Stroke, Communication and Management - Essay Example

Unfortunately, this makes stroke the number six principal cause of disability in the entire world. It is indeed the case that the incidence of stroke worldwide is very alarming. Nonetheless, despite its common occurrence worldwide, it is not often obvious to people why this particular illness takes place. Not all are aware of how this disease attacks and causes permanent disability or even death to its sufferers. According to Sims and Muyderman (2009: 80 – 91), stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disturbed because of blockage of the blood flow or loss or leakage of blood.

Given this, the oxygen supply to the brain cells is interrupted causing damage and death to the cells. Given this case, a permanent neurological impairment is more probably the outcome in which according to Donnan, Macleod and Davis (2008: 1612 – 1620) is due to the improper functioning of the affected area of the brain. True enough, the common disability outcomes of stroke are as follows: impairing the vision, paralysis or the lack of ability to move one or more limbs on a side of the body, loss of sensation on a side of the body, difficulties in swallowing, loss of thinking or intellectual capacity, loss of memory, transformation of the emotional aspect and/ or damaging the capacity to communicate competently due to problems in speech, difficulties in expressing words and trouble of understanding (Irish Heart Foundation, no date: 13 – 16).

In addition to that, stroke affects its survivors in making them feel frail and weak on one side of their body (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). It likewise impacts the individual to have problems with balance and coordination since their muscles are not that strong enough as compared to those muscles prior to the attack (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, 1995: 3). Oftentimes, as a result of the attack, they happen to be numb, have problems with controlling their bladder and bowel, and make them feel depressed (US Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (1995: 3).

Given the permanent damage to the ability of the stroke sufferer to express himself or herself and at some points, to be understood, communication with the sufferer of the particular illness has a certain difficulty indeed. This is because after the attack of stroke, the life of the sufferer has most likely changed. As such, this requires an enormous amount of patience for everyone, in particular to the caregivers and to the family members, who has the most interaction with the stroke survivor.

However, this raises a question of what kind of treatment and management should be done by the individuals around the patient who has suffered from stroke when interacting with them, in particular, in terms of communication. To make an effective communication with a person who has suffered from stroke, it is important to note that there are a number of general considerations. First and foremost, it is deemed important to take into consideration that due to a stroke, the individual sufferer may undergo some impaired movement or skills that can be temporary or permanent.

Given such difficulties, it must be understood that this is not easy physically, psychologically and emotionally for the patient. We all know and experience how frustrating it is to feel not understood. This is one of the difficulties that the stroke patient is going