Brian Maram
A caregiver’s guide to stroke- Through the Eyes of a Survivor Find out more about stroke, through the eyes of a survivor. See life from their perspective, looking from the inside out, and understand the things they do. Some of what you will read is not available in any other books.When a stroke reveals its ugly head, it does so with vengeance and at an alarmingly fast speed. Changing the lives of everyone close to the survivor. It strikes so fast that no one has the chance to plan for the future. It is usually the immediate family and partners that are thrown in at the deep end, and they ultimately land up, taking on the unrewarding role of caregiver.Remember, none of you has any formal training and you typically dive in headfirst without giving it a second thought. Caregiving is one of the toughest jobs you will ever encounter. It’s demanding and unrewarding. But when there are rewards, they are huge, and it makes it all worthwhile. Caregiving does not adhere to standard working hours, it’s a twenty-four-seven job.At times, you may feel as if you have bitten off more than you can chew. Without help and no warning, you may struggle to stay afloat. Caring for a survivor informally is a role taken on out of love, unconditional love for the survivor. Few relationships can endure this extreme challenge.The author, an 11-year-plus post-stroke survivor, wrote this book to help enlighten those informal caregivers on what to expect. His tips will help you make things easier for both of you. You will have a better understanding of why they do certain things and he helps you to prepare for the unexpected.Find out ways to help the survivor and make things easier for them and yourself. Surviving a stroke can test everyone’s limits.Find out what each therapist does and why it’s so important that they attend all those therapy sessions.Are support groups for you? Learn more about them and how they can help you. Let off some steam before having to resort to boxing gloves.Confused by the language the doctors are speaking? Don’t be. His layperson’s explanations of the Neuro terminology will help you understand their language. Those blank stares will be something of the past.
