Rick visits Cape Breton, NS for a celebration of all things Celtic.
Standard YouTube License @ The Rick Mercer Report
Saturday, September 28, 2013
RMR: Rick at the Celtic Colours Festival
Standard YouTube License @ The Rick Mercer Report
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Mobility Scooter
Mobility Scooter
A mobility scooter is a mobility aid equivalent to a wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. It is often referred to as a power-operated vehicle/scooter or electric scooter as well.
A mobility scooter has a seat over three, four or now five wheels, a flat area or foot plates for the feet, and handlebars in front to turn one, two or three steerable wheels. The seat may swivel to allow access when the front is blocked by the handlebars. Mobility scooters are usually battery powered. A battery or two is stored on board the scooter and is charged via an onboard or separate battery charger unit from standard electric power. Gasoline-powered scooters may also available in some countries, though they are rapidly being replaced by electric models.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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| Two people using mobility scooters. |
Description
A mobility scooter has a seat over three, four or now five wheels, a flat area or foot plates for the feet, and handlebars in front to turn one, two or three steerable wheels. The seat may swivel to allow access when the front is blocked by the handlebars. Mobility scooters are usually battery powered. A battery or two is stored on board the scooter and is charged via an onboard or separate battery charger unit from standard electric power. Gasoline-powered scooters may also available in some countries, though they are rapidly being replaced by electric models.
Mobility Scooter - Video
Travel (Basic) Model (include how to pack it)
Freerider of Luggie Folding and Travel Mobility Scooter
Uploaded on Jan 24, 2010The intelligent Luggie is a revolutionary unit of the worlds lightest and direct folding personal scooter.
Why not experience the comfort and convenience of riding Luggie in your daily journey. Specially equipped with an easy operation tiller for moving forward and backward by just gently pressing wigwag. Luggie was designed to effectively enhance the mobility and flexibility. Even in the narrow of corner or inside of elevator, you can ride Luggie without obstruction.
So whether youre going shopping, attending exhibition or waiting for departure at airport, the Luggie will make you a pleasant and tireless day. Moreover, Luggie could be able to satisfy of all industries whether individual use or business application.
Light weight, easy carry, direct folding design and less occupation of space are the high-tech features which meet your best satisfactions. With Luggie, you will experience a truly comfortable journey no matter where you go.
Standard YouTube License @ randychenv
Saturday Comics
| For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston - 2008-07-31  "...had a nice break from caregiving." | Dilbert Scott Adams - 2013-09-17  "I'm starting a new business as a professional liar." |
Garfield Jim Davis - 2013-09-16  "Let's take a moment to ponder life!" | Betty Delainey & Rasmussen - 2013-09-16  "My ladies soccer team is looking for a new coach..." |
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.
** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.
*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.
Eclectic Stuff
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Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
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Carpe Diem
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| Marcelle Greene Up Stroke |
When I realized I wouldn't be able to ride a bicycle during our upcoming vacation in France, my husband searched the Internet and found the TravelScoot, a collapsible electric tricycle. Problem solved, I thought. When my fellow travellers take their bikes off the canal boat to cycle into the nearest village, I'll be able to join them. But further research revealed that the TravelScoot relies on hand brakes — one for each rear tire — and I can't operate a hand brake with my affected hand.
How about a tandem bike? An adult tricycle? Neither is available for rent. I reconciled myself to quiet hours alone on the boat.
[SpiritSeptember] Repost: Keeping It Clean
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| Pamela Hsieh Rehab Revolution |
Greetings from Texas! I'm in the middle of some really powerful and inspiring leadership training here, so as I mentioned previously, I don't have the time to write. However, this morning when I discovered an oil stain on my Lululemon hot yoga sticky mat (had a bit of a toiletry spill in my luggage), I found this article and thought it could be helpful to any of you out there who also practice yoga. I found this article on myyogalife.com, and it was written by a yoga instructor named Lauren Rudick.
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| Image courtesy of justraisethebar.com |
Neurogenesis in the Brain:
A Talk by Professor Richard Faull
Sunday, September 15, 2013You will need to see if your medical staff understands this and what they are doing to incorporate this knowledge into your stroke protocol. How the hell else are they going to get you to 100% recovery?
SSTattler: This is an excellent TED Talks!
