This article discussed the best apps one can use during stroke recovery. The article will be in two sections; the first will provide knowledge about a stroke and the other will discuss the apps for stroke recovery in detail.
What is a stroke? Stroke is the damage to the brain from interruption of its blood supply, it occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.
A stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications.
Symptoms
- Trouble speaking and understanding what others are saying. The slur in words or having difficulty understanding speech.
- Problems in seeing in one or both eyes. Blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes, or you may see double.
- Headache. A sudden severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness, or altered consciousness.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm, or leg. This often affects just one side of your body.
- Trouble walking. Stumbling and loss of coordination.
Causes
There are two main causes of stroke;
- Ischemic stroke
This is the most common type of stroke. It happens when the brain’s blood vessels become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow(ischemia). Blocked or narrowed blood vessels are caused by fatty deposits that build up in blood vessels or by blood clots or other debris that travel through your bloodstream and lodge in the blood vessels in your brain.
Initial research shows that COVID-19 infection may be a possible cause of ischemic stroke.
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Hemorrhagic stroke
Occurs when a blood vessel in your brain leaks or ruptures. Brain hemorrhages can result from many conditions that affect your blood vessels. Factors related to hemorrhagic stroke include; uncontrolled high blood pressure, overtreatment with blood thinners, aneurysms, trauma, and ischemic stroke leading to hemorrhage.
Stroke can cause significant injury to the brain that may result in many long-term problems. For example, communication, memory, and executive function, as well as spatial awareness.
Stroke can also trigger mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as movement and coordination problems, paralysis, difficulties swallowing, visual impairment, and urinary incontinence, and loss of bowel control.
The faster a person is treated after a stroke, the more likely they are to recover from it. Surveys have shown that people who arrived at the emergency room within 3 hours of their first symptoms had ‘less disability’ 3 months later than those who were treated later. While some people recover quickly, others may need long-term support.
Apps are available to help aid the stroke recovery process. They can help you or your loved one to track appointments and medications, provide language therapy, train the brain, and even lower some risk factors for future strokes.
The following is one of the many apps that can help you through this difficult time.
- Stop, Breathe and Think now known as MyLife
Research has shown that increased activity in the brain region called the amygdala, which is involved in stress, is tied to a greater risk of stroke. Therefore, reducing stress while recovering from a stroke could reduce the risk of future strokes.
It is a meditation and mindfulness app that helps to decrease stress and anxiety. The app provides guided meditations, breathing exercises, and yoga and acupressure videos to help you check in with your emotions.
Stop, Breathe, and Think says that taking a few minutes every day to feel calm is just as important as getting frequent exercise and will reduce stress and promote peace of mind.
How it works
During registration, the app simply asks for your first and last name, age, gender, and email address.
If you are new to meditation or in need of a refresher, check out the app’s ‘Learn to Meditate’ section for introductory information, an explanation of how it works, suggestions for practice, and details about the meditations. After reading the information, use the ‘How Are You?’ section to note your current mental, physical, and emotional status to have the app select meditations based on your needs.
You can choose from recommendations for meditations and their duration that the app presents to you. Pick which one you’d like to do and then follow the narrated instructions.
With the entire world turning digital, this kind of app is absolutely necessary when taking care of a stroke patient. As the patient is receiving physical therapy it is also important to have emotional and mental therapy.
As Africans, we are believed to have the strongest of minds and as they say, “ Black don’t crack” it is also important to note that seeking help is also a sign of strength. While taking care of the physical health of the patient, mental should also be included and Meditation is one of the best ways to do it.
NOTE
One of the first aid activity to carry out in the case of an incoming stroke include;
Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Also, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile.
TO BE CONTINUED……..
