Only Read the Right Part of A word？This is Unilateral Neglect Caused by Stroke

"My dad always stared to the left after his stroke. As long as I stood on his right, he couldn't find where I was going. What’s wrong with him?"

This situation is likely to be the unilateral neglect after stroke, which is a common symptom of stroke. Unilateral neglect is one of the common complications after brain injury. Patients suffering from neglect may read only the right side of the newspaper and ignore the left side, eat only from the right side his plate, or may even bump into objects on the ignored side, bringing many difficulties in daily life. Unilateral spatial neglect will affect rehabilitation, we should recognize it and give appropriate treatment.

The way to identify unilateral neglect

Observe daily behavior:

·The head and eyes are tilted to the healthy side

·Ignore the person standing on the affected side

·Miss food on the left side of plate, or do not use the utensils on the left

The way to correct unilateral neglect in daily life

·When communicating and training with the patient, stand on the neglected side of the patient as much as possible to improve his or her attention to the affected side

·Keep the patients in a safe and comfortable position. Ask the patient to do more symmetrical activities such as Bobath handshake and upper limb lifting to remind the patient of the presence of the neglected side

·Strengthen sensory input. Apply moderate pain, warmth, and tactile stimulation were applied to the affected limb.

·Cover the healthy eye with glasses to improve the patient's attention to the affected side

·Reading training: Give the patient non-repeated articles to read. Mark the most marginal edge of the neglected side. Instruct the patient to find the mark before continuing reading each time.

·Item transfer: Transfer items from the affected side to the healthy side or from the healthy side to the affected side

·Use the dressing mirror as posture mirror for sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transfer training.

Patients with unilateral neglect have slower recovery if they only undergo routine rehabilitation treatment. Unilateral neglect can delay the rehabilitation process of patients, which should be paid attention to and corrected.