In this TEDxTalk, Professor Richard Faull talks about his research into neurogenesis in the brain. When the brain matures it doesn’t produce new neurons – at least that used to be a central dogma of neuroscience. Professor Faull’s research initially into people with Huntington’s Disease and then into models of neurogenesis uncovered a neurogenesis pathway in the brain. His team located the origin of the stem cells that gave rise to the new neurons. This knowledge also had many practical applications. Stimulation and exercise promote this neurogenesis and fit in with our understanding of such activities from other areas of research.
Standard YouTube License @ TEDxTalks
See the original article:
Talking and Feeling Better
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| Mark A. Ittleman The Teaching of Talking |
Being halting in speech is not fun for anyone. It is frustrating to want to speak, attempt, and not be able to express oneself completely. The act of talking is smooth and effortless for most of us. Wanting to talk and express oneself, and being thwarted in attempts to speak is frustrating and often causes anger, frustration, and wanting to give up or cease communication entirely.
When children or adults are receiving speech and language stimulation that helps them speak, the anger, frustration and desire to give up diminishes and is soon replaced by a keen desire and motivation to speak. The caregiver who knows how to stimulate speech and language and has been doing so each and every day at home provides an easier way to learn how to speak again, and uses many daily activities as opportunities to stimulate language. If done on a consistent basis by the speech language pathologist, parent, or caregiver, a speaking pattern or “habit” may soon develop that is paired with a specific activity. An example of this would be: ”I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I’m ready for bed, No thank you, Let’s go, etc.”
Flashback
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| Grace Carpenter My Happy Stroke |
Yesterday I was trying to hold my water glass with my affected arm at dinner time.
Maybe it was a slip of concentration. Maybe there was a bit of water on the outside of the glass, making it slippery. Maybe it just was one of those things that could have happened to anyone.
As my hand was inching up to my mouth, the glass slipped onto the table with a loud bang. There was also the noise of splashing water everywhere--the table, my plate, the floor.
Miyoko Shida - The Power of Mind and Concentration
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| Monty Becker Stroke Survivors Tattler |
The mind is a mysterious thing. The mind and the potential power it has to effect changes in the world has fascinated scholars and shamen alike for centuries. Our fascination with the power of mind has not been diminished in modern times. For most of us, the thing we call mind is a manifestation of brain processes. It is not something that can be cut out or held in our hands. Rather, mind is at the center of our consciousness. It is an emergent quality that produces our thoughts, perceptions, and emotions. Without a living brain, the concept of mind has little meaning. Thus, much of our curiosity about the mind is directed toward the workings of the brain.
We are fascinated by extraordinary abilities tied to the brain. We stand in awe of people who can do complex math in their head or remember in minute detail a scene that that they only briefly glimpsed. But, our curiosity goes beyond such abilities. We even wonder whether there are mind-based abilities that do not conform to our current understanding of cause and effect. Questions that border on the mystical are common.
Standard YouTube License @ CuriousTVDO
'Polypill' Approach Might Help in Stroke Prevention
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| Jeff Porter Stroke of Faith |
I don't take many pills and grateful for that. Still, I forget one from time to time. I could see that for someone with a more complicated medication schedule, it's more critical to stay on schedule. I managed my mother's medications for a couple of years and, to a degree, can understand the concern.
Ran across an interesting story about the "polypill" approach - multiple heart disease medications rolled into one dose, and how
heart patients more likely to take medication when in single pill:
One study shows that a number of stroke patients stop taking their pills within three months after having a stroke. A new study in Britain finds that if patients with heart disease can take a single pill instead of several pills, they are more likely to stay on their medication.Of course, stroke patients who stop taking their pills generally have a higher stroke risk. So perhaps the polypill will help prevent more strokes. And for an individual, one is too many.
© The Voice of America
See the original article:
Bathing When I Travel
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| RebeccaDutton Home After a Stroke |
My life was recently disrupted by a water main break. Here is a photo of the dirty water that came through my pipes after the broken valve was replaced and the water was turned back on. Thank God I was able to drive to the store to buy bottled water. Thank God for my friend Barbara who has a bathroom on the first floor. In addition to the glorious feeling of being clean after a shower I enjoyed washing my hands by simply turning the faucet handle.Finally, Surgery
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Yesterday, Bob had his second foot surgery and what a relief to have this over with and done. And yes, yesterday was Friday the 13th. Perhaps not the most auspicious day for surgery, but it was the first opening they had available and I snatched it up.
