Strokes are serious. But at Great Plains Health, we know that stroke recovery is possible. Our comprehensive stroke rehabilitation program can help you understand the damage caused by a stroke, and a stroke rehab team can help you learn to work through—and in some cases, even overcome—that damage.
Stroke rehabilitation basics
A stroke might impact your ability to perform everyday tasks such as:
- Swallowing
- Speaking
- Understanding speech
- Walking
- Moving your muscles
- Controlling your bowel or bladder
Some of these losses may fade as the swelling in your brain fades. But some might remain with you, and they could impact your ability to handle your day-to-day life.
Therapy might help. The type of therapies you'll need depends heavily on the type of stroke you had and the damage that stroke caused. Damage the size of a pea in one area of the brain may cause only weakness in a hand, while the same pea-size damage in another area may cause paralysis of the arm and leg. Your health before the stroke may also affect your stroke recovery.
One of the best ways to optimize your recovery is to start stroke rehabilitation as soon as your doctor says it's safe to do so. People who begin therapy right away, rather than weeks or months later, will make more progress.
Your stroke recovery plan
The Great Plains Health stroke rehabilitation team consists of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language pathologists. They work closely with your doctor to develop a program that can help you heal in the aftermath of your stroke.
Some of that work might begin while you're in the hospital. Your therapist might help you with swallowing exercises, so you can eat and drink without choking. Your therapist might also help you sit up, walk or otherwise move around your room without falling.
When you're ready to head home, your team will continue to work with you on an outpatient basis. In our Sports & Therapy Center, you can use a pool, exercise equipment and other tools in order to strengthen your muscles. You can continue to work on swallowing and speech exercises. And your therapist can help you understand how to modify your home, so you can move around your space with fewer obstacles.
Additional stroke treatment options
Our combination of inpatient and outpatient support will wrap you with comfort and care after your stroke, so you'll have the best chance of a full recovery.
If your stroke has caused significant damage, you might need an interim step between recovery in the hospital and recovery at home. We can connect you with long-term acute care hospitals or nursing facilities in the North Platte area that can provide that help.