Ann Arbor, MI (University of Michigan) - Around 800,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States, which means that someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. While the patients are obviously facing a long road to recovery, the loved ones who care could face their own issues. Pearl Lewandowski tells us about what the new study shows.
A stroke is an emergency that occurs suddenly, and in those situations, family members or loved ones often struggle to know what medical treatments the person with a stroke would want. Research from the University of Michigan finds that this can cause long-term mental health effects for the family decision-maker.
"We followed these families in the first year after the stroke and measured levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress in the family members. What we found was that between 20 and 40% of family members experienced high levels of these adverse psychological symptoms. This really emphasizes that stroke affects the whole family, and we as healthcare providers need to do a better job of supporting everyone affected by stroke, including family members and loved ones," says Dr. Darin Zahuranec, a stroke neurologist at University of Michigan Health.
The psychological side effects for these caregivers included symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. A stroke neurologist who helped lead the Texas-based study says while there is much work to do to support everyone affected by stroke, several available resources can help.
"The American Heart Association website has great resources for family members and loved ones of someone facing a stroke. Also, many local hospitals, including ours, have stroke support groups that can be very helpful resources for family members and patients with stroke," says Dr. Darin Zahuranec.
More than 53 million Americans are caregivers for family members with chronic illnesses or disabilities. For information on strokes, visit https://www.stroke.org/en/.
