Hello Pip
I am sorry to hear of what your grandfather is currently going through, and the impact it is having on you as his granddaughter. It's very difficult to watch someone we love affected by a stroke and anxiety, especially when the anxiety is having an impact on his rehabilitation and recovery.
Unfortunately, anxiety after stroke is common, with up to a third of stroke survivors feeling anxious or depressed following a stroke. Sometimes it can take some time to find the right medication, or medication combination to reduce the symptoms.
Is your grandfather living in his own home, or in a residential care facility?
If your grandfather is in residential care, ask to speak with the clinical care coordinator about his increasing anxiety and panic attacks. They can then discuss these with the visiting (or reviewing) GP and can look at alternative medication or medication combinations. It is important to find the right combination to help him better manage these issues, especially if he is not allowing you and other family members to visit. This can take some time and does require ongoing input from doctors and specialists.
If he is at home, perhaps see if the local GP can review him via Telehealth regarding his current medications. I would also perhaps ask the local doctor to consider a mental health care plan for contact with a psychologist, as a mental health professional such as a psychologist can assist with strategies to better manage anxiety and panic attacks. It will be more challenging at the moment to seek mental health support, but there is talk about having Telehealth access to psychologists during the current health crisis. It would be worth speaking with your grandfather, perhaps over the phone about having a GP review.
Depending on how accepting your grandfather might be, there are other options that can help with anxiety. These include using deep breathing strategies, perhaps using things that he previously enjoyed such as music or movies. It can also be helpful to limit the amount of television programs such as the news, that might increase his anxiety, especially at this time. If he is in residential care, you might like to speak with the clinical care coordinator and ask that the nursing staff assist with some of these strategies.
We do have some resources that might find helpful for you to read:
Our podcast on depression and anxiety our fact sheet on depression and anxiety and blog post by StrokeLine.
It would be helpful to give us a call on StrokeLine to speak to a health professional for further advice, information and support. You can contact StrokeLine on Ph. 1800 787 653 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEDST). We can then speak with you in more detail about your grandfather and his current situation.
Kind regards
Siobhan (StrokeLine).
