Interview 41

She had a stroke due to a clot aged 87 which caused right weakness and problems with balance and with speech and eating. Medication’ atenolol, ramipril (blood pressure), lipitor (cholesterol), aspirin (antiplatelet), motilium (nausea and vertigo), omeprazole (gastric resistant tablets).

This woman had a stroke at the age of 87 she is now 88. Her stroke was caused by a clot that prevented the flow of blood to the left hand side of the brain. She now takes aspirin to prevent another clot forming; atenolol and ramipril to control blood pressure and lipitor to reduce cholesterol.

She initially experienced some weakness of her arm and leg but has been able to walk throughout. She has, however, had ongoing problems with her balance and has recently been attending classes on how to prevent falls at the local community hospital. She also takes motilium to help with feeling of nausea and vertigo.

Her eating was also affected by the stroke because of weakness of her face and throat muscles. To start with she was on a liquidised diet and thickened drinks but this has now recovered but she still has some problems with saliva and has been given a bleeper to help remind her to swallow. Her speech was also affected by the stroke but she feels it has improved.

She was able to return home but has some carers coming in during the day to help with some of the domestic tasks like washing and preparing her meals. Despite this she likes to remain as independent as possible and makes sure that she is up and dressed every morning when the carers come in.

Her hair started falling out because of the medication she was taking. She told the stroke nurse…

Age at interview 88

Gender Female

And you say you have a stroke nurse come in, is that every week?

No. The stroke nurse comes a month, every month and shes very good.

What sort of things has she helped you with?

Well, she helped me with, with my hair’ My hair’s falling out and

‘ And medication. I’m on medication and one of the effects was my hair loss. I’ve lost a lot of hair and so they’ve changed my medication.

Do you know what was causing the hair loss? Which tablet was causing the hair loss?

The simvastatin.

Simvastatin.

And they changed it to something else. I can’t pronounce and it was the stroke nurse who did that for me. I told her.

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Although she was initially frustrated at the loss of independence she has accepted her stroke as…

Age at interview 88

Gender Female

Do you think it’s changed you emotionally at all?

No. I don’t think so’ Except it’s it’s I get frustrated with not being able to do what I used to do but I’ve accepted that now. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to go back to being independent again. I’ll be dependent on other people.

How do you come to accept something like that?

Oh well, I accept it quite quite readily’ maybe because I realise my age You can’t live forever [laughs].

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She finds it takes her longer to wash and dress but feels it is important to do it herself before…

Age at interview 88

Gender Female

So when you were first in the hospital, you said that your balance was affected. Which side of your body was affected?

Right. My right hand side. Yes.

And were you able to get up and out of bed when you were first in hospital?

Yes. Yes. I was able to get up. I always got up and dressed myself and wash and dress myself in hospital, so that was a great help when I came home because I’d always done it. I didn’t stop doing it.

That’s good.

Sometimes it was very hard. Sometimes it took me half an hour.

I am very over confident for my age and I think that’s the thing that’ you see, some people my age and older, they just lie in bed as long as they can and they don’t, they don’t make much of an effort to help themselves.

Do you think that’s important?

That’s important and I’ I concentrate and place great emphasis on helping myself, doing as much as I can for myself, dressing myself, washing myself or vice versa and and I think people of my age often give up. They just want to lie in bed for most of the day. The carers come in at 12 oclock and they say that the last, the last customer, she doesn’t want to get up for another hour [laughs].

But you, you’re not like that.

No [laughs] No, I get, I get up first thing in the morning like I’ve always done.

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