Emotional Support Important for All Seniors

A newly published study shows that emotional support is one of the most important things that a recovering stroke patient can have. Doctors in Edinburgh found that when someone suffers from a severe stroke, it’s not just their physical health that is impacted. Psychological help is also important for people going through this. They discovered this after realizing that the risk of death within six months was so high for these patients. They had definite physical needs, but their emotional needs were often far greater. The same went for the families of the stroke victims. They also had emotional needs that went unmet, for the most part.

 

Stroke care has improved dramatically in the last several years, but it still has a long way to go before it is perfect. As care continues to improve, the prognosis for those that have suffered from a stroke will continue to improve, too. In the meantime, seniors will need to have access to strong care options, including in-home care, rehabilitation, and medical care.

 

Emotional support is very important following a stroke.

 

When a loved one is in need of senior care, emotional support is often needed just as much as physical support is. Try to put yourself in their shoes while you think about this. If you were to suddenly need an in-home caregiver to help you through the day, you would probably not be very happy about that. Learning that you are no longer effectively able to take care of yourself is a hard realization, and there’s a strong chance that you would be upset, frustrated, or a large number of other emotions along these same lines. Care is definitely important and it can be a very welcome thing, but most people are unhappy in some manner when they learn that they have declined in health or physical ability to the point that they need assistance. They might be mad, or sad, or they might just feel defeated. Whatever the emotion might be, having someone to lean on can be helpful.

 

That’s why it’s so important that you hire the right caregiver for your loved one’s needs. A kind and compassionate caregiver does so much more than just help someone with their physical needs around the house. They help with meal prep and getting through all of the necessary day to day tasks, but the best caregivers also are friends to the people that they assist. They act as a trusted companion, someone who can be supportive and helpful no matter what the emotional needs might be. A caregiver is certainly not a replacement for a doctor or therapist, but they can certainly act as a friend. This holds far more value than what you might think at first.

 

Dealing with decreased physical functioning and a new, strange set of needs is tough. Knowing that you are going to be disabled for the rest of your life is a tough realization, and having someone on your side to help you might not make it physically better, but it can certainly make life a little bit better.

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