'Aphasia Choir' uses music for help in recovery

I've posted before about my own story about stroke recovery, aphasia and singing. Here's a recent story about an "Aphasia Choir" in Vermont:

How is it that survivors of stroke and certain brain injury are often unable to speak but they still can sing? The answer lies in the brain's physiology. By tapping into the undamaged right hemisphere, the stroke survivor can recall familiar melodies and express them through song. Enter, the Aphasia Choir.

Stroke patients can keep recovering, even after a year

One takeaway from a recent story about stroke recovery shows something to remember - "it's highly unethical to say nothing can be done after 12 months" in recovery. Personally, it took me years to get back to my almost-100 percent recovery. Stroke recovery can be incremental.

Now, will horses and music definitely help? One small study doesn't prove that it does, but it's worth studying further. Read how long-term stroke survivors believe they do better with horse, music therapy:

A small Swedish study of stroke patients finds that activities such as horseback riding and rhythm-and-music therapy can help them feel like they're recovering faster, even if their stroke occurred years earlier.

Here's another story of 'A Stroke of Faith'

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

-Psalm 27:14

Mark Moore learned this lesson the hard way. Ten years ago he was hit by back-to-back strokes that could have taken his life. He spent a month in a coma and wake up to find his life forever changed. He re-learned how to walk.

His biggest challenges? One was impatience - recovery doesn’t happen overnight. “It’s incremental … you have to be patient,” he said in an interview earlier this week, coinciding with the release of his new book, “A Stroke of Faith: A Stroke Survivor’s Story of a Second Chance of Living a Life of Significance.” Just to be clear, the book isn’t directly related to this blog with a similar name.

Then again, it’s semi-related because like me, Mark had a stroke at a relatively young age, nearly died and struggled to recover. Also like me, he's finished races during his recovery. A year after his stroke, he finished a 5K (that's 3.1 miles) and went on to run a 10K.

Emoji app - can it help aphasia patients?

Back in the pre-emoji era, one of the tools I used to get my language skills back was an educational toy called GeoSafari. The company still makes more modern versions of this toy.

Fast forward almost 19 years, and here's some new technology to help people with aphasia, a common result of a stroke. Read how Samsung’s new app uses emojis to help people with language disorders communicate:

Created by Samsung Electronics Italia (the company’s Italian subsidiary) and speech therapist Francesca Polini, Wemogee replaces text phrases with emoji combinations and can be used as a messaging app or in face-to-face interactions. It supports English and Italian and will be available for Android on April 28, with an iOS version slated for future release.

Aphasia hits young people differently than seniors

Stories about aphasia speak to me.

And stories about young people - I was just 39 - who have had a stroke also interests me. Further - and play the audio at the bottom of this posting - music and aphasia intrigue me.

Now, those three items have come together in a story about as strokes become more common in younger population, intense programs to reteach speech grow:

“We are seeing more younger people with aphasia attending our program,” said Leora Cherney, the director of the Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Sleep - reducing stroke risk, boosting recovery

I know people who wish they didn't have to sleep so much. Sometimes I wish that, thinking how much more I can accomplish.

Then you read stories like this, linking sleep problems to stroke risk, recovery:

In addition, sleep problems can affect recovery from a stroke, according to the report.

It's not just money - it's affecting lives

Earlier this week, there was a posting about young people and strokes. Today, it's about the cost of care for elderly stroke survivors.

Now, cost is not a pleasant topic. It smacks of talk about death squads, rationing and other politically divisive terms.

But, how about we do agree on this: Preventing a stroke can save lives and resources that can always be used elsewhere. So, keep in mind stroke prevention in reading how caring for elderly stroke survivors costs an estimated $40 billion per year:

Using data from a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries, the team compared 892 elderly self-reported stroke survivors to 892 non-stroke controls, accounting for demographics and other health conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease or dementia.

The lifestyle battle: Key for stroke survivors

Never thought about post-stroke life like this idea - unlike, say, cancer, you're never "cured" exactly. Rather, every day without another stroke is a win.

Read this interesting take how pre-stroke lifestyle tied to long term risk of more strokes, dementia:

Unlike a condition such as cancer, where if you undergo treatment successfully and survive ten years we might say “you battled it, you’re cured,” increased health risks remain after a stroke, Ikram said. This shouldn’t be discouraging, but should encourage people before or after stroke to do what they can to prevent another, he said.

