Therapy

Stroke patients maintain benefits of robot therapy

2012-01-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Stroke patients who have the most trouble walking may see lasting benefits from using machines that move their legs to simulate walking, say Italian researchers.

Their study, although small, is one of the first to observe a benefit lasting at least two years in a group of stroke patients who used the machines, which are sometimes employed in conjunction with traditional physical therapy.

The new findings should help doctors target which stroke patients will benefit the most from the machines according to lead author Dr. Giovanni Morone, of the Santa Lucia Foundation in Rome.

"Robotic and electromechanical devices might play an important role, not for all patients, but for a selected kind of patients," said Morone in an email.

The new findings, published in the journal Stroke, are based on the same group of 48 patients the researchers reported on in September, in the journal Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, where they suggested stroke patients who were most severely affected by a stroke also gained the most from the machines after three months of therapy.....Next

The Effect of Music and Audiobook Listening on People Recovering From Stroke The Patient’s Point of View

2011-09-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Abstract

Recent experimental evidence suggests that musical activities can enhance motoric, cognitive, and emotional recovery after a stroke. The authors' aim was to gain more insight about the emotional and psychological factors underlying the therapeutic effects of listening to music after a stroke, by combining both qualitative and quantitative methods. Thirty-nine patients who had suffered a stroke were interviewed about their subjective experiences when listening, on a daily basis, to either self-selected music (n = 20) or audiobooks (n = 19) during the first 2 months after the stroke. Results showed that music listening was specifically associated with better relaxation, increased motor activity, and improved mood, whereas both music and audiobook listening provided refreshing stimulation and evoked thoughts and memories about the past. These results highlight the clinical importance of providing stimulating and pleasant leisure activities after a stroke and further encourage the use of music in stroke rehabilitation.....

http://bit.ly/oXtowY

Faith, family, friends aid White in stroke recovery effort

2011-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Credit: ELAINE BRACKIN/POGRESS

Occupational  therapist Angela Newton, left, and physical therapist Cassidy Carter,  assist Sam White, a stroke victim, in demonstrating one the  strengthening techniques they use during therapy at HealthSouth  Rehabilitation Hospital to help him regain the use of his right arm.  White undergoes out-patient therapy twice a week at the Dothan facility.

By: Elaine Brackin
Published: September 22, 2011

» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

DOTHAN, Ala. --

Thursday, May 31, started out as any other day for farmer Sam White. He had cattle and other chores to tend to keep his farm running smoothly. Shortly after he finished lunch, White headed to the mailbox in front of his house to retrieve his mail. On his trip back to his house, White received a phone call on his cell phone. He completed the call just before a funny feeling came over him. He only had a few steps to go to make it back into his house. He thought he could make it; he didn’t.

“I had to grab a five-foot chain-link fence to keep from falling,” White, 58, said as he recalled the events of that day in May. “I walked from the fence to the third doorstep and sat down. I started to go up to the next step, but I slipped down to the one below. That’s when I knew I really needed help.”....

http://bit.ly/qeoWUt

Stimulating brain with electricity aids learning speed

2011-09-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

The brain can change its structure in response to experience and practice

Electrically stimulating the brain can help to speed up the process of learning, scientists have shown.

Applying a small current to specific parts of the brain can increase its activity, making learning easier.
Researchers from the University of Oxford have studied the changing structure of the brain in stroke patients and in healthy adults.
Prof Heidi Johansen-Berg presented their findings at the British Science Festival in Bradford.
The team at Oxford has been conducting research into how the structure of the brain changes in adulthood, and in particular what changes occur after a stroke.
They have used an approach called functional MRI to monitor activity in the brain as stroke patients re-learn motor skills that were lost as a result of their illness.
One of the major findings is that the brain is very flexible and can restructure itself, growing new connections and reassigning tasks to different areas, when damage occurs or a specific task is practised.
As part of this research, they investigated the possibility of using non-invasive electric brain stimulation to improve the recovery of these motor skills; the short-term improvement in stroke patients had already been noted.
But an unexpected result was found when the same brain stimulation was applied to healthy adults: their speed of learning was also significantly increased.
Increasing activity To observe this effect, the team devised an experiment whereby volunteers memorised a sequence of buttons to press "like playing a tune on a piano".
While they were doing this, they were fitted with a "trans-cranial current stimulation" device, in which two electrodes are placed in a specific position on the head.
A very small current was passed between the electrodes in an arc through the brain and, depending on the direction of that current, either increased or decreased the activity of that part of the brain.
Prof Johansen-Berg explained that "an increase in activity of the brain cells makes them more susceptible to the kinds of changes that occur during learning".

The studies employ a variant of the same MRI scan used in hospitals

The results of the button-pressing experiments showed the positive effects of just 10 minutes of the brain stimulation on learning, compared to a similar "placebo" setup in which the electrical stimulation was not used.
"While the stimulation didn't improve the participant's best performance, the speed at which they reached their best was significantly increased," said Prof Johansen-Berg.
Targeting the area of the brain that controls motor skills allows movement tasks to be learned more quickly, and the researchers envisage the technique could be used to help in the training of athletes.
The experiments have explicitly shown that stimulating the motor cortex of the brain can increase the speed of learning motor skills.
It is the hope of the researchers that the same method may be applied to other parts of the brain to improve educational learning, simply by positioning the electrodes in different locations so the current is focussed on the correct area.
The relative simplicity, low price (around £2,000 per unit), and portability of the technology may mean that, following further research, a device could be designed to be automated for use at home.
Looking to the future, Prof Johansen-Berg and her team plan to investigate the potential for increasing the effect, by stimulating daily over a period of weeks to months.
In the treatment of stroke patients, the technique could be used in parallel with current physiotherapy treatments to improve overall outcomes, which tend to vary widely.

Electric shocks help stroke patients

2011-09-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Stroke patients with brain damage can recover more quickly with the help of small electric currents applied to the head from electrodes on the skull, a study has found.

The tiny electric currents are believed to stimulate the re-growth of nerve connections in the brain that have been lost as a result of oxygen starvation caused by stroke, scientists said. The research supports the idea that the brain can to some extent repair itself by rewiring and reconnecting itself to bypass damaged areas, according to Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg of Oxford University.

"After a stroke, there is widespread damage to connecting fibres, far beyond the stroke itself. But with repeated practice, patients can increase activity in brain areas that have been disconnected," she told the British Science Festival...... http://bit.ly/quvrTv

Fighting back from stroke Exercising helps woman recover lost abilities

2011-04-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

By Toya Graham, Fort Mill Times, S.C. April 07--FORT MILL TOWNSHIP -- Tonia Canzoneri wears three rubber bracelets on her wrist. A red bracelet that sits nearly perfectly atop an orange bracelet offers one word: Hope.
"She gives everyone hope," says Sandy Strang, the owner of Curves in Fort Mill.
That's because Canzoneri suffered a stroke eight years ago. The stroke impacted Canzoneri's right side, took away her ability to use her right hand and slurred her speech. Doctors offered the then six-week pregnant Canzoneri a grim report.
"They told her she wouldn't walk again," Strang said.
Canzoneri, whose Charlotte home is about four miles from Tega Cay, refuses to be a victim to her stroke.
"You've got to fight," Canzoneri, 39, said. "You don't fight, your body is done. You hurt yourself."
Canzoneri fights back by working out most weekdays. Most people work out to tone their muscles or lose weight. For Canzoneri, daily trips to Curves help continue rehabilitation and gain overall muscle strength.more read...

Video Games Help Stroke Victims Rehab Motor Functions

2011-04-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

A new study has found promise in the use of gaming in stroke rehabilitation. With the assistance of motion gaming devices such as the Eye Toy and the Wii, motor function of stroke patients in rehab programs improved by an average of 20 percent. Arm strength increased by nearly 15 percent, with nearly five times the chance for improvement. For all the technical info on the study, head over to Bloomberg Businessweek.
"Stroke rehabilitation is rapidly evolving," said Lead Researcher Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto. "Novel approaches -- including the use of virtual reality [gaming] systems -- may help improve motor impairment, activities and social participation. Virtual reality may provide an affordable, enjoyable and effective alternative to intensify treatment and promote motor recovery after stroke."
Conventional therapy provides only "modest and sometimes delayed effects" in treating the weakness, paralysis, balance and coordination difficulties that most stroke victims experience, according to Saposnik.
Video gaming is custom-tailored to help remodel the brain through challenging, task-specific, motivating actions that are repeated enough to create the new neural connections needed to get back functionality after a brain injury.
"Our study confirms the potential benefit of virtual reality in stroke rehabilitation identified in small studies," Saposnik said. "Further larger randomized trials are needed before changing practice. However, we are [going] in the right direction." more read...

Virtual Reality Tools May Aid Stroke Recovery

2011-04-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Virtual Reality Tools May Aid Stroke Recovery

Studies Show High-Tech Gadgets Help Stroke Patients Improve Their Motor Strength

By Brenda Goodman
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

April 7, 2011 -- Physical therapy that makes use of high-tech gadgets like 3-D goggles, robotic gloves, and motion-tracking video game systems can help people regain strength and function in their upper arm after a stroke, a new research review shows.
Pooling data from five studies, researchers found that people who participated in rehabilitation with virtual reality technologies after a stroke had a nearly fivefold greater chance of improving their motor strength compared to those who received conventional physical therapy.
In general, the virtual therapies are designed specifically to aid stroke recovery. They include activities like playing virtual piano keys while wearing a robotic glove or swatting at virtual bugs while wearing 3D goggles.
“This technology gets people to work more and harder and be more creative,” says study researcher Mindy Levin, PhD, a professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University in Montreal. “And all of that taps into the brain’s plasticity and helps the brain change -- and that’s what we’re trying to do.” more read....

Advice On Stroke: Every Minute Courts

2011-04-17T17:34:00.001-07:00

Advice On Stroke: Every Minute Courts

Written by Alan Waterman Monday, 11 April 2011 00:02

0 Share

Intensive and massed exercise practice has been proven to improve patient movement ability and the ability to do everyday living tasks.
The HandTutor system employs virtual functional tasks.
These are computer generated tasks or games that have been formulated to allow the therapist to customize which joint or combination of joint and which movement parameter will be exercised during the practice.
In other words virtual functional tasks can be customized according to the patients movement ability.
Therefore patients with very limited or no active movement ability can, through active assisted exercises, undertake intensive and massed movement practice. Similarly if the patient has better movement ability but still needs to work on pushing this ability to its limit the virtual tasks can be customized so that the patient needs to employ for example his maximum range of moveme MORE READ....

