Stroke Team Approach: Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland

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Stroke Team Approach

Rehabilitation after a stroke is best achieved by a team approach, made up of the different professionals who will assist you with your recovery. This team is often called the multi disciplinary team or MDT.

The team will work closely with you and your family and involve you in any decisions made about your rehabilitation. MDTs are made up of professionals including

medical staff
nursing staff
physiotherapists
occupational therapists
speech and language therapists
dieticians
clinical psychologists
social workers. Read more about getting help from the Social Work Department.

An MDT works best by communicating regularly with each other at weekly meetings. This allows everyone the chance to share progress reports and discuss developments or problems arising with anyone else who might be involved.

Medical Staff

General Practitioner

Your general practitioner (GP) will be in charge of your care if you remain at home.

If you are admitted to hospital your GP will resume charge once you return home.

If you have any worries about the effects of your stroke, you should consult your GP who can refer you to other professionals and services.

Consultant

If you were admitted to hospital, you will be under the care of a consultant—a doctor specialising in a particular branch of medicine. The consultant usually works with a team of other fully-qualified but less senior doctors.

What kind of consultant you are referred to may depend on your age, your type of stroke or the situation locally. You may be referred to a stroke physician, general physician, geriatrician or neurologist.

Nursing Staff

Nurses provide nursing care and rehabilitation 24 hours a day. Such close involvement provides valuable input to therapists involved in care of the person affected, and plays a major role in the recovery process.

Nurses can

build the advice received from therapists on how to manage activities like eating, drinking, washing, dressing and moving into your day
provide information, explanations and support to you and your family
help sort out any problems. You should have a named nurse responsible for your individual care who you should talk to first of all.
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Physiotherapists

Physiotherapists will provide an assessment of your movement and ability to balance. Early treatment will include guided movements of your limbs and correct positioning in bed or chair and transferring from bed to chair or to the toilet.

Physiotherapists can help with

using both sides of your body
mobility
treating shoulder pain
preventing contractures (painful spasm in the arm or leg)
preventing falls
providing equipment such as splints, walking aids or wheelchairs
adaptations to your home such as ramps or handrails to aid your mobility and independence at home

Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists (often known as OTs) will initially assess which activities are physically difficult for you to carry out. The affect of a stroke on things like memory and concentration and the interpretation of what we see or hear around us can cause a variety of problems. This is also assessed.

Depending on your specific difficulties an OT can work out ways to deal with problem areas. Taking part in a range of activities, such as playing board games will have a specific purpose, although this may not always be immediately obvious to you.

OTs can help with

everyday tasks like dressing, washing, eating, and possibly preparing simple food and drinks
other practical daily activities such as shopping and managing money
social activities that are important to you, such as gardening, painting, or getting out to see friends
trying new hobbies
developing skills you may need if you hope to return to work, either in your previous job or in a new career better suited to any limitations caused by your stroke
adaptations to your home such as ramps or handrails to help your mobility and independence at home

Speech And Language Therapists

Speech and language therapists see people who have difficulties with speaking, reading, writing and understanding speech and/or problems with swallowing. After doing a detailed assessment of communication difficulties the speech and language therapist can work out which techniques will be of particular help.

If your communication difficulties are likely to be long lasting, your speech and language therapist may help you find alternative ways of communicating.

Depending on the effects of your stroke, this might be by using gestures or by using a communication aid or a computer. It is helpful to practice these new communication skills with your family and with the nurses who are caring for you.

If your stroke has caused swallowing difficulties, it means that there may be difficulty eating and drinking. Your speech and language therapist may carry out a thorough assessment to diagnose the exact problem and advise you and those caring for you on appropriate and safe ways for you to eat and drink.

Communication Problems

Swallowing Problems

Dietitians

Dietitians see people who have difficulties with their dietary needs or who have any problems with eating and drinking. They will oversee any special diet you require and advise on making sure you get all the nutrition you need.

Clinical Psychologists

Clinical psychologists are often involved in helping and assessing people whose stroke has caused problems with thinking, learning, concentrating, remembering, making decisions, reasoning and planning. These are known as cognitive problems. Psychological problems such as depression or anxiety, or difficulties relating to other people may be referred for psychotherapy or counselling.

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