My mother (89) suffered a stroke February 21, 2021. She was in acute care for only 3 days before being moved to a rehab unit. Advice?

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KatesQuestions Asked May 2021

My mother (89) suffered a stroke February 21, 2021. She was in acute care for only 3 days before being moved to a rehab unit. Advice?

She did not appear to have any impairment from the stroke and was doing well with rehab for the 1st 2 days. New drugs for A-Fib knocked her on her a** and she became very sick, low bp, kidneys shutting down and was almost in a comatose state for a week. Once they adjusted her meds she started coming around. She then developed a bad bladder infection. For 4 weeks she was so sick she didn't get rehab and was bedridden and they used a mech lift for her. She became extremely weak. I transferred her from that hospital to one in the town we live in and within 6 days she was discharged. She did well the first few days home but now just wants to spend all day sleeping. She's not eating much and it's a fight to get her up and moving. I see her getting weaker by the day. How can I motivate her? Is this a normal phase that a stroke victim will go through? I don't want to spend our time together fighting to get her up and need some ideas to get her back on track. Thank you!

Care Decisions Rehabilitation Center Senior Health Stroke

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score 2 · Answer 1

I agree with cwillie to check for depression. Also please remember that at 89 her body is just not going to rebound as fast as when she was younger. She is fighting human biology, so not only is she less able to simply maintain what she had, but is actively losing physical strength, even without a stroke. It's really hard for her right now, it's not just about motivation. Maybe try to get her to smile or laugh when you're together. If you're always a drill sergeant she'll dread your time with her. I wish you success in figuring out how best to help her.

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Thank you for your response! My mom has been through so much the last few years that I am guilty of spoiling her and doing everything for her once she moved in with us 2 years ago. I was worried that by doing this I have contributed to her decline in strength. Thank goodness her Dr arranged to have a RN do a home visit to assess her needs, she noticed the decline from her visit a week ago. After speaking to her Dr, the RN arranged for us to take her to emergency to have some tests done, they wanted to rule out anything physical first. They discovered she had an extremely low hemoglobin count and is anemic, of course this has a ripple effect on her health. They kept her in the hospital, got her on IV fluids and gave her a blood transfusion. She is feeling more alert and with it and will stay in hospital for a few days so they can work on building up her strength. They have said this can be common for the elderly to drop in hemoglobin counts so if someone you know starts showing signs of fatigue, weakness and no desire to participate, a blood test is in order to see if low blood count is the culprit.
Just wanted to share so others who may be experiencing like situations have a place to start.

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score 0 · Answer 2

No, after doing some research I am suspicious that it may be depression. A RN is coming tomorrow and I will follow up with her on this. Thank you for your help!

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score 1 · Answer 3

Depression is a common side effect of stroke, is she being treated for that?

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My mother (89) suffered a stroke February 21, 2021. She was in acute care for only 3 days before being moved to a rehab unit. Advice?

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