Question

4. You are caring for a patient who has had a stroke. He appears to understand what you say to him, but you are not positive. You are unable to understand what he says to you. What further assessment can you do to determine how to communicate with him. 5. You are caring for a patient with a neurological disorder who coughs after every bite of his lunch. What could be happening? What should you do?

Answer 1

Your patient is suffering from aphasia. This means that the stroke damaged a part of his brain that's important for using language. How you can communicate with him will depend on what kind of aphasia he has „and that depends on what part of his brain was damaged by the stroke.

If you speak to your patient in sentences that are simple and straightforward, using basic word order, he is more likely to understand what you say. In listening to him you will need to be patient, since it may take a lot of time and effort for him to speak. And you may need to do some guessing too, because the small linking words may be missing, resulting in sentences like Go store pay newspaper. He may also become easily frustrated, since he is aware of the mistakes he is making.

When communicating with a stroke survivor who has communication problems (aphasia), it is helpful to:

• Be patient.
• Eliminate distractions. Turn off the TV, limit extraneous noise.
• Keep the questions simple, so that the survivor may reply using yes or no.
• Keep commands and directions simple.
• Speak in a normal voice at normal loudness.
• Allow the person time to process the information, as well as form a response to questions or commands.
• Do not rush the survivor to answer your questions or comments.
• Resist the temptation to answer questions for him or her.
• 2- Treatment often focuses on prevention. Steps to prevent coughing following eating or drinking include:
• slow down when eating
• drink more water during meals
• track foods to help determine which cause coughing
• take all prescribed medications
• stop eating during a coughing attack
• use a humidifier to prevent a dry throat
• try supplements to aid digestion