Stroke can occur at any age
In recent times, it has become essential for the RN and other medical practitioners to understand the need for stroke patients in different age groups to adopt the best strategies for continuing care to them. Despite some identified similarities, there exists different needs and experiences of the young and old stroke patients. The differences are attributed to stroke effects on self-image, age normative activities, roles and the stage in the life cycle.
Some of the needs for younger patients include work disruptions, family plans, childcare responsibilities and overall disturbances of family routines (Kee et al, 2015). There is a hidden disrupted sense of self, cognitive impairment of suffering an older person’s disease among the young patients. In this case, the young patients have more unmet needs compared to their old counterparts.
The older people are at a higher risk of suffering from the stroke as compared to the young ones. Such reasons make the young patients have more specific needs both psychological and practical in nature (Kee et al, 2015). The added psychological need involves reconciling their perceived incongruity concerning suffering a disease for the old.
The old patients fail to receive constant high-intensity neurorehabilitation as compared to the young patients thus the old survivors need less therapy intensive settings (Kee et al, 2015). Compared to the old, young patients feel different about their stroke experience due to their early life stage and the effects caused by the disease.
Different psychological therapies and practices are adopted in correspondence to needs of either the old or young patients. There is a similarity between the needs of the young and old patients since both receive high amounts of therapy and specialized inpatient neurorehabilitation during their care period (Kee et al, 2015).
The therapist is an important member of the interprofessional healthcare team that would assist the RN in the provision of quality care to the stroke patient. One of the roles performed by the therapist involves promoting and teaching healthy lifestyle routines and habits to the patients to minimize the risks of secondary stroke.
Assistive technology training for the patient and home modifications requiring interventions made by the therapist are vital roles performed enhancing an effective collaboration with the RN (Kee et al, 2015). In a nutshell, adoption of the right strategies while providing care to stroke patients results to the positive and desired outcomes.
Reference
Kee, J., Hayes, E., & McCuistion, L. (2015). Pharmacology: A patient-centered nursing process approach (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
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