Stroke recovery care
Coming home after a stroke, with the right hands
The first weeks home are the hardest and the most dangerous, and the first six months are where practice turns into recovery. A carer who knows strokes keeps the person safe and keeps the rehabilitation going between the therapists’ visits.
3,500+ vetted carers, stroke experience shown on the profile
The recovery phases
What changes, what a carer does, and which care fits
Recovery is at its fastest early on. The first weeks at home are the heaviest and the most dangerous, the first six months are where the practice pays off, and after that it is about living well with what has changed.
How much care is usually needed, over the first year
First weeks home · Discharge to about week six
Tired, frightened, and doing everything with one good side
What is changing
- Weakness or no movement on one side; transfers and stairs need help
- Speech or understanding affected (aphasia); frustration with it
- Swallowing may be unsafe: thickened drinks, a soft diet, someone watching meals
- Exhaustion after very little; low mood or tearfulness is common
When to act
A fall, a chest infection after coughing at meals, new confusion, or any new weakness or face droop is a 999 call, and not something to wait and see about.
What a carer does in this phase
The carer keeps the person safe and keeps the rehab going. Transfers and the bathroom done the way the physio showed, meals at the right texture, medication on time, the exercises repeated between therapy visits, and a second pair of hands so the family carer can sleep. The NHS early supported discharge team leads; the carer is there in the hours they are not.
Daily visits, often with nights
£18–£25 an hour; nights from £130
Do this now
Before discharge, ask for the written rehab plan, the swallow assessment result and the exercise sheet. Everything the carer does in the first weeks comes from those three pieces of paper.
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Months one to six · The window when most recovery happens
Every week of practice counts, and it is hard to keep up alone
What is changing
- Movement returns in patches; walking with an aid, a hand that starts to open
- Speech improves with daily practice, and slips when they are tired
- Fatigue is the thing families underestimate: an hour of effort costs an afternoon
- Mood dips as the size of the change sinks in; sometimes depression, which is treatable
When to act
Progress stalling for weeks, weight loss from difficult eating, or the person refusing to get up in the morning are the signals to ask the GP or stroke team for a review.
What a carer does in this phase
This is the phase where a carer makes the most difference. They do the physio and speech exercises with the person every day rather than only on therapy days, practise walking with somebody alongside, get them out of the house so that life does not narrow, and notice a dip in mood before it becomes a problem. The same carer each time learns what a good day looks like.
Regular visits with the same carer
about £20 an hour
Do this now
Ask the community stroke team what "home practice" they want done and how often. Then book a carer for those slots, so it happens.
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Long term · After six months
Living well with what has changed
What is changing
- Some weakness, speech change or fatigue may be permanent; the aim shifts to independence within it
- Second-stroke risk stays high without the medication, blood pressure and lifestyle work
- Isolation if getting out is hard; couples where the well partner is now the carer
- For some, a severe stroke means round-the-clock care is the long-term picture
When to act
Any new weakness, facial droop or speech loss is a suspected stroke: FAST, and 999. Increasing falls or a partner who is exhausted mean the arrangement needs to grow.
What a carer does in this phase
Care settles into a rhythm: a few visits a week for personal care, cooking, exercise and company, or live-in care where the stroke was severe. The carer keeps the blood pressure checks and medication going, drives to appointments, and gives the partner a break. Where swallowing or communication stay affected, the carer is the person who knows how to make meals and conversation work.
Ongoing visits, or live-in care
from £20 an hour, or live-in from £1,050 a week
Do this now
Apply for Attendance Allowance (over 65) or PIP (under 65) if you have not already. Both are for the help needed, not the diagnosis, and most people after a stroke qualify.
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Preventing the next one
About one in four strokes is a second stroke. Much of that risk can be lowered at home.
The medical side belongs to the GP and the stroke nurse. The daily side belongs to whoever is in the house, which is where a regular carer turns a plan into a habit.
There are six things here, none of them complicated. It is worth printing, putting on the fridge, and giving a copy to the carer.
Medication, every day
Antiplatelets or anticoagulants, statins and blood pressure tablets only work if they are taken. A carer prompts each dose, sees it taken, writes it down, and tells the GP about any that are missed.
Blood pressure, checked
High blood pressure is the biggest single risk for a second stroke. A home monitor and a weekly reading in the notes is an easy habit for a carer to keep.
Salt, fat and alcohol, down
Cooking from scratch, with less salt, more vegetables and some oily fish. The carer who does the shopping and the cooking is usually the person who makes this happen.
Movement, daily
A walk, the exercise sheet, and standing up once an hour. This is not a gym programme, it is simply not sitting still all day.
Smoking, stopped
This is the hardest change to make and the one that makes the most difference. The GP can prescribe help, and a carer who does not smoke around them helps more than they realise.
FAST, known by everyone
Face, arms, speech, time. The carer, the family and the person themselves should all know the signs and that the answer is 999, not the GP.
The team around them
The NHS leads the rehabilitation, and the carer is there in the hours they are not
A stroke brings a lot of professionals through the door in the first weeks, then far fewer. Knowing who does what stops things falling through the gaps.
NHS
Stroke unit and early supported discharge team
Lead the first weeks: physio, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy at home, usually for up to six weeks.