The surgery center was deadly quiet that day... I wonder why? ha! The doctor was the same as the last surgery but we had a different, nicer anesthesiologist who didn't scare me half to death like the last one.
I hate to say, the nurse was another story. When she found out that Bob had to be lifted from the wheelchair to the bed, she blew a head gasket. Told me that we shouldn't even be there and if we ever, ever come back again, I will have to bring Bob there on an ambulance so that paramedics could transfer him from an ambulance stretcher to the bed. Because it's too much work for them to lift him from the wheelchair into bed!
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| Diane The Pink House On The Corner |
Yesterday, Bob had his second foot surgery and what a relief to have this over with and done. And yes, yesterday was Friday the 13th. Perhaps not the most auspicious day for surgery, but it was the first opening they had available and I snatched it up.
The surgery center was deadly quiet that day... I wonder why? ha! The doctor was the same as the last surgery but we had a different, nicer anesthesiologist who didn't scare me half to death like the last one.
I hate to say, the nurse was another story. When she found out that Bob had to be lifted from the wheelchair to the bed, she blew a head gasket. Told me that we shouldn't even be there and if we ever, ever come back again, I will have to bring Bob there on an ambulance so that paramedics could transfer him from an ambulance stretcher to the bed. Because it's too much work for them to lift him from the wheelchair into bed!
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X-ray of Bob's foot after first surgery. And yes, that screw is permanent. And why does this look like the Dark Ages?
Believe me, when I first saw this, I just couldn't believe it... OK, maybe it's just me --- but a big ol' screw? yikes
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Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Grief- Upturn and Acceptance
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| Jo Murphey The Murphey Saga |
Today is the last segment on grief. It is the upturn and acceptance. Acceptance is the ultimate goal in your recovery process. I will say this and I'll say it again. There is no cure for grief. It is forever, just not as painful given time. With time it will not feel like someone stabbing you with a knife and twisting it, but a sting like a mosquito. Painful, but not as painful as before.
I want to make something clear to my readers also. I write this as counseling to make you aware what is going on with you and that it's normal. While I use me as an example, I've moved forward and onward. Yes, I have relapses from time to time as do most folks recovering from a death or a stroke. Each relapse is shorter in time than the last time. That is to be expected. Read the above paragraph. It's a case of preacher heal thy self with God's help and pass the knowledge on.One-Handedness
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| Amy Shissler My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery |
My last post was about taking some stuff to a friend of mine and Barb inquired how I managed to do all of that. I’ve written posts before about not looking disabled so my regular readers know that about me – that I don’t look disabled. Because of where my stroke was in the brain, it’s very deceiving to the outside world. Even my mom, who has spent the most time with me and knows my issues better than anyone else said something to me a few months ago and I was like “seriously Mom?”
Dale Dougherty: We Are Makers
Uploaded on Feb 2, 2011http://www.ted.com America was built by makers -- curious, enthusiastic amateur inventors whose tinkering habit sparked whole new industries. At TED@MotorCity, MAKE magazine publisher Dale Dougherty says we're all makers at heart, and shows cool new tools to tinker with, like Arduinos, affordable 3D printers, even DIY satellites, mini-scooters,...
Standard YouTube License @ TED
RMR: Rick with Adam van Koeverden
Rick visits Algonquin Park where Olympian Adam van Koeverden teaches him how to kayak.
Standard YouTube License @ The Rick Mercer Report
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Service Dogs or Therapy Dogs
SSTattler: There are 3 classification of dogs:
1) Service (or Assistance) Dogs,
2) In-Training Service Dogs,
3) Therapy Dogs.
All 3 types can be used by stroke survivors. NOTE: Some Service Dogs have a licence for the task for the Therapy Dogs but the Therapy Dogs does not have a licence for the Service Dogs. See the definitions below.
Service Dogs from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
A service dog is a type of assistance dog specifically trained to help people who have disabilities including visual difficulties, hearing impairments, mental illness, seizures, diabetes, Autism, and more.
Desirable character traits in service animals typically include good temperament or psychological make-up (including biddability and trainability) and good health (including physical structure and stamina). Service dogs are often trained and bred by service dog organizations. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and in recent years American Pit Bull Terriers are the most common breeds used as service dogs, but any breed or mix of breeds is capable of being a service dog, though few dogs have all of the health and temperament qualities needed. Such a dog may be called a "service dog" or an "assistance dog," depending largely on country. Occasionally they are incorrectly referred to as "Seeing Eye Dogs" however this refers to a specific organization and not to all Guide Dogs.
