Jim has had a stroke affecting the right side of his body. The stroke has negatively impacted his mood/ impaired cognition, resulting in fatigue and changes in his behaviour. He also has continence issues.
Stroke can impact cognition and perception; how to interact with familiar objects, planning a holiday, handling money, driving etc. For some people stroke can result in communication issues; unable to understand the spoken word and difficulty with reading and writing. Stroke can also affect the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell, touch and this can impact on personal safety: unable to feel hot/cold objects (tactile) or unable/unsafe to go out on own.
Information on sensory issues following stroke is covered in other STARs Core Competencies.
Emotions – Stroke may cause a person to become emotional and feel anxious, tearful or depressed. This may effect their ability to:
- Engage in daily life
- Catch up and interact with friends and family
- Return to work
Stroke can also result in changes to a person’s personality such as anger, frustration and impatience. These can all have a significant effect on everyday activities and also make it challenging for families/carers/friends to interact with the person.
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 17: Emotions
Vision – Stroke can affect vision impacting on daily activities such as:
- Reading the newspaper
- Watching TV
- Driving
- Not being able to go out on your own: safety
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 11: Change in Vision
Limb weakness – Stroke can cause limb weakness and sensory loss. This can impact on daily activities such as:
- Cutting up food
- Getting around
- Driving a car
- Cooking a meal
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 7: Muscle weakness
Balance – Stroke can affect balance impacting on activities of daily life such as:
- Sitting at the table
- Standing at the sink
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 8: Moving, Handling and Safety
Communication – Stroke can affect communication, such as:
- Using the telephone
- Talking to others
- Unable to understand the spoken word
- Reading & writing
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 12: Communication
Cognition and Perception – Stroke can impact on cognition and perception, such as:
- Handling money
- Planning a holiday
- Driving
For more information on this topic visit Core Competency 16: Thinking, Processes and Behaviour
Sensory – Stroke can affect the senses:
- Personal safety-cannot feel hot/cold objects etc
- Hearing
- Taste
- Smell
More information on sensory issues following stroke is available in other STARs Core Competencies.
Page last reviewed: 17 Jul 2023
