When a loved one suffers a stroke, your life will change in a number of ways, even after the person's health is stable. While you'll want to find the right medical care to allow your loved one to begin the recovery process promptly, you'll likely also find yourself playing the role of caregiver to a large extent. Seeing your family member in this difficult position can be a challenge for you, especially when you consider the active and vital life that he or she may have previously had. Here are some truths that you should accept during the recovery process to make things easier for you.

Progress Doesn't Happen Overnight

As your loved one begins the recovery process, which can include things such as speech therapy and physical therapy, you should feel confidence that progress is happening. You shouldn't, however, expect to see dramatic changes overnight. Doing so can often lead to feelings of disappointment. For example, if you were to expect that one or two speech therapy sessions should have your family member communicating in an easy-to-understand manner, you're setting yourself up for sorrow. It's best to understand that recovery can indeed happen, but it's not something that is instant. Expect your loved one to spend a month or more in the stroke recovery treatment center.

Some Issues Will Be Permanent

A lot of factors influence the degree to which people can recover from having strokes. For some people, it's almost impossible to tell that they had a stroke after a while. For others, lingering effects remain. For example, one common issue that can be permanent is that the person will shuffle a bit when he or she walks. Or, the person's speech may mostly recover, but he or she could have trouble with certain words for the foreseeable future. It's important for you to accept that some of the resulting factors of the stroke will remain with your family member indefinitely.

Setbacks Can Be Part Of The Journey

Recovering from a stroke isn't a linear journey. Your loved one may be making steady process for a period of weeks, only to suffer a setback that you both find discouraging. It's important to always know that just because one day is better than the last, this doesn't necessarily mean that the following day will be better. Understanding that there can be peaks and valleys in the stroke recovery process will give you realistic expectations that can help you to come to terms with this journey.