2. John Green, a 71-year-old patient, is being discharged fromthe rehabilitation unit 8 weeks after an ischemic stroke. Thepatient’s spouse stated that they used to enjoy going to golfoutings with their friends, but the patient has not played golfsince he had the stroke, and she does not want to try to golf onceher husband is discharged home because he has to use a walker andcan barely ambulate. She also states that her husband still hastrouble speaking, and his short-term memory is not very astute soit would be embarrassing to be on a golf outing with him. Thepatient’s spouse has worn the same outfit to the rehabilitationunit the past 3 days, and the nurse notices the patient’s hair isunkempt and his affect is flat. The rehab nurse has madearrangements with the social worker for a physical therapist,speech therapist, and occupational therapist to provide threesessions of therapy at the patient’s home for the next 4 weeks, andthen a reevaluation will follow to determine if the patient willneed further therapy. The patient is able to sit independently,stand independently, and use a walker. The patient is able toambulate 30 feet with the walker, and then he requires a short restbefore he is able to ambulate another 30 feet. The patient slurswords occasionally and has hesitant speech. The patient hasproblems with short-term speech.(Learning Objective 7)
a. What educational topics should the nurse provide the familyabout home care for the patient after stroke?
b. What assessment of the spouse does the nurse need to make,and what should the nurse suggest?
