Dominic,
My mother had a major stroke the day after I was 7. There were three younger children at home, 5, 2 1/2, and 18 months. At that time there was no therapy or medication to help. She had to learn to walk, use her hand and speak on her own. For a while she was bedridden and had aphasia (could not get the right words out). I can remember when she began to sit up, the almost 3 yr old asked her which was her good leg as she climbed on her lap. I am the only one who really had any bad thoughts because she had walked me to school in the morning and the teacher was very unkind to her. Then as I came home, I saw the ambulance leaving with her.
As Eileen said, little ones adapt very well. The smiles and hugs of a child are natural and very potent medicine.