Therapy online: Good as face to face?

2011-03-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- Your therapist's name is ELIZA, and she interacts with you through text on a computer screen. However embarrassing or difficult your problem may be, ELIZA will not hesitate to ask you a question about it, or respond graciously, "That is very interesting. Why do you say that?"

Internet-based therapy may help people who wouldn't otherwise seek the help of a psychologist.

Computer-based therapy has come a long way since ELIZA, a 1960s computer program designed to emulate (and parody) a therapist. Today, with the Internet, people can use the instant message format to communicate with real therapists.
A new study in The Lancet suggests that real-time chat therapy with a psychotherapist is successful in helping people with depression.
Participants were randomly assigned to either receive online cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to usual physician care -- which may include antidepressant medication -- or to continue their usual care and be placed on a waiting list. The intervention consisted of up to 10 55-minute sessions, five of which were expected to be completed by the four-month follow-up.
Of the 113 people who did online therapy, 38 percent recovered from depression after four months, compared with 24 percent of people in the control group. The benefits were maintained at eight months, with 42 percent of the online therapy group and 26 percent of the control group having recovered.Read More...

Wii console could help stroke victims, say scientists

2010-08-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Wii console could help stroke victims, say scientists -

Motion sensing technology, such as the Wii could be to help people with aphasia.

The condition is a language impairment, commonly caused by a stroke, that affects around 250,000 people in the UK. It is thought that technology such as the Wii will help people with this condition learn how to ‘gesture’ independently at home.

Gestures that can be readily interpreted by others are often advocated in aphasia treatment, but can be difficult for aphasic people to learn, because they have additional stroke-related disabilities, such as one sided paralysis. Gesturing can be improved through therapy, but one-to-one sessions can be costly and therapy resources are scarce.

Scientists at City University London are working with the Stroke Association and have been given £300k from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).They want to see if they can develop an affordable computer-based technology to help stroke survivors independently at home.

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The project will create a prototype system that enables users to practise gesturing, receive instant feedback, and master the movements through repetition. It will be run by a multi-disciplinary team from City's Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design (HCID), and Department of Language and Communication Science.

Jane Marshall, Professor of Aphasiology at City University London, said: "Computer-based treatments have been shown to improve verbal language skills in previous studies, but this is the first time that gestures will be addressed. With 45,000 new cases in the UK each year, we hope that our work will help a wider range of aphasic people to regain communication skills."...next

So, what happens,than, when formal therapy ends? Does recovery of speech also end?

2010-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Recovering Speech After Stroke...How To Continue Practice When Therapy Ends..

Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability in the United States and elsewhere. If there is speech and language loss (aphasia) due to the the stroke, speech therapy will often begin in the hospital, or within days of symptoms occurring. Speech therapy may be provided on a daily basis in the early weeks and months while an individual is participating in rehabilitation, with growing evidence that this early speech therapy treatment may take advantage of the brain's spontaneous healing process, helping with the recovery of injured areas.

Home-Like Aphasia House Offers Innovative Therapy

2010-08-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

A new facility dedicated solely to innovative therapy for individuals with aphasia, or the loss of speech resulting from neurologic injury, has been established at the University of Central Florida with an anonymous $25,000 donation.
The Aphasia House provides speech-language therapy in a setting distinct from a typical medical office. Each room is outfitted to resemble a familiar space in a home, including a kitchen, garden patio and garage. The rooms are designed to encourage natural conversations. UCF graduate students studying communicaion sciences and disorders provide individualized and group therapy under the supervision of certified clinical faculty.
This is the only intensive program for persons with aphasia in the Central Florida area.....next

Communication Alternative Supporting Augmentative series

2010-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Communication in Our Lives I received a book that I didn’t even order. The one I ordered is yellow and white ( 3th edition). THis isn’t the one I ordered; therefore, I need a refund.I sent the book back and I know the …

Introduction to Communication Disorders Comprehensive yet compact and user-friendly, the fourth edition of Introduction to Communication Disorders takes a unique lifespan perspective that enables students to focus both on disorders and …
Introduction to Neurogenic Communication Once again I am thoroughly satisfied with my Amazon.com purchase. This book arrived in excellent condition just days after I placed my order. I even qualified for “free shipping”- it doesn’t get …
Real Communication An Introduction Was very pleased on their fast shipping. Book was in good shape as stated. Thanks it saved me from buying from our college bookstore! Real Communication presents human communication as lively, …
Augmentative Alternative Communication Supporting My copy of this book is filled with sticky notes, bookmarks, and highlighted paragraphs- I use it constantly for research, presentations, ideas, etc. It is a key resource for teachers, researchers, …
Human Communication in Society Was delivered very quickly, which was very much appreciated. Nice quality and a good price Not too bad. Need this for my college class and is exactly which book i needed. My school had ran out of …
Language Intervention Strategies in This a must read for anyone studying Adult Aphasia A comprehensive review on aphasia. Moreover, it could be called the “Aphasia Bible”. The book is very detailed with information about the diff …
Typographic Design Form and There is a lot to be taken in with the whole design world and especially with typography. I ordered this book for my one of my classes (working on BS in Graphic Design through AI). I love that it is …

The Life Interests and Values Cards

2010-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Life Interests and Values Cards

"Supporting Self-Determination in People with Aphasia"

Authors: Katarina L. Haley, PhD, CCC-SLP, Jennifer L. Womack, MA, MS, OTR/L; Nancy Helm-Estabrooks, ScD, CCC-SLP; Denise Caignon MS, CCC-SLP; and Karen McCulloch PhD, PT
Illustrator: Stuart Helm

Estimated Availability September 3, 2010 Estimated Availability September 3, 2010

The LIV Cards:

* Allow direct communication with your client, family member, or friend with aphasia (or other language difficulties) about valued life activities..Next

Welcome to the first issue of Elderly Care Matters

2009-12-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Robin Dynes and I am very pleased to welcome you to the first issue of Elderly Care Matters. Danny Walsh and I will be writing Robin Dynesalternative issues and in my future issues, I will be providing you with articles in order to share guidance, food for thought, ideas and exercises to stimulate your creativity. I have over 25 years' of experience working in numerous care settings and as a trainer, and have been a consultant to local authority partnerships which provide services in the community, for day centres and residential homes. I have also published a number of resources through Speechmark, which include:

The Reminiscence Puzzle Book, The Memory Box, The Group Leader’s Toolkit, The Non-Competitive Activity Book, Memory Games For Groups, Creative Writing in Groupwork and Creative Games in Groupwork. Next...

Speech Therapy Assessment Tips For smooth Disorders (2)

2009-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Card image

One tool that is used for therapy are picture cards. Picture a day-to-day life and everyday objects can be used to improve and develop the skills of word recall. Picture cards can act as a visual cue to enhance the learning process of Aphasic. This can also help improve the vocabulary of the patient.

With the image display card and repetitively saying aloud the names of objects in the picture, the patient will be able to weak muscles and practice vocalization....NEXT....

E-mail Writing

2009-09-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Read the email carefully and check out any vocabulary you don't know.

Dear Mr Avis,

I'm writing to you again regarding the £5232 that your company owes to
my company.

You received delivery of our goods more than three months ago. You
were well aware that payment was due at thirty days. However, you have
made no attempt whatsoever to pay us.

When we spoke to you two weeks ago, you told us that a cheque was "in
the post". No such cheque has been received.

Unless we get full and final payment within five working days, we
shall have no alternative but to pursue this matter through the courts.

Yours sincerely,

H. Segal

Innovative Speech Therapy

2009-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Innovative Speech Therapy is dedicated toward offering unique effective speech therapy for children and adults and online coaching and training for professionals and caregivers.

Be Proactive! Learn about state-of-the-art tools of technology to help maximize speech therapy outcomes.

Communication, learning and thinking can be challenging due to a stroke, head injury, developmental disability or learning challenge. Joan Green specializes in using traditional therapy methods, a life participation approach and state-of-the-art technology to help people of all ages who have a wide range of communication and cognitive challenges.

Individual Speech Therapy - Intensive outpatient and residential individual therapy options are available

Training Opportunities - In-person and online coaching and training for professionals and families to learn more about how to integrate technology into the rehabilitation and education process to improve communication, cognition and literacy

Click here to take a look at Joan Green's new resource guide.
Innovative Speech Therapy's Mission Statement: Next..............

Thank you for June C.

2009-09-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

B lood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

I will continue to forward this every time it comes around!

STROKE:Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word.
I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.
Seriously..

Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e.. It is sunny out today.)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

I have done my part. Will you?

Coping with aphasia

2009-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

From Washington state to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, Yuman Joseph Boze likes to travel.

But his plans were put on hold after he suffered a stroke in March 2008.

Now Boze has been diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects people's communication skills.

Corinna Atchly, a speech language pathologist with Yuma Rehab, said there are two types of aphasia: receptive and expressive.

Receptive, she said, affects a patient's ability to understand and make sense of what he or she reads, hears or sees. Patients with expressive aphasia, she said, have difficulty verbalizing wants and needs, have trouble writing or making gestures. Next..

Easier word processing for someone with aphasia

2009-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Jack Schofield, the technology expert at The Guardian was asked about alternatives to using Open Office's predictive text for someone who has acquired asphasia after having a stroke.

There are several programs that are designed for people with physical impairments or severe dyslexia that should be more useful than Open Office's predictive text or Microsoft Office's AutoComplete.NEXT...

Aphasia and text writing.

2009-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Background: Good writing skills are needed in almost every aspect of life today, and there is a growing interest in research into acquired writing difficulties. Most of the findings reported so far, however, are based on words produced in isolation. The present study deals with the production of entire texts. Aims: The aim was to characterize written narratives produced by a group of participants with aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Eight persons aged 28-63 years with aphasia took part in the study. They were compared Next...