1) Service (or Assistance) Dogs,
2) In-Training Service Dogs,
3) Therapy Dogs.
All 3 types can be used by stroke survivors. NOTE: Some Service Dogs have a licence for the task for the Therapy Dogs but the Therapy Dogs does not have a licence for the Service Dogs. See the definitions below.
Service Dogs from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
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| A service dog wearing a colorful vest and a waterproof coat with reflective markings. |
Desirable character traits in service animals typically include good temperament or psychological make-up (including biddability and trainability) and good health (including physical structure and stamina). Service dogs are often trained and bred by service dog organizations. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and in recent years American Pit Bull Terriers are the most common breeds used as service dogs, but any breed or mix of breeds is capable of being a service dog, though few dogs have all of the health and temperament qualities needed. Such a dog may be called a "service dog" or an "assistance dog," depending largely on country. Occasionally they are incorrectly referred to as "Seeing Eye Dogs" however this refers to a specific organization and not to all Guide Dogs.
Service Dogs or Therapy Dogs - Video
1) Service or Assistance Dogs
Best Friend: Being a Service Dog
Uploaded on Jan 21, 2010Assistance dogs are born and raised to help make life a little bit easier for people with disabilities -- and every little bit counts. Thanks to the volunteers of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) for their time and support!
Standard YouTube License @ distantsun7
Saturday Comics
| For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston - 2008-07-30 "The feeling is mucilage!" | Dilbert Scott Adams - 2013-09-13 "...carve it on a peanut and give it to a squirrel !" |
Garfield Jim Davis - 2013-09-10 "Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity -- BONK!!" | Betty Delainey & Rasmussen - 2013-09-12 "...if there's no human interaction?" |
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.
** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.
*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.
Eclectic Stuff
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Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
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Welcome to Pamela Hsieh - Guest Blogger in Stroke Survivors Tattler!
Pamela Hsieh started her blog, Rehab Revolution, April 2010 and since then she is continually write various topic about stroke and she says, "... goal to inspire lively conversation between healers, patients, caregivers, and anyone who supports what we do." Welcome Pamela to Guest Blogger Stroke Survivors Tattler! See "About Us" as well.
Guest Blogger - Pamela Hsieh
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| Pamela Hsieh Rehab Revolution |
- Pamela Hsieh is an entrepreneur and writer.
- She was nineteen when she suffered a stroke from a cerebral hemorrhage in her right frontal lobe. It paralyzed the left side of her body, but fortunately did not permanently affect her cognition.
- Since her brain injury, she has lived abroad (in Florence, Italy, and again in Bologna, Italy) twice for about ten months at a time, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which luckily is the United States’ most disability-accessible university, in May 2009, seven years after her enrolment.
- She has a bachelor’s degree in Italian Studies and Rhetoric (creative writing). It is her strong belief that healing and recuperation from the effects of brain injury are the result of one’s drive, that the body is a beautiful, dynamic organism with endless possibilities.
- If you have remarkable story of injury and healing to share and would like to help me in this movement as a coauthor, or if you'd like to submit a guest article, please let Pamela know. My site, Rehab Revolution, welcomes a diversity of viewpoints on the subjects of well being and awareness.
- This Rehab Revolution is constantly a work in progress, but please leave comments if you ever have anything to say or ask! It is Rehab Revolution’s goal to inspire lively conversation between healers, patients, caregivers, and anyone who supports what we do. Together, let’s develop a community.
Dog
Aug 15, 2013
If I didn’t have the cutest dog in the world, there would have been many, many, many, many, many days that I didn’t leave the house, didn’t go outside. But I had to go outside, I had to take her out. If you get sick, get a dog. If you have little kids I’m sure you probably don’t need a puppy on top of that but if you have no kids to raise like me, get a dog.See the original article + 21 Comments:
Dog
in My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery
Puppy Love
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| Barb Polan Barb's Recovery |
Our latest dog died four years ago. she was a half-black-Lab mutt who was 12 and spent the final two years of her life elderly and fading - deaf, with hypothyroidism and arthritis, along with neuropathy in her hind legs. I have had a dog or two of my own since I was 20 years old - first a black Lab-Newfoundland mix who was the best dog of all time, then a big beagle mix who lasted only until he was 11; while we had that one, we took in a second dog, a black Lab stray who wandered into our yard one day collar-less; none of the animal control officers in the three towns we bordered had received a lost-dog call about a black Lab. We eventually gave that one away to a co-worker of Tom's who was looking for a nice, calm dog.
