Who expects a stroke at 38 years of age? Jackie Poff didn’t She was the senior buyer for one of the largest computing supply companies in North America and mother of two girls age 18 and 13. She had a staff of 12 including her daughter. Jackie loved the customers. She laughs wryly, “I took care of them right up until the day before my stroke” “My grandfather passed away the day
before, I put orders in for several customers and the next day had the stroke. “I did get to the hospital and they did give me the clot-buster TPa, but it didn’t work. It did artery damage that I have to have something done with now.” But I lucky, they transferred me to the University Hospital and Dr.Findlay did surgery to remove part of my skull because there was so much brain swelling. That saved my life. From there I went back to Stony Plain Hospital and then to the Glenrose.” Jackie also credits her husband. Her whole face lights up with joy when she talks about Larry, “He runs a small business and he had to shut it down. He took care of me — he always took me home. I never had a bath in hospital. Larry was so good, the nurses said, ‘you don’t need us.” She adds, ’ If it hadn’t been for Larry, I would have had a PEG tube because I couldn’t swallow. He insisted they do a barium swallow exam before they made a final decision.”
Jackie’s suggestion for “Putting the Possibility in Stroke Disability” Stroke can happen to anyone — we need more stroke awareness. Don’t give up hope, stay positive, eventually something good can come out of it. ‘I should write a thank-you letter to Dr. Findlay.”
Jackie is lucky — read more about it on the web.
Reading, Writing, and Math Help
Do you think that you are the only one struggling with reading, writing and math? Think again!
9 million Canadians have low literacy. Four out of 10 adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 fall below level 3 on the Adult Literacy Scale. The Adult Literacy Scale measures reading skills on a scale of 1 to 5. Level 3 is equivalent to high school completion. It is the desired threshold for coping with the rapidly changing skill demands of a knowledge-based economy and society.
Of those 9 million Canadians with low literacy, 15 % have difficulty reading any printed materials and another 27 % can read only simple material (Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2005).
Do you want to improve your reading, writing and math skills? A speech therapist is not the only source of help for reading, writing, and math skills after stroke. Help is free at an adult learning centre near you.
Find a literacy and learning centre near you or call the Frontier College: 780-487-4787 or 1-888-414-4787 or email: edmonton@frontiercollege.ca
Edmonton Public Library
The Edmonton Public Library has collections and programs for adult learners.
- Picture dictionaries
- Easy-reading books for adults and Read-along books and CD sets
Drop in for TEDTalks Discussion Series at Stanley A. Milner Library
Thursday, June 9, 2011 @ 12:15pm and 2:30pm present New York Times food writer Mark Bittman:
Mark Bittman talks about why the way we eat now is putting the entire planet at risk (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking)
Contact more information or phone 780-667-4636.
Win 100,000 Euros for Stroke Recovery!
What could we offer to stroke survivors if we won 100,000 Euros?
Certainly a Getting on with the Rest of Your Life After Stroke program!
Who is offering the chance to win? The pharmaceutical firm Boehringer Ingelheim has developed a new treatment to prevent stroke fromatrial fibrillation. They want people to know that stroke from atrial fibrillation can be prevented.
Please go on line to vote! You can vote every day until June 22!
An “APP” for Aphasia? Let your "I Phone" speak for you!
Until August 31, the My Voice service for I phones is free. This gives users the ability to try the service,
add their own custom words, phrases, pictures, books, and places through the MyVoice web service,
and to get a taste of every feature. The MyVoice app will always be free to download and use, but if
you want to customize the application for you and your specific needs, you will need to pay a monthly fee.
Find out more of My Voice.
Stroke Recovery Association of Edmonton
Meetings and Stroke Events
Meetings and Events
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Topic
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Sunday, June 5, 2011
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Family Picnic and Eat, Seek, and Speak for Aphasia Challenge, William Hawrelak Park, Site 1— Challenge 11:00 A.M. –12:30 P.M. and Picnic and Entertainment 1:00-3:00 P.M.
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Thursday, June 23, 2011
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My Life is Not a Tragedy and Words of Courage Play— Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Bill Black Auditorium— 6:30 PM
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September 26, 2011
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Who do you trust? Preventing Fraud
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October 25, 2011
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Annual General Meeting
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Jill Bolte Taylor — My Stroke of Insight 
Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.
Canada Day at the Alberta Legislature
July 1st 7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Interested in free family fun on Canada Day? The Alberta Legislature is the place to be.
Sponsored by
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Legislative Assembly of Alberta
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Location
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Alberta Legislature, 10800 - 97 Avenue
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Contact Visitor Services
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780-427-7362
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Stroke Engine Resources for
Rehabilitation and Interventions
Do you want to know what works? Do you want to know what the research says is the best
treatment for stroke? Strokengine is a Canadian Stroke Network website that focuses on stroke rehabilitation topics and interventions.Does acupuncture work? What about exercise post-stroke? You can find those topics and more at Stroke Engine.Want Arm and Hand Exercises ?