Virtual therapist helps aphasia patients recover language

2009-04-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

by ChiChi Madu
Feb 26, 2009

Last summer Mercy Gilpatric, an elderly North Side woman, had a stroke that wiped out her language abilities. Now, with the help of a "virtual therapist," she is regaining her language, one sentence at a time.

“It’s mind-boggling,” she said of the improvement she has made due to her training program. “The training has helped my reading so much.”

Gilpatric has a condition known as aphasia, which affects more than one million Americans, said Leora Cherney, director of the Center for Aphasia Research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Cherney developed a computer program known as ORLA, short for Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia, to help these patients recover.

ORLA features a virtual therapist known as "Ms. Pat," an avatar who guides patients through sentence reading exercises and asks patients to point to the words as they say them aloud....next...

Aphasia/dysphasia: can't talk, not allowed to talk.

2009-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Visiting Dyscover this morning; http://dyscover.ndo.co.uk: this is a local support group for people with aphasia or dysphasia – no speech or disrupted speech, usually because of stroke or brain disease. As you talk with them, you have to wait while they find the words they want to say, and test out what you have understood to make sure you picked it up right. One interesting positive for the group was the chance to talk about interesting topics in discussion groups. At home, they have discussed everything with their spouse, and visitors often do not wait comfortably for them to take time to speak, so they don’t get the chance to spread their wings in a discussion like the rest of us do over coffee or a meal break.

I connect it with people’s response to hearing that you have cancer or you’re dying; people don’t know how to respond to you, so you become isolated. My ambition for the future: we should all learn how to take time to listen to people.

Aphasia caregivers

2009-04-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Caregivers for persons living with aphasia (PLWA) are often misinformed, confused, scared, and overwhelmed when their loved one experiences a stroke with aphasia. I've found that not many therapists or doctors give the caregivers the right kind of information--what is it? Will it get better? Who can I talk to? Does anyone else have it? and so on. Shockingly few medical personnel will give information about aphasia support groups or the National Aphasia Association website. Very few couples are given encouragement to continue therapies after the insurance runs out. No one is given hope for progress, it seems. If you have hope, you will often be told that you are in denial about your spouse's capabilities.

Frequently, I will see older couples who have been married for 40+ years, in which the husband now has aphasia and the wife is now the primary caregiver. Often, but not always, the husband was the main.........NEXT...........

http://www.theaudeo.com/

2009-01-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

The "AUDEO" will give me the thing I need more than anything else; the ability to talk to my children. Dave (age 41, diagnosed with ALS in 2004)	The Audeo is being developed to create a human-computer interface for communication without the need of physical motor control or speech production. Using signal processing, unpronounced speech representing the thought of the mind can be translated from intercepted neurological signals.
Do you think the Audeo could help you or somebody you know? If so, click here.
By interfacing near the source of vocal production, the Audeo has the potential to restore communication to people who are unable to speak. The proposed solution is a featherweight wireless device resting over the vocal cords capable of transmitting neurological information from the brain. Using data analysis, this information can be processed into synthesized speech or a menu selection capable of conveying the basic necessities of human life. Current Applications of the Audeo: Speech – After a recent breakthrough, we have developed a method to exceed individual words and have shown the ability to produce continuous speech with high accuracy from the neurological signals. Wheelchair Control – By incorporating the Audeo with additional hardware, we have successfully controlled a wheelchair without the need of physical movement. To see the wheelchair in action, watch the wheelchair demonstration. If you are a researcher, scientist, or interested in more information about the technology behind The Audeo, please sign up here. We will send you more information or demonstration when it becomes available. This technology is being developed in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois and supported by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and National Instruments.

Service with a smile

2008-06-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Therapy centre provides a physical, mental boost

Posted By BY HEATHER IBBOTSON, EXPOSITOR STAFF

Updated 21 days ago

A heart attack and stroke three years ago not only robbed Dora Anderson of her health and mobility, but also stole much of her spirit.

Her outlook has changed since she began visiting the Adult Recreation Therapy Centre about two years ago.

"I really like it here. It's such an optimistic place," Dora, 73, said in an interview at the Henry Street centre.

The ARTC offers social, therapeutic and recreational activities for adults coping with the effects of stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, early stages of Alzheimer disease and other progressive disorders.

"Everyone has a smile.

No matter how bad you feel, they make you feel better," Dora said. "It's something to look forward to. It's a great place."

Her husband, Ron, said that attending the centre has "been a godsend."

SOCIAL INTERACTION

He said that Dora enjoys the increased social interaction, card playing and light rehabilitative exercise while he gets a much needed respite.

There is a lot of pressure involved in being a caregiver and all the worries about the details of home-care quickly mount up, he said.

Twice a week, Ron drops Dora off for a morning of activity and therapy.

"It's a good break for me," he said. "When she's here I have no worries at all."

The ARTC operates day programs Monday through Saturday, along with a Tuesday evening program. It also runs full days of programs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Willett Hospital in Paris, recognizing that 25 per cent of clients live in the county.

The centre receives funding from the province, as well as from the Brant United Way, said executive director Lori Santilli.

MOSTLY SENIORS

Most of the clients are seniors, but a few are in their 40s or 50, she said.

"We try to maintain their level of independence," Santilli said.

The centre offers clients a variety of activities and therapies, individually and as a group.

Activities include discussions of current events, reading the newspaper and playing cards, as well as crafts and other recreational therapies.

Even something as simple as a game of bingo can be therapeutic, Santilli said.

Stroke victims often lose not only a field of vision but also the very sense that they have lost that vision. They must be taught to turn their heads to scan from side to side to make up for the lost perception and vision, Santilli said.

Kinesiologist Jan Phillips guides clients through the motions of individual physical therapy that can include stretching, practice walking between a set of parallel bars, exercising arms and legs and even receiving a hot wax treatment to the hands for arthritis.

She also ensures clients are properly positioned in wheelchairs and are using walkers and canes safely and effectively.

SOMETHING EXTRA

The centre's aphasia program offers something extra for people who have suffered damage due to stroke that mars their ability to communicate verbally or to translate their thoughts into words.

Each participant has a binder filled with personal photographs, calendars, maps, drawings, and exercises designed to help them relearn or recognize the words that correspond to everyday objects.

Aphasia patients "know more than they can say, so they need a way to get the message out," said speech pathologist Jan Roadhouse.

Stroke survivor Marianna Wolter, 82, was skeptical about attending the centre's programs at first, but the friendliness of the staff soon changed her mind.

"I came out of my shell," she said. "I really enjoy it here."

For more information, visit www.artc.ca or call 519-753-1882.

Avera Medical Minute: Aphasia and Speech Therapy

2008-06-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

By Nancy Naeve

Story Created: Jun 4, 2008 at 3:05 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jun 15, 2008 at 1:11 AM CDT

Aphasia affects 1 in 250 people in this country. More than 100,000 of you will acquire it this year, and yet most of us have never heard of it. It's a disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language and most of the time it happens after a stroke or after a head injury.

Multimedia

Watch The Video

One man in Sioux Falls is fighting tooth and nail to get his speech back with the help of outpatient therapy at Avera Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

46 year old Dave Gluyas is hammering away re-learning words to everyday objects that would come out without second thought. He has aphasia. A common communication disorder resulting from a stroke or head injury. Dave had a stroke in April 2008.

Dave says, "I know what I want to say... (he stops)
His longtime girlfriend Linda Tenneson helps finish his sentence and says, "It's in his head but it won't come out his mouth. It's very frustrating for him."

Three times a week for 45 minute sessions, Dave works with Tina Jacobson, a speech and language pathologist with Avera.

Dave says, "Tina she's great." He looks at Linda and says, "Tina, right?" Linda smiled and said, "That's right, Tina. She's been a great help."

Tina says, "Initially he used single words and a lot of gesturing. Everything was all jumbled up. But he has the best attitude. He's so happy and laid back and is very motivated to improve so he works hard when he's not with me by doing home projects."

Tina says some people are so impaired when she first sees them that she has to use a communication board to figure out what they need. It has pictures with words on it so the patient can point to what they want or what they are trying to say.

Tina says, "He still has trouble with word retrieval, coming up with words. So what we do is work on repetitive exercises and positive feedback."

Linda says, "He's come a long way from not knowing what the ER doctors meant in the when they asked him to raise his arms. He didn't know his birthday. He didn't know my name. And now he does. He knows all those things so I don't feel as bad leaving him alone so I can go to work. "

He now puts 2 to 3 word sentences together, but Linda says Aphasia is still hard on both of them. Dave was lucky in a sense because he recovered very quickly from his stroke physically. Other than aphasia, he has no impairment, but his speech pathologist credits his hard work and starting therapy immediately.

Linda says, "It is hard. In a sense, I've lost my best friend because it's so hard to communicate with him. It's frustrating for him too. To tell me what he wants to eat it becomes a game of charades and sometimes I don't get the charade. But with Tina's help we'll keep working on it. We are working through it."

And the hope is, his communication will once again be as sharp as the pencil he is learning to identify all over again.

HEALTH MATTERS: Recovery and rehab following a stroke

2008-06-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

According to the National Stroke Association, 10 per cent of stroke survivors re cover almost completely, and 25 percent recover with minor impairments.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:15 PM EDT

By Carol Sonatore, M.D. Princeton HealthCare System

This column is the second of a two- part series in recognition of National Stroke Awareness Month. Last week’s Health Matters focused on stroke symptoms and prevention.

More than 5 million people in America today have survived a stroke. Many are back to leading regular lives and through rehabilitation have learned to adapt to the changes that may have occurred because of damage to the brain.

This month is National Stroke Awareness Month and provides us an opportunity not only to educate people about the signs and symptoms of stroke and how to prevent it, but to teach people that there is life after stroke.

According to the National Stroke Association, 10 percent of stroke survivors recover almost completely, and 25 percent recover with minor impairments. The majority of stroke survivors — 40 percent — experience moderate to severe impairments that require special care.

No two strokes are alike, and the physical and emotional impacts, along with the rehabilitation and recovery process, vary from person to person. Much depends on the area of the brain that is affected, the severity of the stroke and the patient’s overall health.

