In our mid- to late-70s, my wife has poor mobility and especially balance after two knee replacements four years ago, followed by two full but fairly minor ischemic strokes two years later, and has been left with poor writing, slight speech problems, tiredness and poor/very slow thinking, i.e. slow to understand or take things in, getting things wrong, quite distant, with her mind far away somewhere. I had hoped it would improve but two years later I’m starting to wonder if this is going to be a lifelong problem and what the chances of further strokes are. Interested to hear from anybody who has had previous experience of such things.
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I’m sorry the knee replacements didn’t help your wife as much as hoped. I have two, woke up to 13 times a night before them, pain free now. I’ll leave it to others to talk about the after affects of stroke, however did you know that she should be entitled to Attendance Allowance, and probably exemption from Council Tax due to “Severe mental impairment”. (SMI). I wish it was called something else, but it’s easy to claim. Contact the council responsible for Council Tax where you live. They will send you a short form asking for GP details. When you return it, they will ask your GP for confirmation of her illness.
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Many thanks for that. We do have a Blue Badge for parking and I was starting to consider the Attendance Allowance thing (not done earlier as I was hoping for improvement), but I did not know about the Council Tax reduction so will look into those things.
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Please apply for Attendance Allowance asap. You have missed out on so much money already! It doesn’t make anyone better but can make life so much easier. It’s a long form. I can’t write by hand so asked DWP for help to do my son’s form and they sent a Visiting Officer.
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Hi @ricmic88CUK Welcome to the forum
I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s health, before I share my thoughts - could you possibly share more about your own health. I’m assuming you were already caring for her through those two knee replacements four years ago and now the strokes, so it would be good to know how you’re doing, if you have some support and help around the house, or with friends/family/neighbours helping?
The ‘brain fog’ you described in your profile summary and how you’ve said
i.e. slow to understand or take things in, getting things wrong, quite distant, with her mind far away somewhere.
are symptoms of cognitive impairment. I hope this won’t upset you if I mention the words ‘vascular dementia’. Ischaemic strokes and cardiovascular issues can lead to these kinds of symptoms. My father had congestive heart failure, and prior to a big hospitalisation in 2015, he had a couple of small, transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs), and after the hospitalisation, he was formally diagnosed with vascular dementia by a doctor asking some questions (Mini-Mental tests) - but it was very obvious to us.
My Dad had rheumatoid arthritis too, so he walked about but was sometimes unsteady due to painful joints and rhueumatic flare ups.
Has your wife been diagnosed with a heart condition, or is she being followed by your GP given her history of strokes? I would talk to your GP about preventing further strokes and about what support is available for you both:
- to “prevent falls, due to her poor mobility and balance”
- for you both to talk to someone about the cognitive issues and speech issues
- Are there specific stroke support groups in your community?
Cognitive reasoning things out, logically was hard for my Dad - which made him frustrated. Sometimes he’d ask why a scene in a TV show was repeating.
BUT we still had laughs, and some good times - lots of times Dad and I just listened to music while I watched over him. different kinds of quality moments.
There are various support organisations and groups you could connect with. e.g. admiral nurses What is an Admiral Nurse and how can they help? - Dementia UK
Stroke association: https://www.stroke.org.uk/stroke
I hope this helps, let us know how you’re doing and your own health and support-needs.
best wishes
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