Reducing Risk of Stroke and Moving Forward

1. Reducing Risk of Stroke and Moving Forward

2. Topics Module 1: Understanding stroke Module 2: Physical changes and challenges Module 3: Swallowing and nutrition Module 4: Cognition, perception and communication Module 5: Emotions, roles and relationships Module 6: Reducing the risk of stroke and moving forward

3. Follow-up How are you doing on the goals you committed to?

4. Follow-up What has worked and what has been difficult?

5. Follow-up What barriers (things get in the way) of achieving your goals?

6. COPING

7. Coping

8. Coping

9. Coping

10. Coping

11. Coping • If you are more focused now on coping than on having fun, it is important to your physical and mental health to take pleasure in life.

12. ADAPTING AND MAKING CHANGES

13. Adapting and making changes • Adjusting to the new reality of life after stroke • How stroke can change the way you do some things

14. The most difficult time for stroke survivors and caregivers is AFTER DISCHARGE due to : • EXPECTATIONS upon returning home • The REALITY that things have changed • FEELINGS OF LOSS (loss of ability, loss of independence)

15. Adapting daily routines • Frustration often occurs because you cannot do things the way you did before the stroke. • That does not mean you cannot do those things…

16. Adapting daily routines • It just means that you need to do them DIFFERENTLY • Using tools and aids and finding new ways of adapting your routine will help you stay in control of your everyday life.

17. Adapting daily routines • “I can’t do what I used to” really means “I can’t do what I used to do the WAY I used to do it”. • Must try to recognize your underlying BELIEFS and address them so that you can try new ways of doing things.

18. VIDEO: Adapting and making changes

19. What are some of the techniques we saw in the video that people used to help them do things differently?

20. Adapting favourite activities and finding new ones • The most important thing is your ATTITUDE • Try to ADAPT the way you do your favourite activities or if not find new ones • PARTICIPATING in life, engaging in PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES, and enjoying COMPANIONSHIP of friends is important for everyone

21. REDUCING RISK OF STROKE

22. Reducing the Risk of Stroke • Some unhealthy coping strategies, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or overindulging in food increase stroke risk. • These maladaptive coping behaviors are barriers to adopting healthier lifestyle habits. • Healthier coping strategies reduce stress and reduce stroke risk.

23. Reducing Risk of Stroke • Education and advice are often insufficient to change behavior. • Lifestyle change is a complex and difficult process.

24. Stroke Risk Factors • High blood pressure • Heart disease • High cholesterol

25. Stroke Risk Factors • Diabetes • Smoking • Excessive alcohol consumption (9 glasses per week for women 14 glasses per week for men)

26. Stroke Risk Factors • Decreased physical activity • Being overweight • Stress

27. Reducing Risk of Stroke MEDICATION PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIET REDUCE STRESS OVERCOME BARRIERS

28. Reducing Risk of Stroke

29. Medications • Taking prescribed medication is an important way to maintain control over your health • Use strategies to help you manage your medications (e.g., blister packs, pill boxes, a timer)

30. Diet • You control your food choices. • You can still enjoy your favourite treats but maybe in smaller amounts and less often. • Foods that contain TRANS FATS or a lot of SALT should be avoided.

31. The keys to healthy eating • Make healthier choices more often • Eat three meals a day plus healthy snacks • Drink enough water • Enjoy a varied diet • Have treats only occasionally

32. The keys to healthy eating

33. Physical Activity Physical activity is important to: • reduce your risk of stroke • improve your cardiovascular fitness • reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight

34. Physical Activity • Go to the gym or a community centre • Do household chores • Walk • Garden • Go shopping

35. Developing healthy coping strategies • You may have been advised to: • stop smoking • cut back on alcohol • lose weight • These are hard habits to change as many people use them to help them relax or manage stress

36. Ways of Relaxing and Reducing Stress • Physical activity: walking, yoga, housework • Meditation, prayer • Deep breathing • An absorbing task: crossword puzzle, sudoku • Sharing your worry with a friend • Working to resolve a problem or argument

37. Managing your Risk Factors • You will need to continue working on reducing your risk of another stroke.

38. VIDEO: Reducing the risk of stroke

39. Warning signs of a stroke • Weakness • Loss of Speech • Vision problems • Headache • Dizziness, sudden loss of balance

40. Managing your Risk Factors What do you need to do to reduce your risk of another stroke in the future?

41. Managing Risk Factors MEDICATION PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIET REDUCE STRESS

42. Change • All these positive efforts you make are important in your recovery and in the prevention of another stroke.

43. Change • You make a choice to change • Change can be difficult • Change takes time • Change is a process, not something you finish in one day • Lifestyle change is a long-term commitment

44. MOVING FORWARD

45. VIDEO: Life After Stroke

46. What have you learned about dealing with stroke?

47. The need to … • Take an ACTIVE role in your recovery and better understand stroke • Take MEDICATIONS as prescribed • EAT HEALTHY • Stay PHYSICALLY ACTIVE Handout page 41

48. The need to … • Teach others about aphasia and helpful COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES • Maintain connections with FAMILY and FRIENDS • Reduce STRESS Handout page 41-42

49. The need to … • OVERCOME BARRIERS to making changes • Set GOALS and work toward them Handout page 42

50. Has your attitude to stroke and your recovery changed? How?