Patients who experience a stroke in the right hemisphere of the brain, which controls movement on the left side and controls analytical and perceptual tasks, may experience the following effects:

• Weakness or paralysis on the left side of the body.

• Trouble with spatial and perceptual abilities that may cause problems judging distance or may create challenges in guiding their hands to pick up objects or button their shirt or tie their shoes.

• Impulsive behavior and impaired judgment that often causes some stroke survivors to dangerously believe they are able to perform the same activities they could prior to the stroke, including driving a car and walking without assistance.

• Left-sided neglect. Some stroke survivors will experience left-sided neglect, which causes them to forget objects or people on their left side.

• Short-term memory loss.

Stroke survivors who experience a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain, the part that controls movement on the right side of the body and controls speech and language abilities, often experience different effects such as:

• Weakness or paralysis on the right side of the body.

• Trouble with speech and language, known as aphasia. Aphasia can impact a person’s ability to communicate whether through speaking or writing and can affect the ability to understand words.

• A slow and cautious behavioral style that may cause a stroke survivor to require frequent instruction and feedback.

• Shortened attention spans and difficulty understanding new information.

In addition, strokes in the cerebellum of the brain may cause unsteady walking due to difficulty with balance, dizziness and nausea. Strokes in the brain stem can be especially debilitating as the brain stem controls the body’s life support functions.

While recovering from a stroke takes time — generally, anywhere from six months to two years — rehabilitation is helpful and enables many patients regain skills they possessed prior to the stroke.

Rehabilitation often requires a multi-disciplinary approach that involves physical therapy to strengthen and retrain muscles; occupational therapy to help survivors with daily living skills; speech therapy; swallow therapy, and therapeutic recreation therapy, which helps stroke survivors reintegrate socially.

Rehabilitation nursing is also an integral part of the process for close patient monitoring, education and medication teaching. The patients work with nursing staff throughout the day and night on applying skills taught during rehabilitation therapies.

The ultimate goal of inpatient rehabilitation is to provide patients with the building blocks to continue their recovery either at home with or without assistance or in a longer-term care facility.

After a loved one experiences a stroke, it is often left to family members to determine where the patient will receive treatment. Finding the best rehabilitation program, especially during a stressful and emotional time, can be an overwhelming and daunting task.

In evaluating rehabilitation programs, the National Stroke Association recommends choosing a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (CARF). Requirements for CARF accreditation include:

• A medical director and doctors who are board-certified in rehab-related specialties, such as physiatry or neurology.

• A team approach for patient care.

• Regular rehab team meetings to evaluate each patient’s progress.

• Involvement of family members in the program, and regular family meetings to keep them up- to-date with the progress of their loved ones.

• Patient and family education and support.

• A defined process for handling emergencies.

• Ongoing assessment of each patient’s progress in terms of abilities and level of independence in activities of daily living, such as dressing and walking.

Experiencing a stroke is a significant life change for survivors and their families, and rehabilitation and recovery take time. With patience and commitment, however, many people realize there is life after stroke.

For more information about University Medical Center at Princeton’s CARF-accredited Acute Rehabilitation Unit or to find a physician with Princeton HealthCare System, call (888) 742-7496 or visit www.princetonhcs.org . If you would like to receive a free magnet card listing the signs and symptoms of stroke to place on your refrigerator or near your phone, please call UMCP at (609) 430-7107.

Dr. Carol Sonatore is the medical director of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at University Medical Center at Princeton and is chair ...........

Signs and Symptoms of Learning Disability

2008-03-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Learning disabilities as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a disorder in one or more of the basic, psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written languages. These may be manifested in disorders of listening, thinking, talking, reading, writing, spelling, or arithmetic. They include conditions which have been referred to as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, developmental aphasia, etc. They do not include learning problems which are due primarily to visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, to mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or to environmental disadvantage.

all the fears you hold so dear, turn to whisper in your ear

2008-03-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

ok, so i think that the meltdown earlier stemmed from a sever epistemological crisis initiated by a conversation with UNT's computational neurology prof. it would seem that he is a proponent of epiphenomenalism... think hardcore behaviorist but instead of pretending the mind doesn't exist at all they just think that its an accidental side effect of brain activity with no actual control over the activity of the brain. while clearly a philosophical point of view, he seems to be sure that it is the only reasonable aproach to neuro-science that does not bring unsupported assumptions into the process.

a key feather in the epiphenomenalist hat is a series of latency experiments that claim to show that we don't experience a conscious feeling of making a choice until after the brain has already made the choice, thus proving the conscious mind superfluous. to me the major flaw in this logic is that the experiment only shows that there is latency in reporting a conscious experience. it says nothing about whether the brain activation is the experience of making a choice and the reporting gets put off for a few milliseconds, or (according to the claim) that the mind is simply getting a memo from the brain telling it that it made a great decision. and there are other possible readings of the experiment that can go either way.

UCSC project aims to provide a virtual speech therapist via cell phone

2008-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have received funding from Microsoft Research to develop a virtual speech therapist, accessible on a cell phone, to aid stroke survivors in Malaysia. The self-contained language rehabilitation program will use a computer-generated talking head that provides realistic speech and mimics the natural movements of lips, tongue, and jaw.

About 40,000 people suffer from stroke every year in Malaysia, and communication impairments are common among stroke survivors, said principal investigator Sri Kurniawan, an assistant professor of computer engineering in the Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC. As in many developing countries, however, access to speech therapy is limited. A shortage of speech therapists in Malaysia is one obstacle, and patients often have difficulty traveling to existing speech therapy centers.

"This project aims to create a virtual speech therapist on a cell phone," Kurniawan said. "Initially, the patient will meet with a therapist to work out individualized therapy programs. Then the programs will be loaded onto a cell phone and given to the patient."

Learning disabilities linked to later language problems

2008-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

A Chicago university has suggested that a degenerative condition that affects language is linked with learning disabilities.
Scientists at Northwestern University found that people who suffer with primary progressive aphasia, a neurodegenerative condition affecting language, are more likely to have had a history of learning disabilities.People who have the condition experience deterioration in their language capabilities as they get older. The signs of aphasia include struggling to speak expressively, trouble understanding speech, and difficulty with writing and reading. In the report, the scientists state: "This relationship may exist in only a small subgroup of persons with dyslexia without necessarily implying that the entire population with dyslexia or their family members are at higher risk of primary progressive aphasia."The effects of aphasia differ depending on the individual and the symptoms can sometimes be eased by working with a speech therapist.Northwestern University's study has been published in the February edition of Archives of Neurology.

Gesture and aphasia: Helping hands?

2008-03-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Background: The study of communicative gestures is one of considerable interest for aphasia, in relation to theory, diagnosis, and treatment. Significant limitations currently permeate the general (psycho)linguistic literature on gesture production, and attention to these limitations is essential for both continued investigation and clinical application of gesture for people with aphasia.

Aims: The aims of this paper are to discuss i ..............

Caring for a person next to aphasia

2008-01-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

At one time or another, we've all have trouble thinking of a word we wanted to right to be heard. Often it's someone's name--even a name we know well. Sometimes, especially when we most want to, we can't remember the pet name of a common point or concept.
next..

Doctor determined to overcome injury

2008-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

By CYNTHIA HUBERT
THE SACRAMENTO BEE

last updated: December 31, 2007 11:58:06 AM

SACRAMENTO -- It is a shimmering autumn morning, and Cathy Liu is venturing out into the world.

Just outside the door of her apartment, there are two concrete steps between her and the driveway.

A couple of yards ahead, a tree branch stops her in her tracks.

In front of her, a car roars menacingly down the street.

Cathy takes careful, quiet steps in her neighborhood in the shadow of the bustling UC Davis Medical Center complex, where a few months ago she was a newly minted doctor in training. A thick plastic and metal brace cradles her right leg; her right arm hangs limply at her side. Her bright yellow rain jacket threatens to swallow her small frame. Her dark, bottle-brush hair is starting to grow over the scar that curls across the left side of her head.

Her physical therapist, Susan Matthews, walks beside her, keeping watch the way a tigress might eye her cub. Cathy's mother, Pam, walks a few paces behind them.

At her therapist's request, Cathy pauses now and then to identify everyday things.

"Do ... you ... see ... the ... water?" Cathy asks haltingly, pointing to a puddle.

"Do ... you ... see ... the ... pumpkin?"

"Do ... you ... see ... the ... truck?"

"Great job, Cathy!" Matthews says. Cathy smiles.
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American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology

2007-11-21T11:44:00.001-08:00

Purpose: The Kentucky Aphasia Test (KAT) is an objective measure of languagefunctioning for persons with aphasia. This article describesmaterials, administration, and scoring of the KAT; presentsthe rationale for development of test items; reports informationfrom a pilot study; and discusses the role of the KAT in aphasiaassessment.

Method: The KAT has 3 parallel test batteries, KAT-1, KAT-2, and KAT-3.Each battery contains the same orientation test and 6 subtests,each with 10 items, assessing expressive and receptive languagefunctions. Subtests for KAT-1, KAT-2, and KAT-3 systematicallyincrease in difficulty so that it is possible to assess individualswith severe, moderate, and mild aphasia, respectively. The KATwas administered to 38 participants with aphasia and 31 non-brain-damaged(NBD) participants.

Results: Results with the KAT clearly differentiated the language performanceof individuals with and without aphasia. NBD participants madefew errors, and overall scores on the test for individuals withaphasia were rarely within 1 SD of the NBD group. Performanceof the participants with aphasia administered KAT-1, KAT-2,and KAT-3 suggested that the 3 versions of the test representa hierarchy of difficulty.

Veteran to recount war story that earned France's 'merci'

2007-11-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Nov. 4, just before heading to Washington for the ceremony, Bernie Rader will recount the harrowing adventure that led to his receiving the honor. He and his wife will show a documentary, For One English Officer, and answer questions about his experience at the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey at 10:30 a.m. The Raders talk is being cosponsored by Temple Emanu'El of Westfield.

The Raders have given their presentation on the POW exchange about 60 times at JCCs, libraries, and other venues throughout the region, working together since a stroke nine years ago left him with aphasia, a language impairment that can make it difficult to speak.

