Stroke is urgent. Recognition and hospital care save brain. After that, recovery is made of small, repeatable habits in ordinary rooms.
In hospital — ask these
What type of stroke was it, and what does that mean for recovery?
Which medicines changed? Who’s packing them for home?
What are the red flags in the first 72 hours at home, and who do we call?
Which therapies continue, how often, and what does “good practice between sessions” look like?
Setting up home (without making it a clinic)
Clear paths and good lighting; chair/bed heights that make transfers safe.
A one-page “who to call” sheet: GP, practice nurse, pharmacy, therapists.
A simple calendar showing therapy times and rest windows — fatigue is real.
Therapy that sticks
Little and often beats big and rare (five-minute blocks across the day).
Fold practice into life: reaching during kitchen tasks, step practice at the bench, speech work during a phone call with a friend.
Track two or three measures that matter (distance walked, a daily task regained).
How support at home helps
Prompts during normal moments (sit-to-stands while the kettle boils).
Consistency — same time, same steps, notes updated.
Short, factual updates (with consent) to therapists and the GP so plans adjust early.
If you’d like our one-page First Month After Stroke checklist, we can send it through.