance you can buy to cover that gap that we’re talking about, where patients may need assistance at home, things that aren’t traditionally covered by insurance, and if they bought the insurance ahead of time, that may be helpful.

RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: However, it’s important just to make sure that they read through what they are purchasing, because it may not be necessarily what they expect it to be.

If a caregiver is having trouble psychologically, physically, emotionally, where would they turn for help?
RICHARD ZOROWITZ, MD: They can probably turn to the rehabilitation team that served the patient, because we will have some of those resources that the patient’s caregiver might need. It might mean going to a psychologist and trying to deal with some of those issues themselves. It might mean going to a support group for caregivers in order that they can network with other people.

Are there any national organizations that they can call to try to find maybe a local chapter or people who are in the same situation?
DAVID ALEXANDER, MD: Yes, there are. National Stroke Association is one. The American Stroke Association is another. Most places have local stroke chapters, and hospitals or rehabilitation facilities often have their own support groups.