Aphasia

2007-11-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I saw P. She is in her seventies. She saw another physician, who had diagnosed her with Alzheimer's. Actually, she doesn't have that. She has progressive aphasia. Aphasia is when you lose language. She can't find the words that she wants to use. Alzheimer's patients also develop aphasia. But they develop other thinking issues. They have "global" cognitive decline. So this is different. Words that we need get put into a filing cabinet. Then, when we need them we go and retrieve them. P has lost the Next...

Games for Word Retrieval Therapy

2007-11-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Matching games, such as the one on this site, are fun, simple ways of learning the identification of words and pictures. But they can also have a much higher purpose - - helping those with word retrieval difficulties. Speech and language pathologists often use matching games in their therapy to help patients with specific word retrieval disorders - - particularly aphasia.

Aphasia is a word-retrieval disorder characterized by the inability to think of the right word to say or write, or an inability to name common objects. The disorder is often a side affect of a stroke, or other brain injury and is a result of damage sustained to one of the areas of the brain responsible for language. Aphasia can also include difficulty understanding spoken words, speaking aloud, reading, or writing. Next...................

Aphasia victims find a voice in UA group

2007-10-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

April R. Ford

Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: News

DoubleClick Any Word

Page 1 of 2 next >

Stroke and disease can sometimes cripple a person's ability to use and understand basic language. But a UA communication group offers a way for people with aphasia, a severe communication disorder, to re-establish who they are on their own terms.

"Aphasia is a language disorder, meaning it affects our ability to understand or use our words, vocabulary, grammar and all the pieces that go into framing a message," said Barbara Shadden, a professor at the College of Education and Health Professions.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimated that about a million people across the U.S. are affected by aphasia, which results from damage to the language parts of the brain.

Every person has their own sense of who they are, Shadden said, but the problem for victims of aphasia is that the idea of a self depends on how you use language.

For people who have suffered stroke or other disease, aphasia can hinder their ability to tell the world who they are, Shadden said.

"We all believe in our sense of self," Shadden said, "but the problem is it depends on others, and communication is the key."

A communication group was created at the UA's Speech and Hearing Clinic in 2004 to provide therapy to individuals having trouble telling their story because of aphasia. The group's focus centers on recreating the individual's sense of self through the development and communication of a life story, Shadden said.

Telling that story on their own terms is a crucial part of the communication group, said Patricia Koski, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice.

"People recreate a self," Koski said. "Although, if they don't have the tools to recreate that self, they are in danger of losing it in the sense that somebody else decides for them who they are or what they are capable of."

Members of the UA communication group use tools such as beliefs, gestures or words to share their life story with others.

A9.4: Participation Memo

2007-10-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ashley Carr

October 19, 2007

Aims and Objectives:

This week, I set out to expand my knowledge of information within my research by continuing the research process, but by looking at it from a different perspective. This week it was important for me to go one step deeper into my research to seek information that I previously did not know. I also aimed for completing these assignments before Friday evening. This...Next....

STROKE GROUP GET INTO BOOKS

2007-10-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

11:00 - 02 October 2007

A Reading group has been set up for people who have suffered a stroke or brain damage.

Members of Aphasia Nottingham have started sessions to share ideas about books, and help each other to understand them.

Aphasia is a condition which affects communication skills.

The group has the choice of audio or large-print versions of books from a library.

The next meeting is on Monday, October 15, at 2pm in Beeston Library

Books such as Chickenfeed by Minette Walters and The Builders by Maive Binchy are on the reading list.

Telephone Frances Cameron on 0115 937 4937 for more information.
Next...............

Horses visit Meadow Ridge residents

2007-10-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

By CATHERINE SAMOSE

Horse ‘Honey’ with Maura Curry from HORSE of CT SENIORS meets Betty Poggenburg, who is about to turn 99. —Scott Mullin photo

Meadow Ridge residents were entertained last Wednesday by horses that traveled to Redding from their farm in New Preston.

“This is the second year we’ve had horses visit from HORSE of CT SENIORS,” said Joy Hodge, recreation director for assisted living at Meadow Ridge. “They’ve been really wonderful in coming. It’s an all-volunteer group. They interact with our residents. They bring carrots and special cookies for the residents to feed the horses.” The group brought a senior horse and a senior pony.

“These are retired horses and it makes sense that they should be with retired people,” said Kevin Curry, who volunteers with the group along with his brother Patrick and their sister Maura, who is program director. “The horses are also seniors. Coming here to visit senior humans is a nice program.”

“I think this is the most wonderful afternoon,” Peggy Smith, a Meadow Ridge resident, said. “It’s such a fun time because we’re getting to see the horses. And my little granddaughter is coming today. I hope they get here in time to see the horses.”

When spoken to, Charlotte Kelly could not respond because she has a condition called aphasia. “We converse without language,” her assistant said. “She is wonderful. She really is. She loves the horses.” Ms. Kelly was extremely communicative with her smile and her beautiful face.

Another resident, Edith Sutter, said she’s been at Meadow Ridge only two months. “This is a little unusual. I didn’t expect anything like this,” she said. “I think it’s great. A good human touch to it. I did some feeding and a lot of petting.”

Mary Swallen, who also fed and petted a horse, said, “It’s been nice. I had fun.”

“They’re wonderful,” said Stanley Andrysek. “It’s nice to see the horses.”

HORSE (Humane Organization Representing Suffering Equines) of CT SENIORS (Society of Equines Nurturing Individuals of Retirement Status), according to Ms. Curry, is an organization that rescues horses.Next.....

Writing As Therapy

2007-09-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Medical Student Aphasia: The Language of Medicine

2007-09-27T12:50:00.001-07:00

"Aphasia " is the loss of the ability to produce or comprehend language. The first day of med school is typically a period of aphasia for the young Medi. He or she enters a world in which obscure terms become common parlance, and the terms flow freely from the mouths of experienced practitioners. This lack of knowledge, this pseudo-aphasia, is of course a necessary part of the learning process, but learning to speak in medicine is unlike learning any other language in the world.

One of the most challenging aspects of learning medicine is learning how to speak the language. Although I have learned to speak in many abstract languages over the years (English, Spanish, Hindi, programming languages, social languages), learning "medicalese" has proved to be quite daunting. The breadth of the vocabulary nearly matches a modern spoken language. The time in which one has to learn the language is brief, relative to other languages. The words are complex and not always easily related. The presence of multiple synonyms and eponyms (using a person's name to describe a disease) complicates the picture. Yet, somehow, after a few years, we as students slowly begin to make sense of the terminology and begin to take ownership of the medical words we produce.
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Cognitive Stimulation Using The Serper Method™

2007-08-30T17:01:00.001-07:00

Summary: The Serper Method™ is a cognitive stimulation program that emphasizes personal and cultural information, along with social and conversational skills. Although more testing is needed, anecdotal reports and results of a small pilot program are encouraging.

Dr. Lynn Serper, a teacher for children with learning disabilities, was in her late 40s when she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm, then a stroke and fell into a coma. When she awoke, she couldn’t talk, read, write or think clearly.

Ignoring her doctors’ pessimism about her condition, she decided to put together a recovery program for herself based on exercises she had developed for the classroom. “If children with learning disabilities could learn from my methods, why couldn’t I?” she says.

She attributes her eventual recovery to her program, which combined reading exercises with information about history, geography and current events. After working through the program for six years, she was able to complete a dissertation, and earned a doctorate in Cognitive Education.

During her recovery, she refined the exercises to develop The Serper Method, a cognitive stimulation program for people with dementia, aphasia [loss of ability to speak or understand speech] and traumatic brain injury. In her book, BRAINSTORMING: The Serper Method of Brain Recovery, Re-Growth and Vitality, Dr. Serper tells the story of her illness and recovery, and how she developed her program. She has also published a series of workbooks which can be used by individuals, or in group or private sessions led by someone trained in the The Serper Method.

A Different Approach to Cognitive Stimulation

Because of Dr. Serper’s background, The Serper Method emphasizes personal and cultural information, as well as social and conversational skills.

From her experience as a teacher, Dr. Serper knew that children seemed to learn more when the learning process was related to their culture and their interests. And in her opinion, as her students learned more, their self-esteem and socialization skills increased.

She applied the same concepts when developing her workbooks. “The stories in the workbooks are true and inspirational,” she says. “The history is drawn from the American experience, often within the lifetime of the learner, and geography is based upon location, facts and tales from the different regions of the United States. In this re-learning, individuals have an opportunity to gather information for conversations based on memories and experiences.”

Comparing her method to other cognitive stimulation programs, Dr. Serper says she thinks “both methods effectively offer individuals ways to strengthen brain function, though by different means. The Serper Method adds a focus on conversation and social interaction. In a perfect world, persons would have the opportunity to take part in both programs.”

Initial Results

Through her company Brain Enhancement Services, Inc., Dr. Serper provides consulting and training services based on her method. She reports that she has been able to stabilize the cognitive abilities of persons with dementia and that two community programs using her method have shown encouraging results, either improving/stabilizing cognitive abilities or increasing socialization.

In addition, Boston University Researchers conducted a six month pilot program to test whether The Serper Method could improve memory and cognitive and social functioning for persons with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. According to Dr. Serper, focus groups and questionnaires showed that participation improved self-image, conversation, socialization and interest in daily experiences. However, standard neuropsychological tests did not show improved scores for participants. More testing with a larger group is needed to confirm these results.

The Workbooks

“Following my stroke,” Dr. Serper says, “I found that losing access to factual information of the past limited my ability to understand the information of each present day. Reading the newspaper was confusing since I had limited information of past events and struggled with concepts and understanding. It was amazing to me how much of what we all know and learn is based upon the foundations and building blocks that were learned in the past. I felt like all the knowledge and categorization of that knowledge was no longer available to me.” She focused on the foundations she felt she couldn’t access – history and geography – when developing her workbook series.

“The workbooks contain predominantly frustration-free activities,” she says, “with lots of repetition, or memory stimulation, in the form of puzzles, brain twisters and a reference or clue system for answering questions. The goal is exercising different segments of the brain.”

