Daughter recently had left cerebral artery stroke; has aphasia and no use of right arm and hand.

[No Vested Interest]

She's middle-aged; I, her only living parent, and her siblings are her support system, though they have lives to live in the present. She doesn't have many friends, due to a form of Asperger's.
She has many physical ills, diabetic related - high blood pressure, high glucose - she uses insulin to control; she was hospitalized in ICU for 2 weeks beginning March3.
Last Tuesday (3/22) she was moved to a rehabilitation hospital. She has Medicare, but her 100 days will likely run out soon, since she has had ongoing problems since last Oct. 24, using Medicare days for hospitalizations and rehab.

But this stroke is the worst of her problems thus far. She understands most of what is said to her, and can answer "no", "Yes", "Okay", and some other one- or two-word responses. She seems frustrated as she knows she cannot get the words out. She is not using her left (unaffected) hand much, such as for holding a plastic cup or feeding herself. She is also likely just plain weak all over, due to several weeks mostly spent in bed, with a few hours a day sitting in a chair.

Problem is - I'm an older senior without enough stamina to care for her on a continued basis and won't be around for her long-term. She will need help being transferred from bed to chair & vice versa, toileting or toileting care, special meals - diabetic, low sodium and finely chopped. I want to support her, but feel that I'm in a survival mode myself - I tire easily and normally plan one activity a day for myself.

I haven't checked out the options in the community yet, as I don't know how much progress she is going to make before they release her to me - likely in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm not expecting much progress so quickly, though I'm told most recovery from stroke takes place within the first 6-12 months, and I want her to have every chance possible.

Thoughts? Advice?

[PADemD]

1. Please see my PM to you.

[hollysmom]

2. My mom had a stroke and aphasia - there was software we got to get her English back

and it worked.
also there is a therapy that can help bring back movement faster.
You should not have to move her around much if you can get her into a program that will restore her movement. he thing is you have to be very proactive in health care now, They did not want my mother to go to rehab, waste of money at her age, they said, but after she was released, she lived a productive life for another year before her heart attack. She would not let me live with her, long story. So she was alone much of the time.

As far as part time, help ask around a lot of people want part time work and can help with the lifting of her.

[No Vested Interest]

3. Thanks, Hollysmom. I'll look around or ask for aphasia software.

I guess we're so lucky to live in an age where software for so many problems has been produced.
She hasn't had a computer of her own, but I have a tablet I've never used, and it can surely be hers in this time of need.

I treasure your encouragement as well as PADem's suggestion of music, especially Mozart, as aides for returning her language usage.

[MoonRiver]

4. Does she have insurance or qualify for Medicaid?

I don't really have an answer for you, but visiting nurses helped me after my recent hip replacement. Maybe you could check into that option. Sounds like you two have a tough road ahead.

[No Vested Interest]

5. The Hospital where she was treated initiated a request for Medicaid to supplement

her Medicare. - I guess that's their way to be paid after her Medicare time is used up.
I am able to assist in paying some of her bills as they accumulate, though we all know medical bills can blow up in the wink of an eye.
I'm trying to be careful not to be listed as her responsible financial party for that reason.
She was having a visiting nurse and therapies through Medicare for her diabetes and edema when the ketoacidosis set in and she was hospitalized, where the stroke occurred.
Thanks for your kind thoughts.

[MoonRiver]

6. Yes, for her and your sake, NEVER allow yourself to be the designated responsible financial party.

As you may already know, there are many hoops to jump through completing her Medicaid application. Don't be discouraged if you are denied the first time around. This is normal. Even a second denial is not unheard of. Utilize a sympathetic doctor, or more, to help you. If the hospital she was in has a nurse navigator, those people can be golden when navigating our insane medical system labyrinth. Keep working for your precious daughter. A family member is the best advocate the disabled can have. But first and foremost, take care of yourself. If you fall apart, you can't help her. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

(P.S. I have been through so much myself that, once I am completely healed, I want to work as a volunteer patient advocate, especially for those suffering from chronic pain.)