Family life

After a stroke, your life roles and relationships may change.

After a stroke, your life roles and relationships may change. Explore this section to learn helpful tips on how to still spend quality time with your friends and family.

Are my family and I coping well?

Stroke affects each person in different ways. It can bring up different feelings that can affect your relationships with family and friends. Stroke may change your roles, family balance and dynamics. Adjusting to these changes will take time. It is normal for you and your family to feel grief, sadness, anger, fear and frustration.

Some people find that speaking to other people living with stroke, a health professional or a spiritual advisor can help you cope with the changes.

Peer support groups give you a chance to:

  • Talk about your experiences
  • Learn from and get support from others who share a similar experience

Many people have written books about their experiences after having a stroke. You may find it helpful to read about other people’s journeys.  Here are a few examples:

  • Not Your Dad’s Stroke. Ron Lacombe, 2021
  • Stronger After Stroke: Your Roadmap to Recovery, Peter G. Levine, 2012
  • My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, Jill Bolte Taylor, 2008
Family cooking