Can persons with early-stage dementia get results by going through the workbook exercises on their own? “I believe that most persons with MCI [Mild Cognitive Impairment] or early-stage dementia will need to be taught how to use The Serper Method over a period of a month or two,” she says. “Individuals with mid-stage dementia will need the assistance of a Cognitive Educator [her trademarked term for someone trained to guide learning sessions based on her method]. Family members can also be trained to guide, if they would like.” CD recordings of the workbooks are available for those with visual, reading or speech limitations.

Whether or not a person with dementia is using her method, Dr. Serper has some advice for them. “Individuals and families should know that learning and socialization does not end with a diagnosis,” she says. “As long as there are healthy brain cells there is hope for enjoying life experiences and increasing life’s vigor and possibilities.“

Games useful for speech therapy

2007-08-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who suffered head injuries in a recent accident and is now in rehab. He is clearly able to understand what people are saying to him and can respond with gestures. He is able to write intelligibly. He can respond with short phrases and uses simpler common ones like "hello", "yes", "no" and "thank you" correctly. Longer sentences, however, are somewhat problematic. He produces syntactically correct and logically consistent sentences, but his choices of words and phrases are rather unusual. I don't know if doctors would call what he has aphasia, or not, but he is getting speech therapy.

It has been suggested that games could help him. I've put the best few games that I could think of to start this list. Please add your own recommendations, keeping in mind that any additions should probably be word games that involve speaking. I'd also appreciate thumbs and comments to keep this list visible on the front page so that more people will see it to contribute to it.

Gestures and Words: Facilitating Recovery in Aphasia

2007-07-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

cite as:
Raymer, A. (2007, June 19). Gestures and words: Facilitating recovery in aphasia. The ASHA Leader, 12(8), 8-11.

by Anastasia Raymer

One of my patients with aphasia, a gentleman who had a serious brain hemorrhage more than 10 years ago, recently presented with me to a class of physical therapy students. Because of his profound aphasia, he struggled for words to describe the event that caused his aphasia, an automobile accident that led to a left hemisphere hemorrhage. By pantomiming a driving motion with his arms, he eventually got the idea across. One of the students asked why he gestured: Was it to communicate the idea through pantomime? Was it to help him get words out? He astutely responded that it was both.

Like many individuals with aphasia, this gentleman often resorts to gestures when he is unable to retrieve specific words. Sometimes using a gesture seems to increase the likelihood that he can say the word. As in the gesturing we all do to embellish a message or as we pause to think of words, it is a natural step in communication. Luria (1970) wrote about this phenomenon decades ago, calling the process intersystemic reorganization—using one part of the brain to facilitate increased activity in another part of the brain. Recent research efforts in our lab and others in America and abroad represent renewed interest in the use of gesture to facilitate language recovery in aphasia.

Limb Apraxia

Individuals with severe aphasia often attempt gesturing to communicate. Using gestures is not without complications, however. The brain’s left hemisphere, which controls the ability to retrieve words and construct grammatical sentences, also is the dominant hemisphere for controlling the performance of learned, skilled limb movements. Daily activities in the home and at work, such as writing, cooking, self-care, and manual labor, depend upon stored memories, including the sequences of muscle packages necessary for skilled limb movements. Damage to the left hemisphere can lead to limb apraxia—impairment in the ability to use skilled limb movements.

The typical clinical test that evaluates limb praxis abilities has a patient perform pantomimes to verbal command, including use of transitive tool use gestures (e.g., show me how to use a hammer to pound a nail into the wall), or intransitive symbolic gestures (e.g., show me how you salute). Gesture performance to verbal command is often compared to gesture production for viewed tools or gesture imitation. In general, pantomime to verbal command for transitive gestures tends to be more difficult and, thus, makes detecting limb apraxia more sensitive as compared to other gesture tasks.

Just as the pattern of aphasia varies depending upon what regions of the left hemisphere are disturbed, so too can limb apraxia take different forms. Two types of limb apraxia, described extensively (e.g., Heilman, Watson, & Rothi, 2006), include conceptual apraxia and ideomotor apraxia. Conceptual apraxia represents impairment in conceptual knowledge about tools, the objects they act upon, and the actions required to use them. Patients with conceptual apraxia have difficulty determining the appropriate tool or action needed to complete a given task. In pantomime testing, they may make conceptual errors (e.g., hammering when asked to demonstrate how to use a screwdriver), using no tool (e.g., using their hand to smooth their hair when asked to demonstrate how to use a comb), or providing no response at all.

Ideomotor apraxia, in contrast, represents an impairment related to praxis production knowledge. Although patients with ideomotor apraxia know the tools and actions required, they have difficulty accurately performing the actions. When pantomiming, they make errors in which they move the wrong combination of joints (e.g., fixate at the shoulder rather than the elbow when demonstrating use of a screwdriver, leading to a circular motion rather than a rotating motion), orient their hands in the wrong direction (e.g., use an iron with the palm of the hand oriented perpendicular to the table), or configure their hand poorly (e.g., saluting with the hand in a fist, rather than fingers extended), including use of a body part as tool (e.g., forming the hand in the shape of a tool such as scissors or comb).

Some pantomimes can be unrecognizable, making it difficult to determine whether a patient has conceptual apraxia or severe ideomotor apraxia. The presence of conceptual apraxia and moderate-to-severe ideomotor apraxia can impede the ability of patients with aphasia to use gestures to communicate, as their gestures often are not meaningful or cannot be interpreted readily.

Limb apraxia can cause other problems as well, at times posing a safety risk. The same people who produce unrecognizable gestures may have great difficulty using tools and utensils during daily activities. In a study several years ago, we found that individuals with limb apraxia often have difficulty with routine tasks such as eating (Foundas et al., 1995). Some people had such difficulty using utensils that they gave up and ate their food by shoveling it with a slice of bread or by hand. Others used the wrong objects and implements, such as stirring tea with a knife or sprinkling salt into their tea. When testing one patient in his home for another apraxia study, I observed him struggle to plug in a video recorder and to unlock a deadbolt. Thus individuals with limb apraxia should be closely supervised when using implements, as some apraxic mistakes could place them at risk for injury.

Gestural Facilitation of Word Retrieval

The interplay between limb apraxia and aphasia is important to consider as we promote using gestures to enhance communication and language recovery in patients with aphasia. With colleagues at Old Dominion University and the University of Florida, we have engaged in a series of studies examining gestural training to facilitate word retrieval in patients with aphasia. In the training protocol, participants learn to form an appropriate gesture corresponding to a given picture, rehearse the words spoken, and then pair the gesture and spoken word to encourage gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Our study shows that this verbal+gestural training protocol is effective for improving retrieval of both nouns and verbs in patients with varied patterns of aphasia (Raymer et al., 2006). One important issue, however, was to determine the extent to which limb apraxia affected the ability to produce gestures during word retrieval training. Even people with severe limb apraxia improved their ability to produce recognizable gestures. Furthermore, there was no relationship between severity of limb apraxia and treatment effects for word retrieval. Gestural facilitation of word retrieval was effective in individuals with mild and severe limb apraxia. We also found that the effects of verbal+gestural training were as strong as effects of a more conventional treatment method encouraging activation of semantic and phonologic information during word retrieval training.

Several people who participated in our studies did not improve word retrieval with training, whether wirh verbal+gestural or semantic-phonologic training. Most had particularly severe word retrieval impairments. An advantage of verbal+gestural training for these individuals was that many who did not increase their use of spoken words nonetheless demonstrated remarkable improvements in the use of gestures. In fact, the physician of one participant called to say how amazed she was at the improvements her patient had made since participating in our aphasia treatment research. Although the patient did not increase word retrieval abilities, he significantly improved his ability to produce meaningful, recognizable gestures. Furthermore, because all participants in our recent studies participated in videotaped conversations with a spouse or caregiver, we documented that he dramatically increased use of conversational gestures following treatment, more than any other participant in our studies. We suspected that the physician appreciated the improved communication afforded through the patient’s increased use of gestures in conversation.

Nonsymbolic Movements

Unfortunately, not all words can be expressed through gestures. Bruce Crosson and colleagues at the University of Florida (Richards et al., 2002) have implemented a different type of word retrieval treatment using non-symbolic limb movements that can be used in training for all types of words, regardless of whether the word has a characteristic pantomime. In their intentional movement training, participants perform a complex non-meaningful movement of the left limb in left space, first in the form of reaching and turning a lever in a box, and later reducing the movement to a circular motion with the left hand, all when paired with rehearsal of spoken target words. The premise of the treatment is that the complex left limb movement engages intact right frontal regions to facilitate activation of that region for word retrieval as well.

The advantage of intentional training is that the complex circular movement can be used quite naturally during conversation, without regard to the topic, whereas pantomime facilitation of word retrieval is limited to concepts that can be expressed by pantomime. Whether it is the rhythm of the intentional movement or the ability of the movement to engage other parts of the brain to improve language recovery is not clear. But these preliminary studies suggest that complex limb movements, not just pantomimes, have the potential to enhance communication attempts in individuals with aphasia and limb apraxia.

Supported Communication

Recent discussions of supported communication in patients with aphasia emphasize the use of gesture to enhance communication with conversational partners. Clinicians must bear in mind that severe limb apraxia can hinder gestural communication in some patients with aphasia. Patients may need training to address the limb apraxia directly, which several studies indicate is amenable to treatment. At times people with aphasia insist they want to speak and are unwilling to use gestures, as was one of my patients with severe aphasia. We had to work gently and diligently to help her see that not only could gestures be an effective means to communicate some ideas, but they also could promote retrieval of spoken words. Once she understood that gestures might help her recover verbal abilities, she started to incorporate them in communication attempts.

Anastasia Raymer is a professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Speech Pathology, and Special Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. She is chair of the ASHA/American Psychological Association Joint Committee on Interprofessional Relations with Neuropsychology, and is the past coordinator of ASHA Special Interest Division 2, Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders. Contact her at sraymer@odu.edu.

Language, Writing, and the Spatial Representation of Events

2007-07-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Picture in your head one person throwing a ball to another. How were the two people oriented spatially? Was one on the left, and the other on the right? If so, which one was on the left, and which on the right? Chances are, the thrower was on the left, and the catcher was on the right. For some reason, that seems to be our default way of representing actions: with the actor on the right, the patient on the left, and the actions occurring from left to right(1), as in this beautifully drawn figure:

Why is that? Good question, but before we answer it, let's look at some research.

