My husband was in hospital from January to May and he is now home its is October already, he is able to walk with a stick has small movement in his right arm, understands and can read however has difficulty saying what he wants to say.
He has worked hard with physio, O/T and speech however his depression which he has developed has been a real struggle for him and me.
i feel so isolated and alone throughout this journey,
Hi Debi,
We are so sorry to hear about your husband having a stroke. What a challenging year for you both. It is common for stroke survivors to experience depression after stroke and this is higher for those with aphasia. Here is our fact sheet on depression. We also have a DVD on tackling depression after stroke we could post out to you. You may have already read the sections on enableme on depression and aphasia. If not feel free to review them in your own time. There are short videos at the top of each section you might find helpful.
https://enableme.org.au/Resources/Emotions
https://enableme.org.au/Resources/Speech-and-language
You may also find a recent video interview with Julie and Ross Collins helpful.
Lisa, on of our StrokeLine health professionals is a speech pathologist and has written about supporting a loved one with aphasia here.
Debi, we would be really happy to chat to you over the phone on Monday and provide you with support and additional resources. We are here for you and your husband. There are many others on enableme who will be able to provide you with additional support and suggestions of what has helped them in their journey.
Thinking of you and we hope to speak to you next week on StrokeLine 1800 787 653 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).
Best wishes,
Simone (StrokeLine)
Hi Debbie,
I'm not sure what age group you and your husband are but I'm 57 and my husband is 64. He had his stroke May 2014 and was home Sept 2014. He is also mobile with assistance.
From day one we ( the family ) have had an uphill battle from day one with his depression and mind set, something no one had warned us about. I'm not sure how much more we can do as we now become practically isolated from friends we have had for over 20-30 years and family members can not do anymore then they have. I'm seeking the same help and have been for the last 2 years.
All the professional people out there mean well but they do not live with what we have to live with on a day to day basis. This situation needs more than a 1 or 2 day counselling session per week to remedy the situation. Like I said I tried everything in the last 2 years and whilst it may work for a small period of time, the relapses far outweigh the headway we try to make.
I'm not sure of your day to day situation or what state you live but I would dearly love to talk to you.
Stay strong, Carol Simpson
Me too
right now too exhausted and hopeless to even begin to contribute but I will keep watching and will post when I have the energy and know where to start
I feel the same but will reply when I have more ener