- A patient who is experiencing fatigue may find it difficult to engage in rehabilitation and may have difficulty in undertaking activities of daily living, thus impacting upon their recovery and quality of life
- Fatigue can be both mental and physical
- A patient’s own doctor or a stroke nurse may need to check if there are any medical conditions or prescribed medications that could be contributing towards the patient’s level of fatigue
- The patient and their family often need advice and support as to why they are so tired once they transfer home and advised that this is a direct result of the stroke
- Direct advice as to the pacing of activities and sometimes the number of visitors that they receive in the early days of returning home is useful
- Patients need reassurance that the fatigue will reduce as they recover from their stroke, however self-monitoring so as not to become too tired may always be necessary