The most striking work on the relationship between language and the spatial representation of actions has been done by Chatterjee and his colleagues. They first looked at the relationship in a patient with profound agrammatism, an aphasia that makes it difficult to put grammatical sentences together. Here's an example of their agrrammatic aphasic's speech(2, p. 58):

Well, uh, essentially language abandon preposition. I telegraph... I, I... consciously, uh, continuity...I, I, uh, this subtle of prepositional phrases this simply cannot do. Under stress, under stress rapid I just flustered ... but continue to do basically.

As you can see, it's a mess. When they had this aphasic identify the agents and patients in pictures, he almost always said that the figure on the left was the agent, and the one on the right was the patient, regardless of which one was actually the agent and the patient in the figure(3).

Interesting, but this could be the product of the aphasia right? What about people with normal speech and comprehension abilities? To answer this question, Chatterjee et al.(4) conducted a series of studies with non-aphasic participants. In their first study, they had participants (all right-handed) read one of three types of sentences: an action by a patient in the direction of the patient (e.g., "John pushes Tom"), an action by an agent towards the agent and away from the patient ("John pulls Tom"), or a state requiring an agent and a patient ("John likes Tom"). Participants were then asked to draw the events on a piece of paper. In almost all cases, participants drew the agents on the left and patients on the right for each type of sentence, with drawings of the first type (action moving from agent towards the patient, as in "John pushes Tom") tending to represent the agent the furthest to the left relative to the patient.

In their second experiment, they had participants draw actions that occurred on either a horizontal (e.g., "staggering drunk") or vertical (e.g., "falling book") axis. The vertical actions were used as a control. For the horizontal actions, participants drew 8 out of 10 moving from left to right, on average. Here are a couple example drawings, from their Figure 1 (p. 398):

In their third experiment, Chatterjee et al. had participants listen to sentences, after which they were presented with figures that either represented the actions in the sentences (e.g., "Square pushes Circle," with a picture of a square-headed stick figure pushing a circle-headed stick figure). The sentences either involved actions moving from the actor to the patient (like pushing) or from the patient to the agent (like pulling). Half of the pictures presented the agent on the left and the patient on the right. The participants were told to indicate as quickly as they could (by pressing the right or left mouse buttons) whether the picture represented the action in the sentence they'd just heard. Overall, participants were faster to indicate whether the picture represented the sentence when the agent was on the left and the patient on the right.

So there's good evidence that we represent actors on the left and agents on the right, and tend to think of actions as occurring from left to right. But why? Chatterjee et al. argue that this is because our representations of actions have an inherent spatial component, and that this is due to the way our nervous system is organized. They write:

The left to right directional bias is likely to be linked to the neural encoding of events[ Both cerebral hemispheres deploy spatial attention with vectors in opposing directions[ The left hemisphere deploys spatial attention with a vector from left to right. As previously speculated, development of languagein the left hemisphere may have coopted left hemisphere spatial attentional networks opportunistically. An overlap of neural circuits mediating spatial attention, the directional representations of events and the instantiation of verbs, may provide the neural link between the spatial and propositional representation of events. (p. 401)

However, recent evidence argues against this explanation. Several studies have shown that adults who learned to write in a right-to-left writing system (as in Hebrew), as opposed to left-to-right (as in English), tend to put agents on the right and patients on the left, with actions tending to be represented as moving from right to left. In other words, the inherent spatial aspect of action representations could be a product of the writing system we use, rather than the wiring of our brain.

Aphasia and Its Therapy (Medicine)

2007-07-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Product Details
»Book Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (08 January, 2003)
»ISBN: 0195135873
»Book author: Anna Basso
»Amazon Rating:

Book Description:
This is the first single-authored book to attempt to bridge the gap between aphasia research and the rehabilitation of patients with this language disorder. Studies of the deficits underlying aphasia and the practice of aphasia rehabilitation have often diverged, and the relationship between theory and practice in aphasiology is loose. The goal of this book is to help close this gap by making explicit the relationship between what is to be rehabilitated and how to rehabilitate it.L Early chapters cover the history of aphasia and its therapy from Broca’s discoveries to the 1970’s, and provide a description of the classic aphasia syndromes. The middle section describes the contribution of cognition neuropsychology and the treatment models it has inspired. It includes discussion of the relationship between the treatment approach and the functional model upon which it is based. The final chapters deal with aphasia therapy. After providing a sketch of a working theory of aphasia, Basso describes intervention procedures for disorders resulting from damage at the lexical and sentence levels as well as a more general conversation-based intervention for severe aphasics.L Anna Basso has run an aphasia rehabilitation unit for more than thirty years. In this book she draws on her considerable experience to provide researchers, clinicians, and their students and trainees with comprehensive coverage of the evolution and state of the art of aphasia research and ther

Research Project on Aphasia Training Software

2007-07-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Research Project on Aphasia Training Software
Published: Jun 19, 2007

A team from the Hungarian University of Veszprém has developed Aphasia training software to support patients in learning everyday words. The software can also be useful for children with severe mental disabilities, according to the research team.

Aphasia is an impairment of language affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. The most common cause of aphasia is acquired aphasia, affecting 23–40 % of stroke survivors. The rehabilitation of aphasia is a medical, specialized treatment (speech therapy), which is the task of a psychologist.

The software package contains two programs. The first program was developed in Flash, the second in Macromedia Director. The goal of the software is to teach the most important everyday words.

The research reports states that “one result of the first tests done was that the software is a useful device not only in the education of aphasics but heavy mental deficient children too. Moreover, both the children and the teachers can use it easily. Considering the advice of the teachers helping us during the program development, the children need some motivating animation and reassurance on the right answer and increasing their interest for the oncoming items and adults do not require such motivating exercises or tasks.”

Image of a bathroom with simple assignment (click clock on the wall).

Aphasia patients that used the software and had difficulties in naming objects managed to get through levels 1-3 easily. At the 4th level, naming of the objects, especially in case of long words, required more time than at the previous ones.

The results of the research team of University of Veszprém can help other projects worldwide in development of Aphasia training and rehabilitation software.

Nonfluent aphasia in a patient with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia

2007-07-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Abstract

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is an uncommon low-grade lymphoma. Cognitive impairment due to central nervous system infiltration by lymphoplasmocytoid cells (Bing-Neel syndrome) has been rarely reported. We describe a 54-year-old man who was referred to a memory disorder clinic with a 9-month history of clinically obvious nonfluent aphasia and WM. He underwent extensive neuropsychological testing, clinical examination and structural and functional brain imaging. The diagnosis of the diffuse form of the Bing-Neel syndrome was supported by abnormal lymphoid cells found in the cerebrospinal fluid. Structural and functional brain imaging revealed impairment of brain areas due to white matter changes and subsequent functional deficits mimicking the neuropsychological syndrome encountered in progressive nonfluent aphasia. The diffuse form of Bing-Neel syndrome and neurological deficits are assumed to be the result of leptomeningeal infiltration by malignant cells and/or neoplastic vascular obstruction.

Keywords: Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia; Bing-Neel syndrome; Neuropsychology

Aphasia: A neurological challenge

2007-07-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Aphasia is the total or partial inability to use or understand language. It is typically the result of stroke, brain disease or injury. These patients have no intellectual impairment and no outward sign of handicap.

There are two broad categories of aphasia:
1. Non-fluent or motor aphasia is an inability to enunciate words. Patients with this form of aphasia fully understand language and accommodate for their loss of speech by writing or drawing responses.
2. Fluent or receptive aphasia is an inability to understand words. These patients will often have difficulty finding the right word or following a command. They will sometimes make up new words to try and express their thoughts.

Injuries causing aphasia involve the dominant brain hemisphere which contains the neural pathways necessary for speech. In 95% of right-handed people and a majority of left-handed people, this is the left hemisphere.

Aphasia is a treatable condition. Speech pathologists are trained to perform detailed testing to fully analyze the extent of the impairment and implement a rehabilitation program. These programs require intense effort and patience on the part of people with aphasia. Newly designed computer software provides drills for patients as they retrain the neural pathways necessary for speech.

Recovery is often incomplete and can be frustrating for patients and those around them. Speaking slowly is essential, as is calmly waiting for a response. Aphasic patients are not deaf, yet there is often an inclination to speak loudly to someone who has a speech deficit.

Aphasia represents a fascinating neurological condition. If someone you know is recovering from aphasia, applaud their efforts and never underestimate their intellectual ability.
Anthony G. Alessi, MD, is a neurologist on The William W. Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private practice at NeuroDiagnostics, LLC in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Alessi and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthliving@wwbh.org

# posted by Backus Hospital @ 9:03 PM

Comments:

Good useful article, we live in India, my father in law has been diognised with receptive aphasia after the recent brain surgery that he had undergone. In searching the web for more info, I stumbled on this article and thought I will leave a note of appreciation. Thanks.

# posted by Anonymous : 1:15 PM

VoiSec

2007-06-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

VoiSec is a tiny button for recording, storing and playing short spoken messages with unique design and qualities. The buttons can easily be attached to other objects, e.g. to tell the contents of a package. VoiSec runs on batteries, requires no other devices and can be re-used time after time.

Designed for all – Multiple applications

At times, every person will be in an environment or situation where reading or writing is difficult. All individuals may appreciate VoiSec, one way or another, sooner or later.
A lot of people prefer spoken information to written. For some individuals, VoiSec may be of particular value due to personal conditions.

Safer Medical Information

The ability to distinguish and identify medication and to get information about the content and the prescribed usage can reduce the risk of harmful errors. For many patients,personalized spoken information is a valuable complement to the commonly provided texts. VoiSec can keep it available at one touch.

Independent Everyday Living

VoiSec is easily attached to different surfaces and objects. A variety of attachment means, including double-sided adhesives, magnets and Velcro, allow for a variety of applications at home. The marking of food packages, drawers or potentially harmful objects are but a few examples.

“Take Away” Communication

VoiSec can be handy as a personal memory and communication tool. Carried in a pocket, pinned to a jacket, hung in a neck-loop, strapped to a wrist…. Prepared phrases, buying lists, memos, etc. can easily be taken along when going out.

