A Medical Officer at JessyLife Clinic, Dr. Jerry Osei-Alomele, has clarified some issues surrounding the deaths of most stroke patients.

He said that, more often than not, the victims die as a result of the comorbidities that come with the disorder.

According to him, on Joy Prime’s Changes show, the daily lifestyle of neglected patients contributes to their demise, and not the ailment itself, as may be perceived.

“…this patient’s hand is limp, his lower limbs are stiff and very rigid. When you touch it, he’s not willing to allow you to do anything; his face is deviated all over the place, and because he’s not so functional now, he becomes a burden on his caregivers; they leave him, he’s neglected, and then now it’s the other things.

"Usually in teaching, when it comes to stroke, the concept is, it’s not the stroke itself that will kill the patient. It’s the other things, the associated things that come with the stroke. So, with the neglect, the person can become angry, have low blood sugar and die from that.”

As a result, experts always advise that patients begin physiotherapy immediately after being diagnosed with the disorder.

According to Dr. Osei-Alomele, when rehabilitation is included in the recovery process of bedridden patients, they can walk and perform other active tasks, depending on the severity of the disease.

“There’s a possibility with rehabilitation depending on how much of the brain is affected.”

Speaking on the use of traditional medicines and whether their use is advisable, Dr. Osei-Alomele said that traditional medicine can play a role in the recovery process, but emphasised that patients should also seek orthodox medical treatment.

“We cannot take traditional medicine from our society. It’s enshrined in our way of life and culture. But I believe that since you’re doing the traditional medicine, let’s also add the orthodox medicine to it. This is my opinion,” the medical officer said.