Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

A GOOD AGE: Brother’s move to long-term care biggest challenge yet

Excerpt from: Patriot Ledger (click for full article)

 

"How’s your brother doing?” Since I began writing and blogging about my brother Steve’s recovery from a massive stroke in June, readers have been asking. “So many people are going through similar things,” one said.

On Jan. 29, Steve moved from a short-term rehabilitation center, Hancock Park in Quincy, to the Gloria Adelson Field Health Center at Newbridge on the Charles in Dedham. There have been many challenges with this stroke; this transition may be the biggest one yet.

Yet my remarkable brother has many strengths. He should be proud of himself. That is what I try to focus on. He looks good, is smart and speaks well, despite some aphasia. He can be articulate and witty. He still has his sense of humor. His long-term memory is amazing. He learns everybody’s names, and given some time, he can absorb new information.

Mouth device in clinical trials as possible treatment for TBI

Excerpt from: Army Mil (click for full article)

 

Now researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and NeuroHabilitation Corporation are leveraging the power of those tiny nerves. They are aiming to restore lost physical and mental function for service members and civilians who suffered traumatic brain injury or stroke, or who have Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis.

The treatment involves sending specially-patterned nerve impulses to a patient's brain through an electrode-covered oral device called a "PoNS," a battery-operated appliance placed on the tongue. The 20-30 minute stimulation therapy, called cranial nerve non-invasive neuromodulation, or CN-NiNM, is accompanied with a custom set of physical, occupational, and cognitive exercises, based on the patient's deficits. The idea is to improve the brain's organizational ability and allow the patient to regain neural control.

New stroke guidelines stress fast treatment, involvement of caregivers outside hospital

Excerpt from: McKnight's (click for full article)

 

Rapid treatment and vigilant, trained post-acute care providers allow the damage caused by strokes to be minimized, according to guidelines released Thursday by the American Stroke Association.

The guidelines stress that individuals presenting stroke symptoms should be quickly transported via ambulance or air to the nearest comprehensive stroke center for administration of clot-dissolving drugs. To be effective, the dissolver recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) must be given within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. In all appropriate cases, tPA should be administered within 60 minutes of a patient arriving at a hospital, the guidelines state.

If a patient must be treated at a hospital lacking a primary or comprehensive stroke center, attending physicians should consider telemedicine to connect with stroke experts, according to the guidelines.

Effective stroke response is not dependent on hospital resources alone, as long-term caregivers play a part in recognizing stroke symptoms, researchers said.

17 Surprising Things That Affect Stroke Risk

Excerpt from: Health (click for full article)

 

Basically a heart-healthy lifestyle cuts your stroke risk too. So get a veggie wrap instead of the pastry, take a bike ride, and quit smoking. But there are many other things you can do to lower your stroke risk. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Eat tomatoes

Get checked for A-fib

Break a sweat

Slash salt intake

Have an apple a day

Drink coffee in moderation

Planning Ahead: How Stroke Survivors Can Protect Assets and Preserve Dignity

Excerpt from: Stroke Connection (click for full article) (pgs. 18-20)

 

This article goes over reasons why one should engage in estate planning, legal documents that everyone should have, why everyone should alternative long term care, and even provides a little blurb about the warning signs of a stroke.