Your mom had a stroke, and you know she would want to avoid being in the hospital as much as possible. She can come home, but she's going to need around-the-clock care and support. This is where 24-hour home care can help. What is your role in her recovery at home?
Emotional Support
After a stroke, your mom is going to be down. Depression and anxiety are likely. Having her family around for emotional support can make a difference in her mood. Even if you're there just to sit and watch a movie with her, it helps.
Some of the things that nurses will have to do may cause her distress. If she needs a catheter until she's regained bladder control, she might want you for emotional support when the nurse is tending to her.
If she needs an injection of insulin or an IV of any medications, she might be calmer if you sit with her and hold her hand. That type of support can be immeasurable after a stroke.
Errands
Your mom needs you to stop and purchase her groceries and household items. If she has packages at the post office, you'll need to get them. She's not going to be ready to run errands by herself for a while. Take care of these shopping trips and other errands for her.
Scheduling
If your mom's speech was affected, making phone calls to set up appointments and household maintenance is going to be difficult for her. She may not be able to type on a computer, either. Be ready to make all of her appointments for her. If she needs her furnace cleaned, schedule that appointment on a day that you or 24-hour home care can be there to talk to the technician and answer any questions.
Personal Care
Your mom may require your help brushing and flossing her teeth or taking a shower. She's going to need your help getting dressed. Combing her hair, haircuts, or hair trims are also things you'll need to help with.
Transportation to Appointments
Your mom's physical, occupational, and speech therapists will come to her home for therapy sessions. Eventually, she will regain some strength and be able to go to medical offices and clinics for follow-up care. She'll need a driver for these appointments.
It's going to be a while before she's allowed to drive again. Your mom might never be allowed to drive, so she will need someone like 24-hour home care to drive her around.
Some of the things your mom will need help doing are too much for you. Talk to her medical team about her care needs going forward. Hire 24-hour home care or post-hospital care nurses to do medically necessary tasks like IVs, injections, catheters, feeding tubes, and incision care. With your emotional support and nurses offering trained care, your mom will avoid re-hospitalization and get better quickly.