Living alone with hemiparesis

Safety would be the main concern, of course, when people with hemiparesis live alone or are alone for long periods of time. Of course, your first references are your doctor, physical therapist and especially occupational therapists. Having said this, I can offer insights into some important items to consider in the practical aspects of living alone after a traumatic brain injury or stroke that results in severe muscle weakness along the left or right side of the body and that often Sometimes it comes in a mild form. nerve damage like me. Perhaps instead of living alone, it would be better to consider ourselves living independently. As of this writing, I will have completed almost thirty years of living with hemiparesis. Most of this time he lived alone and worked as an engineer and writer, author.

For us, the detrimental effects of hemiparesis are still prevalent even after initial rehabilitation and limited recovery. The effects can change with extreme variations.

Effects when you are tired or awake

When the body is tired, the effects can be worse and certainly more dangerous when living alone. An example is if you wake up in the night, perhaps because of thirst, a phone call, or other concern. Even a healthy person could stumble on sleepy legs or squinty eyes, but for those with left or right hemiparesis, the negative effects are magnified. A trip can turn into a fall and possibly a head injury, since one arm has little strength, doesn’t react quickly, and isn’t likely to arrest a fall. If a foot drags slightly during the day in shoes, then it can be much worse at night, even so unsteady that the person will roll on their toes until they hurt and fall forward on the weak side. The lessons learned here emphasize the need for clear floors and walkways. A lost shoe on the floor or even a newspaper can be disastrous. Either one could suddenly throw an awake person off balance, especially in the dark.

This brings up a suggestion for low level lighting in the home or apartment. Inexpensive battery-operated motion detector lights are available at many stores now or by searching online. Even if a cane is not needed during the day; it would be wise to have a cane near the bed, even a quad cane for late night wake ups or early morning wake ups. In the morning, there are other issues like tight leg muscles that need to be stretched before moving safely.

Shower and bath safety

Morning stretching is important, especially as we injured get older, but more importantly, shower safety needs to be addressed. There are many assistive devices available and occupational therapists can effectively communicate needs here, however I can give you my opinion. These are can be quite scary at times, especially if you have been in an accident, falling in the shower, tub or toilet before. You’ll need to be able to have something within reach on your good side to grab onto, basically at all times. Note that if you can’t use the bolt-on support rails and use the bars with suction cups, you really need at least two bars together. Redundant mounts like these are known as slipping and when you get soap or water in your eyes and you reach with the bar slipping it can be devastating. I would recommend having a bar at the entrance or exit and on the opposite side. This way, if a person with hemiparesis rolls over, there is always a bar on the good side.

But it does not stop there. Bathroom floors are often smooth surfaces and with a foot that has no or minimal grip, water on a smooth tile or marble surface is like ice and can easily cause a fall when drying. Rubber-backed mats are most commonly used, but they can bunch up underfoot. An alternative solution for these mats is rubber strips with adhesive on both sides. Your local hardware store will have some carpet clips or search the web for

Dressing room

Again, this is an area where an occupational therapist assures you that you are prepared with any assistive device to reach the weak side or support it in the back and neck. However, I can stress that much more time is needed on hand, just in case. However, assistive devices do exist, and there is extensive training in doing so, usually available even before you leave the hospital.

Food Preparation, Cooking Kitchen Safety

One’s ability to prepare meals will vary. I understand it’s good to be independent, but in the kitchen it may be smarter to minimize prep with knives or stovetop. Even the oven can easily cause burns and fire. If a cardboard pizza box falls on a hot grill plate, it can start a fire that is not too easy for a person with a disability to put out quickly. Sure there are small and convenient fire extinguishers available now, but some often need two good hands to operate properly and even finding them quickly can be a problem for victims of trauma, brain injury or stroke.

Fortunately, there has been an improvement in microwave dinners. This certainly wouldn’t be his first choice back in the day. However, I’ve been at it for almost thirty years and I’ve really seen a wide variety on the market and the costs have come down. Good and healthy dinners can be cooked in a minute. I still bake chicken and pizza and a few others, but safety really needs to come first. Losing your balance and reaching out to find a hot pan to lean on can happen and I have personal experience, it’s not a quick heal to have a burn on your healthy palm. Agsin here as in the bathroom, a rubber backed rug with rug hooks should be required.

Mind Body Health Needs

Concentration and focus are the key to almost everything the person with hemiparesis might have to overcome. This is why continuous brain training is so important.

Human interaction, relationships contribute greatly to the complex use of our brain and even help to keep us young. Well, living alone minimizes this benefit and over time it can have an adverse effect. Sure, some will say the upside potential may be limited, but start with the goal of not losing capacity. Without regular exercise, the mind or body can atrophy to borrow a term used to describe a lack of use of the muscles.

There are free and paid fonts on the web. There are now brain enhancement magazines at the local supermarket and brain games are popular and effective, most even for one handed use.

Geographic Area Specific Issues

Depending on your locality, power outages can occur during natural events, mainly like snow or ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes. When I lived on the east coast, I would lose power even when there was a strong wind storm. Natural events like this can impact people living with hemiparesis just as they do for other people with disabilities, the elderly, or families in general. However, preparation is the key here and living alone increases the importance of having battery lighting, food, water, cell phone, radio all available and easily reachable, possibly in the dark.

Loss of energy can be worse in cold weather for this condition, as the detrimental effects can incapacitate some people with this extreme muscle weakness and possibly nerve damage. This varies, of course, depending on the person or the injury, but in general, the arms and legs may begin to shake uncontrollably and a serious limitation to mobility. Negative effects are also exhibited in sudden weather changes. Each person may experience this differently, but it’s best to check with your doctor.

To help in times like these, warm clothing, even a safe generator that can be installed in a home as a backup are suggestions with heat packs available at sporting goods or camping supply stores.

Summary

Some of the techniques and tips described here may seem obvious or simple to some, but they are not always thought through before using them. This is evident in online support forums, meeting people, and my own thirty years of living with hemiparesis. Of course, there is more, but in general, keep in mind that movements can be slow at times, as can thinking. An important point is that if there is a loss of balance or a stumble, you are most likely on the weak side which of course does not react quickly or have enough hand strength to hold onto something firmly. That is why safety is the first priority when living alone with this injury.