Hi Louise,
I'm a stroke survivor but I'll jump in and answer your questions:
What to expect daily
This will really depend upon how the stroke has affected her- she may be affected physically (I was half-paralysed, incontinent and unable to swallow), she may have sensory issues (I was partially blinded and am sensitive to loud noises) and she may have cognitive problems (getting confused, aggressive, depressed, anxious or emotional).
Take things one day at a time and you may see some early recovery before things generally settle down. At an early stage, do listen to the medical experts. She should hopefully be under the care of a Multi-Disciplinary Team to focus upon her recovery and life from this point forward.One of the good things about Stroke is that we survivors are usually fairly intact physically. This can be a double-edged sword as people will idly comment "but you look okay" when the reality is that the survivor is anything but okay.
If she is able to talk, talk with her as much as you can, to help her to try to make sense of what has happened and what lies ahead. Many survivors - and I was one of them - can feel isolated by their experiences, made worse by the sheer shock of what they have been through, plus the cognitive issues they may have.
One very common post-stroke symptom is Post-stroke Fatigue. I manage this by having a short nap when I am not working but some survivors can take sleeping to extremes (my mother slept for 19 hours a day after her stroke at 62 years of age).
Another can only be described as "Brain Fog" - slowed or incomplete cognitive abilities. You aren't made less intelligent by a stroke but you are definitely slowed by it. It's something most of us just live with.
How Long Recovery can take
It's common to see some spontaneous recovery in the first few days or weeks - for me that was flickerings of movement in my stroke affected side.
For some people, there may be good recovery within weeks, while others may be disabled in some ways for years or the rest of their lives.
Most importantly, there is no time limit on recovery. It is fastest soon after the stroke but even ten years after my stroke, I still feel I am recovering in some ways.
What's a good sign?
Being able to speak is one of the greatest predictors of quality of life after Stroke.
If she has mobility or movement issues, being able to support her own weight and transfer from place A to place B (eg from bed to a nearby chair) is usually a good indicator of future independence and progression.
I'll close by saying that life after Stroke can become very good indeed. I am not completely recovered but lift weights and compete in half-marathons, a long way from being completely bedbound. All of my deficits are mostly resolved now after ten years. I worked full time and travelled internationally prior to the pandemic.
As I said above, take things one day at a time and you'll hopefully see your mother go on to bigger and better things.
Take care now,
Damian