Management of Acute Stroke in the Older Person

By the end of this acute stroke management course, you should be able to do the following:

• Discuss the history of stroke treatments and how they’ve impacted the worldwide mortality rate
• Define the general purpose of acute stroke care and how it works to prevent a wide range of complications
• Define the general purpose of hyperacute stroke care and how it works to prevent brain damage in victims
• Talk about the role of DNR orders and how stroke victims are most likely to express their wishes over time
• Assess the nature of modern stroke studies and how their methodology affects patient outcome
• Analyze why researchers and patients have different priorities, and how this conflict can influence the quality of life for a patient
• Recall the most effective treatments for stroke, and why age should or shouldn’t influence administered treatment
• Discuss why studies often exclude those over 80 and how this impacts the collective body of knowledge of strokes
• Assess how timing affects the stroke victim and why healthcare practitioners need to think about stroke care long before they see a patient presenting with symptoms
• Review how formal screening for things like incontinence, retention, and dysphagia helps patients after they’ve suffered a stroke