Caring for care-takers

VoiSec can communicate emotions as well as facts. The voices of those near and dear can be readily available e.g. for children and elderly in hospital care. Care givers instructions or patient feed-back can be recorded to improve the quality of communication.

Special Education and Training

VoiSecs size and attachability make for an excellent multi-purpose tool for cognitive training, memory support and multi-modal information. Permanent or removable means may attach a VoiSec to books, images and calendars. Use the surface for personalized marking by stickers or pens.

Workplace Adaption and Info Sharing

The qualities of VoiSec allow for quick and easy spoken notes and memos, speech labeling of magazine files, marking of rooms and objects, etc. Casual usage is easy since VoiSec runs on batteries and messages can be re-recorded time after time.

"Talking Signs” for clear information

Not all visible signage is clearly understood by all. Particularly in environmental or personal circumstances where visibility is of limited value. The quickest way from a given spot, the type of room behind a door, the floor number… VoiSec can add spoken information by a simple press, placed within reach for most individuals.

Pressing the lid is easier than writing

VoiSec will play the message when pressed. The construction is very robust and the entire lid activates the play-out. A forehead, a foot or an elbow may trigger the message, making VoiSec usable for many motorically impaired, e.g. mounted on an armrest.

Social Groups and Family Billboards

The ease-of-use and marking possibilities make VoiSec ideal for casual and personal voice messaging. Adhesive magnets are available, making VoiSec perfect for the common family billboard: the fridge door.

Recognition of Depression in Aphasic Stroke Patients

2007-06-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

A.C. Laska^a, B. Mårtensson^c, T. Kahan^b, M. von Arbin^a, V. Murray^a

Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital,
^aDivision of Internal Medicine,
^bDivision of Cardiology, and
^cDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Address of Corresponding Author

Cerebrovascular Diseases 2007;24:74-79 (DOI: 10.1159/000103119)

Key Words

Aphasia, depression
Acute stroke
Validity, assessment of depression

Abstract

Background: Data on post-stroke depression in aphasia are scarce. Methods: Eighty-nine acute stroke patients with aphasia of all types were followed for 6 months to investigate if depression can be reliably diagnosed (DSM-IV criteria) and validly assessed by the verbal Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and a global technique (Clinical Global Impressions Rating Scale for Severity). A standard aphasia test was performed. Results: In 60 patients (67%) at baseline and in 100% at 6 months, comprehension allowed a reliable DSM-IV diagnosis. Among these patients MADRS was feasible in 95% at baseline and in 100% at 6 months. The assistance of relatives and staff increases the feasibility and decreases the validity. Depression was identified in 24% during the 6 months. Conclusion: Depression diagnosis and severity rating can reliably be made in the acute phase in at least two thirds of aphasic patients, and feasibility increases over time.

Author Contacts

Ann Charlotte Laska, MD
Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital
Division of Internal Medicine
SE-182 88 Stockholm (Sweden)
Tel. +46 8 655 6409, Fax +46 8 622 6810, E-Mail ann-charlotte.laska@ds.se

Article Information

Received: August 22, 2006
Accepted: January 3, 2007
Published online: May 23, 2007
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 23

Help for Dyslexics

2007-06-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

None of my own kids are dyslexic, although I believe that one of them suffers from a mild case of visual aphasia.

Free Help for Dyslexia

Dyslexia? Now there is Free Help

Now there is free online help for people who have dyslexia or simply did not learn to read well while going to school. It is a click-‘n-learn program. Students and adults may learn decoding, basic reading skills, and advanced reading skills all with the click of a mouse.

The program is called ReadingBySix. It provides a systematic approach to helping people defeat dyslexia and related reading problems. You will notice measurable progress from week to week provided participants are active in their studies and do their assignments. The online courses are virtually free when you give a small donation. If you choose not to donate, they are completely free.

Dyslexia is a distinct learning disability characterized by difficulties in decoding individual words. These difficulties may not show up in other cognitive and academic abilities. Dyslexia results from the confusion caused by the brain’s inability to associate abstract symbols with abstract ideas. This includes associating letters and words with the sounds they represent. The key to defeating dyslexia is learning to decode English sounds.

NEXT........................................

We are blessed for help with hearing

2007-06-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Byrd, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Tuscaloosa
Dear Editor: May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, during which the services and accomplishments of speech-language pathologists and audiologists are recognized. As a speech-language pathologist, I am proud of those in our profession who serve children with communication impairments in schools, and, for preschoolers, in their natural environment, as well as those who serve the adult population who experience communication deficits because of strokes, accidents, disease, etc. Through their services, these individuals can lead more productive lives. Audiologists, of course, deal with hearing impairment, whose services, with our graying population, will be needed more and more.

I am a fan of the comic strip “For Better or Worse" by Lynn Patterson. How appropriate it is that in May, Better Hearing and Speech Month, there is a series on treating the grandfather Jim’s aphasia by a speech-language pathologist, and the frustrations Jim and his wife Iris experience when Jim wants to say one thing and something entirely different comes out. Patterson presents an excellent and compassionate depiction.

I hope those who experience hearing or speech/language difficulties seek help. So much can be done. We are blessed to have many excellent resources in West Alabama, with the public schools, the University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center, Early Intervention, Easter Seals, the VA, the hospitals, etc. The phone book lists all these resources.

www.aphasiatoolbox.com .

2007-06-02T15:16:00.001-07:00

Please visit our website and let us know what you think. We are eager for feedback so we can continue traveling that pathway of improvement. Thanks to all of you who have helped us to develop the innovative and effective treatment and self-help protocols and materials. I have had the wonderful experience of working with the best patients and caregivers ever. Thanks you all so much. What a great beginning.

DynaVox Release Visual Scene Display

2007-05-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Now available on the DynaVox V and Vmax is a new communication framework for individuals with chronic aphasia and traumatic brain injury. This exciting framework was developed by a collaborative team headed by Dr. David R. Beukelman, PhD, the AAC-RERC and jointly tested to ensure integration with the DynaVox Series 5 software.

The new Visual Scene Display for Aphasia and TBI allows device users to use their own contextually meaningful images or photographs for a variety of conversational situations. These new displays allow the ability to easily program conversational messages related to a person or setting, all without the need to navigate to a new page. These visual cues greatly enhance the communication experience for those with for Aphasia and TBI.

Wii Sports helps boxer recover from stroke

2007-05-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Here’s a heartwarming tale to start the week. Albert Liaw was a boxer, until a spontaneous stroke and brain injury laid him low. However, he’s now in rehabilitation, which includes heavy use of… Wii Sports Boxing!

Edmonton’s Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital is using Wii Sports to help patients regain lost movement, and get their brains back up to speed. It’s not just boxing either, but also the tennis and golf elements of Wii Sports.

Good Dog Foundation Helps Patients Recover

2007-05-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Good Dog Foundation is a pet friendly program that helps patients recover.

Robert Dresel is one of those people.

Robert was a decorated US Navy commander until he retired with his family to a farm in Virginia.

Bob says his great love was singing as a member of a barbershop quartet until six years ago when he suffered from a stroke and now he can remember the words, he just can not say them.

Bob suffers from aphasia which is an impairment of the ability to use or comprehend words.

Some speech pathologists use therapy dogs from the Good Dog Foundation to help their patients.

The dogs can not help the patients speak, but they can help them escape. "They are nonjudgmental. They are going to wait and be patient and give love. People don't understand, and they get a little impatient and they want to move on and they're saying is it this, is it that? And dogs aren't doing that, they're just giving their love,” says Ellen Potter, speech pathologist.

The Center For Music Therapy

2007-04-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

HRIS STEPAN - BEFORE THE ACCIDENT At the age of 17, Chris Stepan was a popular, good-looking athlete who loved playing high school football and spending time with his friends. Chris was the jovial type of young man who exhibited a tough physique but really had a very genuine caring and loving heart for others. Chris and his brother Darren and parents had an especially close relationship with each other so the impact of the car accident greatly affected the entire family unit. The night of Saturday, April 13, 1996, would never be forgotten by any of them.

APRIL 13, 1996 - THE ACCIDENT I am Chris's Mother and I want to help others to learn from our experience and to hopefully give some hope to those who are in despair. The phone call that we received about the car accident was the Real Nightmare that every parent thinks about on a Saturday night when they are waiting up for their child to get home. There had been three of Chris' classmates who had died in car accidents in the months preceding his accident. It seemed as though the students at the high school were jinxed in some way. So when we received the phone call I immediately thought , "Oh no, its happened to us." "It can't be real." For so long I thought it was really just a bad dream and that I would be waking up and everything would be just as before. The steps of grieving have been very arduous for each of us to go through and we are all at different steps in the process of acceptance of this life changing experience. I sincerely believe that God uses the lemons in our life to make lemonade for each of us, if we will just open our eyes and see the graciousness of our Lord even in the midst of adversity!

2007-03-11T17:53:00.001-07:00

Other methods of treatment

2007-02-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Light therapy

Bright light (both sunlight and artificial light) is shown to be effective in seasonal affective disorder, and sometimes may be effective in other types of depression, especially atypical depression or depression with "seasonal phenotype" (overeating, oversleeping, weight gain, apathy).

Exercise

It is widely believed that physical activity and exercise help depressed patients and promote quicker and better relief from depression. They are also thought to help antidepressants and psychotherapy work better and faster. It can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise if the depression is severe, but sufferers should be encouraged to take part in some form of regularly scheduled physical activity. A workout need not be strenuous; many find walking, for example, to be of great help. Exercise produces higher levels of chemicals in the brain, notably dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. In general this leads to improvements in mood, which is effective in countering depression.[22]

Meditation

Meditation is increasingly seen as a useful treatment for some cases of depression.[23] The current professional opinion on meditation is that it represents at least a complementary method of treating depression, a view that has been endorsed by the Mayo Clinic.[24] Since the late 1990s, much research has been carried out to determine how meditation affects the brain (see the main article on meditation). Although the effects on the mind are complex, they are often quite positive, encouraging a calm, reflective, and rational state of mind that can be of great help against depression.[citation needed] Although many religions include meditative practice, it is not necessary to be a member of any faith to meditate.

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