“Once you suffer a stroke, treatment shifts toward medication and simple preventive measures are pushed to the background,” Ikram said. “Don’t neglect the simple things like quitting smoking, exercising more and controlling blood pressure.”

I won't argue with the idea of quitting smoking, which is one of the deadliest thing a human can do,  or with controlling blood pressure, the leading cause of strokes.

Too many rehab patients suffer harm, not help

And this is why everyone needs an advocate.

I ran across this article showing that while stroke rehabilitation services can provide a great deal of help, they can do harm as well. This is a great illustration that every stroke patient in a facility needs someone watching, and the facility personnel need to know that someone is watching.

So read how nearly 30% of rehab facility patients suffer care-related harm:

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General found that nearly 29% of Medicare beneficiaries admitted to inpatient rehab facilities experience an adverse event during their stay including healthcare-acquired infections, medication errors and pressure ulcers.

Is technology going to catch up with stroke recovery needs?

In the last few years, we've seen lots of ideas about technology and recovery. You can find a few here.

Still, it's a little disheartening that high-tech solutions seem to always be just over the horizon instead of in place and available to all stroke survivors.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability, and most stroke survivors are included in those numbers. How much productivity can be regained if we truly harness technology to make a difference in these lives?

So, with that, here's another trial featuring cutting-edge treatments for stroke patients using videogames and robotic arms:

New therapeutic devices for stroke recovery, made possible by advances in hardware and software, are transforming the typically low-tech world of stroke rehabilitation. Though the tools are still in the early stages, doctors say that they can be more motivating and engaging for patients than current standard therapies, and that they hold promise for stroke survivors who are too injured for traditional therapy.

“We’re entering a very exciting era,” says Dr. David Putrino, director of telemedicine at the Burke Medical Research Institute in White Plains, N.Y. “All of these new tools can really help us do our jobs much better.”

Be careful to read the limitations, but this might be promising

Possible promise: stem cells and stroke recovery.

I ran across an article showing some "stunned" researchers. As the story mentions, it's a small number of people in a single study, but it might show some direction for future, larger research projects.

So read - and especially the caveats - how Stanford researchers "stunned" by stem cell experiment that helped stroke patient walk:

The one-time therapy involved surgeons drilling a hole into the study participants' skulls and injecting stem cells in several locations around the area damaged by the stroke. These stem cells were harvested from the bone marrow of adult donors. While the procedure sounds dramatic, it is considered relatively simple as far as brain surgery goes. The patients were conscious the whole time and went home the same day.

Not all stroke rehab facilities are equal: What's best for you?

Earlier this week, I posted an item about avoiding readmission to a hospital.

Now, here's a story about a facility that might help with that, too - in-patient facilities better for stroke rehab:

The report warned that as systems of care evolve in response to healthcare reform, "post-acute care and rehabilitation are often considered a costly area of care to be trimmed" with little recognition of their impact on patient outcomes.

"Stroke rehab is not considered very sexy, but it turns out that it can have a huge impact on quality of life and function," Winstein told MedPage Today.

The writing group noted that stroke rehabilitation services, as currently delivered in the U.S., are broad and "highly heterogeneous, varying in the type of care settings used; in the duration, intensity, and type of interventions delivered; and in the degree of involvement of specific medical, nursing and other rehabilitation specialists."

"The intensity of rehabilitation care varies widely, depending on the setting, with the most intensive rehabilitation care provided in (certified) inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), followed by skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), which provide 'subacute' rehabilitation," the group wrote.

Struggling with stroke-related impairments - invisible to the outside world?

Ever feel invisible?

Remember the movie (based on the book) "The Invisible Man" starring the great Claude Rains? Shows the down side of being invisible, you might say.

Now, what's that got to do with stroke survivors? It's those post-stroke impairments that aren't seen by much of the world - invisible. And there's a down side of that, too, that leads to a lack of understanding among co-workers and the world at large.

Physically, I was recovered to a large degree within days. But speech and fuzzy thinking took a while longer, and I'm still convinced that my speech still isn't quite right. But that's not so obvious - invisible, you might say, to much of the outside world. Not all - I had a great support network at church, home and work. Still, I can see how invisibility problems can happen.

