Cognitive Rehabilitation After Stroke Essay

Stroke is a leading health care problem worldwide; ‘living with stroke’ is a real challenge both stroke survivors and their caregivers face.

Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and patients face multiple challenges, such as weakness/paralysis on one side of the body, social disability, inability to walk and self-care, the decline in community participation, and the decline in cognitive and emotional functioning. These challenges impede them from independently performing their daily activities related to work, school, parenting, or leisure. Evidence Based Practice shows that the best way to treat individuals with stroke is through the use of the mental practice. Mental practice is a training method during which a person cognitively rehearses a physical skill in the absence of overt, physical movements for the purpose of enhancing motor skill performance. It is a practice

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015) every year there are 800,000 individuals who have strokes. There are 610,000 first time cases and 185,000 recurring stroke individuals. It is important for caregivers to note that the increased risk of another stroke is higher after the first (CDC, 2015). It is also critical for the caregiver to ask questions of the physician, such as what aspects physiologically and emotionally have been affected and treatments

The long term effects of a stroke are different from person to person. If the right side of the brain was damaged the left side of the body will be affected and if the right side of the brain is damaged the left side of the body will be affected, also the left side damage to the brain will affect Speech, Balance, Vision and breathing ("Treatment - Stroke - Mayo Clinic," 2015). Extensive therapies are require after a stroke these are physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. There is also rehabilitation services through in home care, hospitals or skilled nursing facility’s depending on the circumstances. Counseling is available to help cope with the new changes happening to the inside and outside of the body ("Treatment - Stroke - Mayo Clinic," 2015). There are a few alternative treatments available to they are not approves by the food and drug administration ("Stroke Alternative Treatments," 2013). Some of these natural therapies would include aromatherapy, massage therapy and yoga, these help reduce stress and relax the mind and body ("Stroke Alternative Treatments," 2013). Some patients controlled their diet by taking notice of the amount of cholesterol that they were taking in from foods they were eating ("Stroke Alternative Treatments,"

I was lucky to be attend the Stroke Support Group In Arroyo Grande Community Hospital. I work in the Acute Rehab Unit in Arroyo Grande, we get a lot of patients with severe strokes that receive rehab for 7-14 days. Our manager (ANM) is involved in spreading the word about the stroke support group to the patients and their love ones. That is how I was informed about the Stoke Support Group through work. There where 8 (including the leader) people attending the support group the ages where late 60s early 80s. They meet every third Monday of the month at 10:30-11:30 on the Annex building. They provide snacks and set up a circle with chairs. The leader is the one to get the conversation going she goes around the room and asks each person how they are doing and

In-depth, in-home interviews of forty-five minutes to sixty minutes were conducted with five community-dwelling individuals (three men, two women) aged 68-74 years who had experienced a stroke in the past year, followed by in-patient rehabilitation for a minimum of two weeks. Data analyzed using thematic analysis. Peer-review and peer debriefing with a co-researcher established

Stroke, or brain attack, is the number four killer of adults in the world. In the United States, 160,000 deaths occur each year. From 1999 to 2009, the death rate from stroke gradually lowered as improvements to medicine and testing developed. Yet, 800,000 Americans continue to have strokes and survive the event. Worldwide, about 15 million experience stroke with 6 million who die and 5 million who become permanently disabled. (Robinson, Richard & Odle, Teresa G. & Frey, Rebecca J. & Odle, Teresa G. , 2011) The statistics in America are better for surviving a stroke because of rapid response and better interpretation of symptoms. Nevertheless, surviving a stroke often brings on dilapidating effects; which means a change in lifestyle and lifelong rehabilitation through physical therapy.

This study was involved in the LAS-II (a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial). There was an intervention group, receiving the CADL, as well as a control group, receiving the normal ADL intervention. Chosen for the study in LAS-II were those treated for an acute stroke in a stroke unit less than three months or three months after the stroke occurred. In addition, those eligible for the study had to have met the following conditions: be dependent in at least two ADL’s, not having been diagnosed with dementia, able to fully understand and follow instructions, were referred for rehabilitation to one of the 16 units participating in LAS-II. In this study, the occupational therapists were participants recruited as well. Out of 44 occupational therapists’ that attended five

With each stroke, silent or large, the brain is being damaged which progressively causes the individual’s cognitive functioning to deteriorate. Memory loss, judgment impairment, and confusion are a few of the symptoms caused by MID. After symptoms are noticed, tests on the individual begin which could include cognitive and mental state examinations, neuropsychological testing, and even MRI’s. With each test, the professional is getting closer to the specific diagnosis of Multi-Infarct Dementia. Once the diagnosis is made, stroke prevention, which includes changes in habits, is the only treatment available for this progressive

One can further understand that communication is altered when a stroke occurs. Research shows that the location of a stroke or blood clot in the brain makes a difference in whether or not, how affected the patient is and the struggle in starting the recovery process.

Like the first article above, the purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of mental practice use on upper-extremity impairment and functional outcomes on stroke patients, but also to see if mental practice plus physical practice would yield better results. This study took place in a licensed university-affiliated rehabilitation hospital. The design of this experiment was a case study, which consisted of only four total participants. Participants were chosen randomly; three men and one woman with moderate upper-limb hemiparesis post-stroke. Two subjects received mental practice and constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), one subject received only mental practice, and one received only CIMT. The main outcomes measures were the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and the Motor Activity Log (MAL). The WMFT is a validated test that measures time (15 tasks) or strength (2 tasks) in completing upper-extremity joint specific or multiple joint movements or functions. The MAL is an upper-extremity disability measure. It is a semi-structured interview during which participants are asked to rate how much and how well (6-point scale; range, 0 worst to 5 best) they use their more affected arm for 30 ADL items in the home environment over a specified period. The participant who received only mental practice showed slight

Strokes occur when blood flow to the brain ceases, causing brain cells to begin to die within minutes. In some instances, people who suffer from a stroke lose at least one function. Although all functions are important, there are some functions that are more crucial than others. If I were to suffer a stroke, there are three that would have the largest impact on my life: movement, memory, and emotion. I feel that the function that would affect my life the most if it were lost would be memory. Memories are linked to emotions, personality, and future decisions, all of which are extremely important.

There are two ways in which the brain can restore function after a stroke, re-adaptation through neural plasticity, and cell restoration. Due to some stem cells still existing in the brain through life, it can regrow some damage, though it is pretty limited in doing so, and ever gets back to its pre-stroke state. With re-adaptation, the brain remaps some of the functions that were lost, to other areas of the brain. It’s this process that is attributed to the majority of recovery after stroke. Yet again however, the brain is not able to restore full functionality after a major attack, even with both of these processes working in tandem. There are a few ways of helping the brain heal itself, however, and can get people far closer to their pre-stroke performance then what could be done on their own. The four ways in which this can be done are varied. They range from exercise, to drugs, and even stem cell therapy. Though all have their uses, exercise based therapy remains the most common, and most effective source of recovery. (Murphey, Corbett, 2009) It still remains to be see if or how we can restore full function to a stroke patient, though the field of medicine will not stop until it finds a way. In that regard, science has its most powerful effect, inspiring people to better, not just for themselves but for humanity as a

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in the world and is increasingly causing more stress and burden on patients and families. After the acute stages of a cerebral vascular attack (CVA) or stroke, patients begin to realize their deficits which may sometimes leave them confused and afraid to go into the community. Rehabilitation is a key focus in recovery to help victims restore their physical function to their maximum potential, as well as develop their psychosocial confidence to be able to integrate into society with a disability. Patients can have an improved recovery from stroke by participating in rehabilitation services in the community and using their support system once discharged from the acute care setting. In this paper, it will be demonstrated that caregivers of stroke patients tend to influence recovery differently. Also, stroke survivors must integrate within their community to continue positive rehabilitation because stroke survivors need a stable environment to flourish in recovery.

Stroke affects everybody differently, and it is difficult to say how much of a recovery is possible. Many stroke survivors experience the most dramatic recovery during their stay in hospital in the weeks after their stroke.