Stroke Awareness Month: Understanding Stroke Recovery and Regaining Independence
May is Stroke Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about one of the leading causes of long-term disability in the United States. Each year, nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke, and for many, the road to recovery involves physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes.
At OnMyOwn Solutions, we believe that recovery doesn’t just mean survival — it means living well, with dignity and support. Whether you’re a stroke survivor, caregiver, or healthcare professional, small changes and thoughtful tools can make a big difference.
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen. This can result in a range of impairments including:
Partial paralysis or weakness (often on one side of the body)
Difficulty with speech or comprehension
Vision or balance issues
Changes in coordination, fine motor skills, or mobility
Every stroke is different — but the goal after stroke is almost always the same: regain as much independence as possible.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Supporting Independence at Home After Stroke
Many stroke survivors experience mobility challenges that make daily tasks — like dressing, bathing, cooking, and walking — feel overwhelming or unsafe. That’s where adaptive strategies and tools come in.
Here are a few practical, stroke-friendly modifications we recommend:
✔ Create a seated dressing station
A supportive chair with armrests and a stable surface nearby can provide the foundation for safer dressing. Add a tool like MyLEDA, our lower-body dressing aid, to make putting on pants easier without the need to bend or balance on one leg.
✔ Use reachers and grabbers for hard-to-reach items
Lightweight tools can help avoid straining or risking a fall when accessing things on the floor or high shelves.
✔ Add non-slip mats and motion-sensor lights
Prevent slips and improve safety with these simple upgrades in bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms.
✔ Modify your routine with energy-saving strategies
Doing tasks in short bursts with built-in rest breaks can reduce fatigue and frustration — especially during recovery.
✔ Use our book for at-home solutions
Our resource guide, Solutions for Living Life Well With a Disability, offers over 150 real-world tips and tools that can make daily routines safer and more manageable for stroke survivors and caregivers alike.
For Caregivers: Your Role Is Essential
Stroke recovery often involves a team — and caregivers are the heart of that team. It’s important to provide support without taking over, and to help stroke survivors participate in their own care as much as possible. Encouraging independence, celebrating progress, and making small modifications can restore confidence and dignity — for both of you.
Let’s Raise Awareness Together
This Stroke Awareness Month, let’s continue to:
✔ Share knowledge
✔ Offer support
✔ Remove stigma
✔ Promote tools and strategies that empower recovery
Every stroke survivor deserves the chance to live well — and we’re here to help make that possible, one solution at a time.
💬 Know someone recovering from a stroke? Share this post or explore our tools.