Car-Riding Dog Therapy - Sensation
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| Dean Reinke Deans' Stroke Musing |
It hit 80 degrees here today so after bowling (best was 184 with 4xs in a row) I rolled down the window and when I came to a stoplight lifted my left arm to hang out the window. This provides extra sensation as the wind whips thru the hand and flaps the long sleeve. My spastic lats don't let up in the 20 minute drive home. But hey, every little bit helps.
Wouldn't you want your therapist to do this as part of your therapy regime?
From aybanlim Dog Expression ...
See the original article:
Car-Riding Dog Therapy - Sensation
in Deans' Stroke Musing
My New Roles
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| Grace Carpenter My Happy Stroke |
Sometimes kids are fascinated by my brace. I can see the gears turning: is her leg real? Can she take her leg off? Does it hurt?
"This is a brace," I tell the kids, if I have enough energy to talk. "It helps me to walk. It doesn't hurt, but my leg doesn't work very well right now."
The other day I was walking without my brace, but very slowly and leaning on my cane. I saw a woman with a dog coming down the road on the other side. As I approached, the dog--who looked young--started to bark loudly at me.
God Made a Dog
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| Monty Becker Stroke Survivors Tattler |
On the 8th day, God made a farmer.
On the 9th day, He made a dog.
If I used your photo but didn't give you credit, so sorry. Just let me know and I'll fix that.
Top Comments:
HawaiiBob Sutterfield Happy to pick up poop forever if they could live forever.
TUBEQUEENEE Doesn't care if you're black, white, catholic, jewish, democratic, republican, male, female, fat, skinny, straight, gay, beautiful or ugly... God made a Dog!
See the full 577 comments by God Made a DogGod Made a Dog - first published on June 29, 2013 in SSTattler.
Standard YouTube License @ RedTettemer
To the Rescue
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| Marcelle Greene Up Stroke |
Almost two years have passed since my golden retriever died. My subsequent stroke prolonged the grieving-before-replacement period because I am now incapable of walking a dog, training or cleaning up after it.
But after much fawning over friends' dogs, I decided that the benefits of daily interaction with my own would outweigh the challenges. Clearly, I could not manage a puppy... but an elderly adult?
I searched the online pounds and rescue organizations and discovered Bella, a nine-year-old Golden Retriever found in a park in Taiwan. Filthy and emaciated, she was nursed back to health over the course of a year. In July she was flown to the United States because she had a better chance of adoption here.
Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Grief- Depression
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| Jo Murphey The Murphey Saga |
Welcome to stage three of my series on grief counseling. Today's topic is depression. Everyone gets depressed once in a while. If someone tells you they've never been depressed and they are over the age of ten...THEY ARE LYING.That's like the couple that say they never argue. Someone is stuffing their feelings and they are not communicating to each other. They are in big trouble.
You've had a significant loss in your life and it has changed forever. If there is any more greater reason to be depressed, I can't think of one. Everyone gets blue when thinking of what they've lost.
Repetitive Practice Stroke
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| Peter G. Levine Stronger After Stroke Blog |
What is the key to recovery? Everybody now: Repetition! I've written about this before here, here and here (journal article; co-author).
Everybody knows that repetitive practice (also known as repetitive task practice) is the way to reestablish executive (brain) control over the body. To regain control of an arm and hand repetitive practice can be used to reestablish that control. To regain control over a leg during walking, repetitive practice (walking) can be used to reestablish control over walking.It's not rocket science. And it's not brain science, until it is.
More Axes to Wield...
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| Diane The Pink House On The Corner |
On Friday morning, I talked with the nurse at Bob's primary care doctor's office. She had gotten "some" of the pre-op test results back and was waiting to discuss those results with the doctor before giving me the "go ahead" to take Bob off the warfarin and start the heparin bridge that weekend.
She said she'd call me back.
By 4:30 p.m., I hadn't heard from her so called the office and was connected to her voice mail. I left a message and told her that I was waiting for her call. I wasn't too concerned, even though it was late in the day on the Friday before the Labor Day Weekend, because I've dealt with this nurse before and she always follows through, even if it is after hours.
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