My mom (90) has been depressed since she suffered stroke. What can I do?

Aside from the fact that depression would be understandable due to her condition, it's also common even in individuals who have had better outcomes. Even heart surgery has a high depression rate long after physical recovery. The whole body is affected and likely chemical balances as well as emotional balance are thrown off.

As for the crying - the Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA) is common. You can find out much more on the site Stroke.org. My uncle had this and it was very distressing to watch. My heart goes out to both of you.
Carol

I don't know what your mom's health was like prior to her stroke but losing the use of her right hand and leg and becoming bed bound as a result would be a terrible blow to someone. To their dignity, their confidence, their self-esteem....under the circumstances I think many people would experience depression after such a loss.

Has your mom's Dr. been informed of her depression? There are antidepressants the Dr. could try your mom on. However, the medications just deal with brain chemistry and can only help so much.

Have you tried talking to your mom? Or rather, listening to your mom? Has she been able to express herself openly without judgement and without being talked out of feeling the way she does?

Look into antidepressants and encourage your mom to talk to you. You don't have to fix the problem, just let her talk it through. No pep talks, don't try to cheer her up. Let her share her feelings.

Does your mom have a reverend or a spiritual leader of some sort? If so, maybe you could encourage your mom to talk to her pastor.

Depression is common post-stroke - chemical, endogenous depression, that is, on top of the very natural misery one might expect to feel when one is left paralysed and exhausted by that same stroke. This is one example of anti-depressants being almost certain to work because they will help to correct the chemical imbalance. No miracles, but you should see an improvement. Ask her doctor.

Let me make a suggestion. I am 73 years old and lost my husband two years ago. I have been finding it difficult to adjust to realizing and accepting getting older and not being able to do all the things I use to do. Sometimes I feel very 'down' about it. Maybe some of these feelings are bothering your mom. She can no longer live the way she used to live...that's got to be a downer for her. Maybe try to take her out sometimes to visit friends or relatives...or to her church. She needs some bright moments in her day.

My mother also had a stroke where her left arm and hand were paralyzed and she suffered afterward from anxiety and depression..She did not want to take anti depressants but eventually we had her evaulated by a geriatric psychiatrist who prescribed meds and slowly increased her dose..It took about 3 month to get to a really therapeutic level but then she was much less anxious. ( I think it was Cyprexa)..For her sake and yours, must get her on antidepressants..My heartfelt support to you...

I am so sorry to hear about your mother and her struggles. Having a stroke is difficult for anyone even with very good physical recovery. It is very common for depression to be an issue. Some of this is due to the psychological trauma but some of it is due to the physical changes in the brain. And from what you are describing I also wonder if your mother is having further small strokes affecting her speech. It also sounds like there is some difficulty in getting her coagulation balanced optimally. Strokes can be caused either by a clot or by a bleed. Do you know which one her May '15 stroke was? That will have an affect on her correct medical treatment. Also rehab after a stroke is really important. It is important to give her back as much independence as possible or to help her feel useful and important in some way. And antidepressants are important in many cases for at least awhile. I think it is really important that they be considered as it sounds like she is very depressed.

Her depression needs to be dealt with just as others have indicated.

Can anything be done to get her out of the bed and back to the center of family life? My Aunt was paralyzed on her entire right side for fifteen years, but got dressed (with assistance) and into her wheel chair nearly every day. She used a computer to write letters (typing with one finger) and sent them via the postal service. She looked up things she was interested in on the computer. It kept her from feeling isolated and the letters allowed her to connect with people across the country. Her eye sight was such that her daughter often had to read the letters to her, but it gave meaning to her life to be engaged with others and part of the ongoing pattern of life. If her condition allows, consider getting her out of bed and more integrated into life.

Ganapathirao: Bible scripture recitation seemed to comfort my late mother. And it was the only thing at night that calmed her. Any passage will do.

My mother's speech was bad and she was very hard of hearing. But she could still read. So we wrote on a grease board and would communicate with her that way.

Include her in your daily chores as much as you can and her condition permits. When you go to walmart, roll her or walk her to the common sitting area and let her watch people, cashiers, etc. while you go about your business. In other stores park close to the entrance and leave her in the car to watch people. Take her to your doctor appointments and allow her to sit with you in the room. Have her practice handwriting by copying things, like verses form a poem or the Bible, or a book.