Post-stroke care tips for caregivers

Caregivers play an important role in stroke recovery. However, caregivers may sometimes feel overwhelmed, exhausted and isolated. Care and support from your community, family and friends will help you adjust to your new responsibilities as a caregiver.

What to expect

The stroke recovery process can be difficult and confusing for the stroke survivor, caregiver and family members. A stroke survivor’s behaviour, memory, communication, emotional, and physical capabilities can be negatively impacted by stroke. Depending on the needs of the stroke survivor, caregivers may need to provide support in one or more of the following areas:

Get Support

Be informed

By knowing more about stroke and the expectations of a caregiver, you will be more assured and feel less overwhelmed.

For more information, you may speak with your healthcare providers on:

• How stroke affects you and your family
• The treatment of stroke and how to reduce the risk of its recurrence
• What the recovery process is like
• Ways to care for your loved one and common challenges faced
• Ongoing consultation with the healthcare team
  after discharge

Find Support In Others

Talk to someone who understands. Reach out to family and friends to share your experience.

For your well-being, find respite care when you need to take a break. You may discuss and make arrangements with another family member or friend to help. If that is not possible, you can refer to the Agency of Integrated Care (AIC) website to find out about these services.

Tap on community resources such as stroke support groups for stroke survivors and their caregivers, caregiver training course and Family Service Centres.

Take time for yourself

Getting support for yourself, as well as your loved one, is necessary and beneficial for both the person you are caring for and yourself. Here are some suggestions for self-care:

• Eat a balanced nutritious diet
• Get regular exercise and be physically active
• Find time for a hobby or do something you enjoy regularly
• Spend time with your other friends and family
• Start a journal. Journaling can help you relieve stress, organize your thoughts and spend time by yourself

Managing difficult emotions

Experiencing stress and feeling a sense of loss are also common during the caregiving journey. To help manage these, you may: 

• Remember that stroke recovery and adjusting to the changes will take time
• Understand your loved one’s needs and recovery process
• Set your priorities and maintain a routine
• Remind yourself that you do not have to do it all by yourself
• Ask family and friends to assist you in specific ways

Knowing when to seek help

Some caregivers may experience depression. Depression can affect one’s health and increase the risk of developing other illnesses. 

Here are some symptoms of depression:

• Restless, always feeling irritated
• Feeling sad, anxious or “empty”
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Loss of interest or enjoyment in hobbies and other activities
• No energy, always tired, feeling “slowed down”
• Oversleep or can’t sleep
• Can’t concentrate, remember things or make decisions
• Loss of appetite, weight loss or weight gain
• Thoughts about death or suicide, or suicidal attempts

If you have five or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks, you should seek professional help from a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist. 

Training courses for the Caregiver

Before discharge, you will receive advice and, in some cases, training in the hospital according to the needs of your loved one. You may be trained on specific skills, such as feeding through the nasogastric tube, proper positioning, and transferring techniques.

After discharge, there are services available in the community to help you transition and cope in caring for your loved ones. Some of these courses include basic nursing skills, basic home care skills, and stroke management for caregivers. For more information, you may visit the AIC Link branch nearest to you or refer to the AIC website.

For more information

	AICare Link is a resource centre for all care needs where Care Consultants are available to advise caregivers and their loved ones on getting the right care at the right place, enabling seniors to age-in-place. The main Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) office is located at Maxwell (above Amoy Food Centre). For other AIC Link locations, please visit: www.aic.sg/about-us/aic-link
Website: https://www.aic.sg/ Email: enquiries@aic.sg Hotline: 1800 650 6060
	Singapore National Stroke Association (SNSA) organizes outings for stroke patients and their carers to reintegrate them into the community. They also have Stroke Support Groups to provide emotional and social support for stroke patients and their carers.
Website: http://www.snsasg.org Email: contact@snsa.org.sg Hotline: +65 8125 1446
	Established in 2015, Stroke Support Station (S3) is Singapore’s first stroke-focused community rehabilitation and wellness agency dedicated to meeting the needs of post-stroke survivors and their caregivers across Singapore. With S3, post-discharge survivors of stroke are able to receive care continuum through rehabilitation that integrates advanced rehabilitative technologies with conventional therapy as well as our signature S3 Wellness programme supporting cognitive and psychosocial development in order to maximise recovery potential, independence and reintegration.  S3 continues to work with partners to rally stroke survivors, their families, volunteers and partners to raise awareness of stroke prevention in the wider community.
Website: http://www.s3.org.sg/ Email: info@s3.org.sg Hotline: +65 64733500
Family Service Centres (FSCs)	Family Service Centres (FSCs) are a key community-based focal point and social service provider for families in need. The objectives of FSCs are to promote and improve the social wellbeing of every individual in the family, at every stage of life. FSCs are staffed by social workers and other professionals who can provide a helping hand.
Website: https://www.msf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/list-of-fscs-in-operation.pdf
	StrokeHub is a resource guide for stroke survivors, their loved ones and caregivers. It provides information about stroke related matters and life after stroke. The stroke booklets and factsheets are available online.
Website: https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/strokehub

Article available in Chinese, Malay and Tamil

For more information on how to better manage your stroke recovery journey, visit Stroke E-Resources. 

StrokeHub Video: 

Caring for Your Loved One (Extended Version) https://youtu.be/jb0eHT2nL9Q 

Caring for Your Loved One https://youtu.be/oseOMrY3o-Q