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Strokes can affect different people in many different ways. The damage caused to the brain depends on the area
of the brain affected, extent of the damage, the type of stroke, and the person’s health condition before the stroke
occurred. Brain injury can affect a person’s motor function, sensory organs, speech, ability to understand speech
and communicate, memory, thought patterns and behavior. Weakness or loss of function on one side of
the body is often a common deficit.
Stroke survivors may have mood swings or depression. This emotionally unstable behavior
may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, feelings of loss or dependency, or damage to certain areas of the brain.
Strokes may cause loss of mobility and/or feeling in an extremity, or diminished/loss of sight in one side.
Strokes may also affect a person’s thinking or how they function in their activities of daily living. They may not be able to recognize or understand objects
previously familiar to them. Depth perception (objects look closer or farther away than they really are) may be
affected. This will affect eating and walking.
A stroke may cause brain damage resulting in a condition called aphasia, or problems saying what they’re thinking, reading, listening,
and writing. Muscles used for talking may be damaged, causing dysarthria, or difficulty with speech.
Speech can be distorted or slurred. Damaged muscles may cause dysphagia, which
is difficulty with chewing and swallowing, causing problems eating and putting
the person at risk for choking.
A stroke can affect the person’s ability to think (cognition) clearly. They may not be
able to plan or carry out simple activities. They may not be able to start, follow logical steps or forget how to
perform tasks they have done many times in the past. Their abilities to make reasonable or good choices may be
diminished.
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