Aging in Place Home Modifications for the Stroke Victim

Stroke Image from National Stroke Association

According to the National Stroke Association, a stroke occurs when blood is reduced to part of the brain. See the image on the right for a representation of a stroke. These effects can be physical, emotional, or cognitive. Every stroke is different and the effects will depend on which part of the brain was damaged.

Each year nearly 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. That equates to a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes someone dies from stroke. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. If you or someone you know suffers a stroke, a home modification by a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) consultant can improve the quality of life in the home for the stroke victim.

General physical effects from a stroke can include fatigue, weakness, numbness and stiffness in different parts of the body. Specific physical effects may include difficulty swallowing, foot drop, muscle weakness to one side of the body, incontinence, pain, paralysis, seizures, epilespy, spasisity, and poor vision. All of these physical effects can make mobility in the home challenging.

In the physical effects of a stroke listed above, mobility in the home for a stroke victim would be compromised most notably by foot drop, muscle weakness to one side of the body, pain, paralysis, epilepsy, spasisity, and poor vision. Each of these physical effects will be discussed separately in subsequent articles.

The good news is that there are things that can be done to reduce the impact of a stroke. Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and home modifications are some of the options available to stroke victims to recover from a stroke.

Please call Richard at 615-752-0060 to discuss your specific needs for a home modification to mitigate the effects of a stroke. For more information about the services Richard provides please see Residential Accessibility.

If you observe a building that is not ADA compliant and you would like to know how to proceed, please see the link at What To Do When A Building Is Not ADA Compliant or Accessible.

ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, offers ADA/ABA/FHA accessibility compliance inspections for buildings and facilities, as applicable to the different laws, and expert witness services with respect to ADA/ABA/FHA laws for building owners, tenants and managers. Also, ADAIN offers consulting for home modifications as a CAPS consultant for people wishing to age in place in their homes. For a complete list of services please see ADAIN Services.

Thank you.