The GRASP (Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program) is an arm and hand exercise program developed by Dr. Janice Eng at the University of British Columbia. There are three levels of arm and hand exercise that you can do at home with simple and inexpensive tools.
A therapist instructed the patient in the program, but the patient did the program independently. Patients who had family, friends or a care-partner assisting them with the program had better outcomes.
I want to exercise after stroke — what can I do?
FAME is an exercise program developed for people with stroke who have some standing and walking ability. This program improved mobility, cardiovascular fitness, arm and hand function. The patient did the program independently at home. Like the GRASP arm and hand program, better outcomes are achieved if you can do the exercises with someone else or get help from family or friends who can assist with the program.
You should always ask your doctor if you should start an exercise program and if you have pain, shortness of breath, or don’t feel well when you are doing your exercises— STOP and consult your doctor.
Community Rehabilitation Interdisciplinary Service (CRIS)
Community Interdisciplinary Service (CRIS) serves adults living at home, who have complex rehabilitation needs requiring an interdisciplinary intervention. They serve clients with conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, or arthritis that will respond to rehabilitation or self management support.
CRIS provides a one-stop shop for rehabilitation care for adults requiring more than one type of therapy, like occupational and physical therapy or speechlanguage pathology services.
Although the focus is on interdisciplinary service, the OT and SLP will see clients who require only their service.
You must be:
- Able to get transportation to and from the program,
- Medically stable;
- Motivated to participate in rehabilitation;
- Have enough endurance to participate in rehabilitation;
- You need to have a valid Alberta Health Care Personal Health Number.
Mother Rosalie Health Services Centre
Room 301 - Attached to the Misericordia Hospital
16930 87 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5R 4H5; 780-735-2413
Chronic Disease Management Online
My Tool Box is a free 6-week program for individuals living with chronic disease and their loved ones. It is offered online — you don’t have to leave home. The program is designed to teach people the skills they need to live well with chronic health conditions such diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and chronic pain. It includes:
- Managing your symptoms,
- Techniques for reducing stress,
- Dealing with difficult emotions (fear, anger, frustration, and depression),
- Establishing exercise and nutrition routines ,
- Learning and practicing relaxation techniques,
- Managing medication use,
- Communicating effectively with your health care team and loved ones,
- Managing pain and fatigue,
- Evaluate treatment options, and,
- Goal setting and problem solving.
More information Chronic Disease Management Online.
Register for the next session: Jessica Vitulano, Program Coordinator Telephone: 514-934-1934
Glenrose Hospital Service Redesign
Alberta Health Services has asked the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital to admit 5 additional patients per day in order to move people through the hospital system — from emergency, to acute care, and to rehabilitation. Admitting 5 new patients per day DOUBLES the current admission rates at the Glenrose Hospital!
What changes in services are planned?
- Earlier transfers and more intensive rehabilitation services (6 days a week) may reduce lengths of stay for some patients
- Improvements in Community Care so rehabilitation can be done at home.
- Re-design outpatient services to support earlier discharge.
How do we stimulate neuroplasticity and recovery after stroke? Make therapy intense!
Stroke rehabilitation that uses task-oriented intense training in an enriched environment and provides stroke survivors with confidence, stimulation, and motivation significantly reduce impairments caused by the stroke.
In a rehabilitation review, important factors in stimulating neuroplasticity — re-growth of brain cells — after stroke are stroke units staffed by multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams who stressactive participation of the patients in the rehabilitation process. Key principles of stroke rehabilitation include working at functional activities that are interesting and engaging to stroke survivors (Johansson; 2011).
One critical factor in reducing impairments and producing good outcomes is intense practice that starts in the first days after stroke. In “A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT)” earlier and more intensive out-of-bed activity within 25 hours after stroke reduced time to unassisted walking and improved independence in activities of daily living (Cumming et al, 2011).
There are several new approaches to intensive aphasia therapy to regain communication, reading, and math skills. For example, intensive melodic intonation therapy helps people with very severe non-fluent aphasia regain speech. More research is needed on cognitive rehabilitation and social adjustment (Johansson; 2011).
In a study of home rehabilitation therapy for stroke survivors discharged home following in-patient rehabilitation, 25 people were allocated to receive more intensive therapy — 30 to 45 minute physiotherapy sessions 4 times per week in 3 2 month blocks) and 25 people received lest intensive therapy (2, 30 to 45 minute sessions per week continuously).
There were no differences between the groups—both groups improved functionally over the year. The study concluded that both intermittent high-intensity and continuous low-intensity therapy protocols were equally effective — the sheer intensity seems more important than how many times a week the therapy is offered.
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