When Your Spouse Has a Stroke: Caring for Your Partner, Yourself, and Your Relationship

A stroke can alter two people’s lives in an instant. For the person who has had a stroke, simple tasks suddenly become difficult or impossible. For that person’s partner, life seems to revolve mostly around the stroke survivor’s needs. Such a drastic change naturally requires making a series of sometimes taxing adjustments. In this book, two experts in stroke recovery help couples deal with the impact of stroke on their lives and relationship. Drs. Sara and Jeffrey Palmer explain how to successfully confront three major challenges: providing quality care for your partner; maintaining or rebuilding your relationship; and, caring for yourself as an individual. This book invites you into the lives of real couples who are themselves coping with these challenges. Through the experiences of these couples, readers will learn strategies for improving essential aspects of their relationship, including communication, accepting roles and responsibilities, and sexuality. A list of practical tips summarizes the main points of each chapter, providing a handy reference for dealing with each day’s challenges. More than just a discussion of the medical and practical aspects of stroke and stroke recovery, this book focuses on the psychological and social consequences of stroke and the deeply personal side of caregiving. When Your Spouse Has a Stroke will relieve some of the couple’s burden and guide them to a happy and healthy partnership.