NHS
Community stroke or neuro rehab team
Take over from the discharge team for the months of practice. Set the exercises and goals the carer helps with every day.
NHS
GP and stroke nurse
Medication, blood pressure, mood, and the six-month and annual reviews. The carer’s notes are useful to them.
Therapists
Physio, OT and speech and language therapy
Assess and set the programme. They are not there daily; the carer repeats what they prescribe between visits.
You
Family
Encouragement, company, and the decisions. Also the people most at risk of burning out in the first months.
PrimeCarers
Your carer
Safe transfers, meals at the right texture, medication, the exercise sheet done daily, a lift to appointments, and the same face each time.
How it works
From “something has to change” to a carer at the door
No assessment visits, no waiting list. Some families are talking to a carer the same day.
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See the carers who cover it, with photos, rates, experience and reviews. Filter by hourly, live-in or overnight.
Talk to the ones you like
Message them directly, or tell us what you need and we can suggest some carers to look at. The choice is always yours.
Meet before deciding
A call, a video chat or a visit, free and before anything is booked. A lot of families have a good idea within the first ten minutes.
Book, and change it as needs change
Contract, insurance and payment run through us. You can add visits, add nights, or move to live-in care as things change, and you only pay for care that happens.
Safety first
Someone coming into their home? We take that seriously.
Letting a carer into the home of someone you love takes trust. We've built every layer of protection so that trust is earned, not assumed.
Vetting that never stops
Enhanced DBS, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview before a carer appears, then continuous DBS monitoring for as long as they work. We check that a carer is caring; their skills and training are for you to check with them.
Insured and above board
Every visit is insured, contracted and paid securely online after care happens. There is no cash and no informal arrangement to manage.
A real person who knows you
Your own account manager and a UK support team who know you, your carer and your situation, not a call centre script.
Help when plans change
If your carer is unwell or away, our team will always do their best to find you vetted cover at short notice.
What clients say
Our Latest Carer Reviews
Margaret N
"Excellent - Lovely lady. My mother is so pleased with the work she does in helping her."
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Julia S
"Julia is a highly skilled and companionate carer who is able to give so much of herself and adapt to any situation."
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Andres Felipe C
"My son who he is caring for automatically welcomed Andres and can be heard laughing & having fun with Andres."
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Stroke recovery care, answered
Keeps the person safe and keeps the rehabilitation going between therapy visits: transfers and the bathroom done the way the physio showed, meals at the texture the speech therapist advised, medication on time, the daily exercise sheet, walking practice, and getting out of the house. With the same carer each time, they learn what a good day looks like. The recovery phases.
Most recovery happens in the first six months, with the fastest gains in the first weeks. Improvement can continue for years with practice, and some changes are permanent. Care is heaviest in the first weeks and usually eases as independence returns. What changes in each phase.
Usually daily visits, morning and evening, for personal care, meals and medication, and often a sleeping-night carer for the first weeks while transfers are unsafe. Hourly visits are £18 to £25 an hour and a sleeping night from £130. Leaving hospital: what to arrange.
Yes, and it is one of the most useful things they do. Therapists set the programme; they are not there every day. A carer who does the exercises with the person daily, and keeps notes for the therapist, is the difference between a plan on paper and progress.
Dysphagia is common and dangerous, because food or drink going into the lungs causes chest infections. The speech and language therapist assesses and sets the diet: thickened fluids, soft or pureed food, sitting upright, small mouthfuls. A carer follows that exactly and watches every meal. Coughing or a wet voice at meals is a reason to call the therapist or GP.
Often the right answer where someone cannot be left alone or a partner cannot manage transfers. Live-in care starts from £1,050 a week, and for complex needs (hoisting, PEG feeding) from £1,260. It is one-to-one, and for a couple it keeps them together. Live-in care.
Take the medication every day, keep blood pressure under control, cut salt and alcohol, move daily, stop smoking, and know FAST. A carer who prompts medication, checks blood pressure, cooks and walks with them covers most of that list. The prevention checklist.
Attendance Allowance (over State Pension age) or PIP (under it) are not means-tested and are for the help needed, not the diagnosis. Council funding follows a needs and financial assessment. NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund everything where needs are mainly health-related, which after a severe stroke they sometimes are. Funding explained.
Any new face droop, arm weakness or speech difficulty (FAST), sudden severe headache, sudden loss of vision, or a fall with a head injury. That means 999 rather than the GP or the stroke team, and any carer you book should know to do the same.
Carers are self-employed and list the conditions they have experience with on their profile, with reviews from families. You choose the carer and interview them for free, so you can ask about strokes, transfers and swallowing directly. How we vet carers.
Guides
Read next
Pages families read in the first month home.
- The first weeks home after a stroke
- Rehab at home after a stroke
- Transfers with one-sided weakness
- Aphasia and communication after a stroke
- Leaving hospital: what to arrange
- How do you take care at home after surgery?
- Overnight care
- Live-in care
- Live-in care for couples
- Can you get live-in nurses?
- How can I build strength at 80?
- Nutrition and hydration for the elderly
- Home adaptations
- Mental health in later life
- Help paying for care
- The cost of care
- Live-in care after a stroke
- Hospital discharge and post-operative care
- Mobility and falls care
Recovery happens between the appointments
See the carers near you with stroke experience, and talk to the ones you like before deciding anything.