When there has some blockage in the part of the brain which obstruct blood supply or blood vessel in the brain bursts, a stroke happens. Lasting brain damage long term disability are the side effects of the stroke (Campbell et al. 2019). The patient had partial paralysis on the left side of the body and was also affected with slurred speech after the stroke. The objective of the study is to evaluate The Impact Of Physiotherapy in treating the disability of the patient due to partial paralysis. As the patient also suffered from some issues with speech as the side effects of the stroke, it was also necessary to ease the communication problem of the patient as communication is a major key for any treatment. Without proper communication, the patient could not describe his feelings and desires. It was also natural for the patient in the case to suffer from depression as a consequence of physical disability and age. So indoor activities to treat the depression and slurred speech issues are also evaluated here.
The patient was a 75 years old male admitted to the nursing home in Jan 2020. Previously he was admitted to the hospital for a stroke. He spent 6 months in the hospital. He used a rollator, had no difficulties in transferring himself, and needed no assistance. As a side effect of the stroke, he had partial paralysis on the left side of the body. He had slurred speech. Before retirement, he worked in the Dublin dockyard. He was interested sin swimming, hill walking, and solving crossword puzzles. Impact Of Physiotherapy And Counselling In Stroke Rehabilitation Essay Paper
As the patient did not need any assistance, the priority of the activity was to make the patient independent and self-efficient. The patient was left-handed. As the patient had partial paralysis on the left side of the body, some inconveniences in work affected the patient’s daily life. Though he had no problem transferring himself, he had reduced balance, reduced coordination of the left upper limb, tremor of the left upper limb, reduced sensitivity on the left side of the body, and increased risk for falls. He was also suffering from slurred speech. So, the communication between the patient and the outer world was hampered. The patient was eager to communicate with others as soon as possible. He was old, and he had a son and wife. He preferred to live the rest of his life among his well-wishers being able to share his happy pasts. Communication was also very much required for the treatment of the patient. It was assessed that the client was suffering from depression due to long-suffering and the side effects of the stroke (Kim et al. 2018). His interests were swimming and hill walking. Due to his professional reasons, he did not make any leisure time to pursue his hobbies. So, he was determined to fulfil his wishes after retirement. But due to a stroke, he was unable to do this. It led to depression in the patient. The patient wished to recover from these sufferings as soon as possible.
As autonomy is the right of every patient. It was necessary to communicate with the client about the details of the treatment procedures and the pros and cons of the effort. It was also the consultant’s responsibility to respect the thoughts and decisions of the client. Here, the consultant also communicated with the members of the patient and tried to communicate with the patient to know his opinion about the treatment he was going to choose and made it under consideration.
After a discussion with the patient, the consultant then communicated with the supervisor about the effectiveness of the treatment the patient had chosen. After proper discussion along with the considerations of the patient, the treatment required for the patient was chosen according to the needs.
To improve the patient’s physical condition, physiotherapy was recommended according to the patient’s age, sex, and condition (Cheiloudaki and Alexopoulos 2019). The problem in maintaining balance or loss of coordination in the left hand was treated with physiotherapy and exercise (Hartley 2019),(Kgokong and Parker 2020). For this purpose, a treadmill was required. For curing the physical conditions, mental well-being was also required for the patient. So, a psychologist was also appointed to free the patient from depression and improve their communication skill. Proper diet and medications were also recommended.
Though the patient had no difficulties transferring himself, the patient had partial paralysis on the left side of the body. The patient had an ambition of swimming and hill walking. To attain the patient’s goals, the physiotherapist used the intervention of treadmill-based gait training without body weight support (Ummels et al. 2020). The exercise included supine bridging; the physiotherapist recommended the bird dog exercise to improve the patient’s balance. Task-specific training like loading dishwashers and picking up objects from the floor was used for motor function improvement (Wamkpah et al. 2020). To reduce the depression, the patient was recommended to spend time with his family members, looking at old films and photo albums, sharing past happy memories, and listening to stories about his hobbies like swimming and hill walking. The patient also had a keen interest in solving crossword puzzles. So, to improve the patient’s cognition, which is generally affected by a stroke, he was also recommended to pass his time by crossword solving. To improve the speech problem of the patient was suggested to try to talk as much as possible.
During the whole treatment, a safe environment was maintained. The patient was always supervised and guided by the physiotherapist during treadmill-based training or other training. A psychologist always paid attention to the patient’s mental well-being by removing factors of depression because a healthy mind is a key contributor to the well-being of the physical condition. The psychologist was very much attentive to the patient’s concerns and always made sure that the patient did not feel any insecurity towards him. He always accompanied the patient to feel valued and motivated him for his well-being. Good communication was there between the patient and the healthcare provider. Every problem was discussed between them. Proper diet and hygiene were also maintained.
At first, the patient was not comfortable expressing himself. So, the physicians had to observe every detail of the patient under treatment. The physiotherapist assisted the patient every time and put the load as per the patient’s requirement. He was considerate enough of the condition of the patient. The psychologist was supportive of the patient’s progression to remove his depression and improve his speaking ability.
During the whole process of activity, the dignity and confidentiality of the patient were maintained. The patient shared all his details with the physicians out of trust. Good communication was also the outcome of the trust. This communication and trust helped the patient overcome his depression and progress to a normal healthy life.
The client was very happy with the treatment. Physiotherapy helped the patient overcome the physical obstructions (PanchbSudhe et al. 2020). He was very happy as he would fulfil his dream of swimming and hill walking. Via the counselling, the patient overcame his depression and started to talk normally. Above all, he was very grateful to the physicians who were caring, supportive throughout the process, and always motivated him. The only negative side of the activity from the client’s perspective was that he was not allowed to do any outdoor activity during this duration of recovery.
According to the writer’s perspective, the person-centred approach to treating the patient went well. According to the patient’s background, history, and needs, the physicians designed their treatment strategies and valued the comments and concerns of the patient. But lack of outdoor activities somehow made the person homesick, self-centred, and isolated. The patient became addicted to digital media, which was also harmful.
Recommendations are that more outdoor activities should be included like walking on the grass field and cycling. The treadmill is undoubtedly an important piece of equipment, but it is not a substitute for walking. In trade mills, patients sometimes cannot understand their limits. So, health hazards become the outcome of the unregulated trade mill. The home patient becomes very much addicted to digital media. It is highly recommended to guide the patient to do small outdoor activities according to his health conditions to change this outcome. Meditation and yoga are also important tools to return to normal life.
References
Campbell, B.C., De Silva, D.A., Macleod, M.R., Coutts, S.B., Schwamm, L.H., Davis, S.M. and Donnan, G.A., 2019. Ischaemic stroke. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5(1), pp.1-22.
Cheiloudaki, E. and Alexopoulos, E.C., 2019. Adherence to treatment in stroke patients. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(2), p.196.
Hartley, S.E., 2019. Re-imagining the role of the physiotherapist when managing people with long-term conditions. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 35(11), pp.1005-1014.
Kgokong, D. and Parker, R., 2020. Physical activity in physiotherapy students: Levels of physical activity and perceived benefits and barriers to exercise. The South African Journal of Physiotherapy, 76(1). Impact Of Physiotherapy And Counselling In Stroke Rehabilitation Essay Paper