So check out recent research about stroke survivors facing "invisible impairments" return to work:

How I learned about aphasia and intelligence - the hard way

The note on the right was written by my wife back in 1998. I was trying to say "Jonesboro," the last word on the list. Instead, I said the top three words on the list.

Nonsense, in other words. And maddening, in that I knew what I was trying to say but something was in the way. My intelligence was intact - just couldn't get out.

I'd never heard of aphasia before I had my stroke. Now, you do see it in the news from time to time, but it's still frequently misunderstood.

Here's a good rundown on how aphasia is a little-known, yet growing, health problem:

At least 25 percent of the estimated 795,000 Americans who will have a stroke this year will acquire aphasia, according to Williamson's nonprofit organization. Symptoms can vary widely. While many have trouble speaking, others also struggle to process words being spoken to them, to read and to write.

Past routine therapy - brain stimulation via electrodes

Brain stimulation - perhaps a key to improving stroke recovery.

The more it's offered, recent research suggests, the better the recovery. In my own experience, I tried to do at least something every day as "brain stimulation" via reading, writing and other mental exercise. Now, they are talking about applying stimulation via electrodes. And the research indicates that brain stimulation after stroke aids recovery:

Stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation who receive repeated brain stimulation do better in terms of recovering movement than those who don't, a new study shows. ...

What do you rely on? Maybe you should rely on this rescuer

I rely on your constant love; I will be glad, because you will rescue me.

-Psalm 13:5

We all need a rescuer, sooner or later.

When did you need one? Or are you waiting your turn?

Stroke survivors know what it's like to need a rescuer: Keeping you alive. Helping your initial recovery. Providing physical, speech and/or occupational therapy. Rescuers all.

God is the chief rescuer. When it comes down to it, when all rescue resources are exhausted, God is there to get us through. His constant love endures.

Easter is coming soon - on this Sunday, most Christians celebrate Christ's resurrection, the victory over even death. With strength like that, with constant love, we have our rescuer.

Stroke and faith - a survivor's story

Photo from Sean P. Anderson via Flickr

Another story of a stroke survivor, and a reminder that strokes pay no attention to someone's station in life, occupation, wealth, notoriety - when a stroke hits, it hits.

Kevin Sorbo recounts place of faith in stroke recovery:

"I was a broken man," Sorbo said. "But I have been revived, redeemed and most certainly I have been reborn. I have been reborn through faith and the hope that comes from that faith."

His testimony included the story of his battle back from three strokes in 1997, the background for his book True Strength. Sorbo described his journey from his TV portrayal of Hercules — the strongest man in the world — to his realization that he was just a mere mortal.

"When those strokes hit me, I went from what I thought was a physical specimen to a guy who couldn’t even stand up without falling down," he said. "My life changed forever in the snap of a finger, or the crack of a neck, in my case. This is where faith and hope come in."

How would you cope with saying just two words?

I feel for this man - a stroke takes away most of his speech ability and leaves him with physical issues.

It's hugely frustrating when you can understand what is said, but you respond only with difficulty. I struggled after mine, and the man in the story below is having a far worse time in that sense. But as mentioned here more than once, aphasia doesn't decrease intelligence.

Follow this link to read about the man who can only say yes and no:

It's not strictly true that Graham can only say "yes" and "no". He can say "and", "no" and "mmm", which means yes, and he also makes an "urr" sound. When he says "and urr…" it means he has something else to say and wants you guess what it is. ...

What people can't see can still be real

Photo by Allan Ajifo

I can relate to this. I have no physical signs from my stroke. But I certainly felt the affects of aphasia (click here to read more about aphasia). Most are now gone, but for some these "hidden disabilities" are more long term.

Here's a relevant look at “hidden” disabilities after stroke:

Williams said she thinks that her disabilities aren’t taken as seriously as physical challenges.

Get moving after a stroke?

Photo from U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention

Hanging around in a hospital bed is seldom good for you. Everybody knows that - and now we've got a little evidence for stroke patients.

Mine affected my speech, not so much my physical abilities. I was a little unsteady for a while and, in my way of thinking, lost a little of my fine motor skills. But so many people have more profound physical issues after a stroke.

And part of the answer, it seems is that people with brain injuries heal faster if they get up and get moving: