Stroke

How can I help my elderly parent recover from a stroke?

encompassseniorsolutions — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:56:56 GMT

Article from Encompass Senior Solutions about strokes "Research by the Center for Disease Control states that strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. And nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people ages 65 or older. Helping an elderly parent recover from a stroke can be a long uphill battle, one your parent’s doctors will help you both through." http://encompassomaha.socialmediacontractors.net/2012/07/18/is-in-home-dialysis-an-option-for-the-elderly/

Article: Stroke Information

Admin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:18:31 GMT

Stroke Information

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in adults. About 600,000 new strokes are reported in the U.S. each year. The good news is that treatments are available that can greatly reduce the damage caused by a stroke. However, you need to recognize the symptoms of a stroke and get to a hospital quickly. Getting treatment within 60 minutes can prevent disability.

What is a stroke?

A stroke, sometimes called a "brain attack," occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. When a stroke occurs, brain cells in the immediate area begin to die because they stop getting the oxygen and nutrients they need to function.

This article continues at Stroke Information.

Cindy McCain's stroke in 2004

JohnT — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:08:39 GMT

One more example of how stroke does not respect age, class, wealth, gender, anything...In 2004 Cindy McCain, due to high blood pressure had a stroke at age 50. From wikipedia:

"Due to high blood pressure, McCain suffered a near-fatal stroke in April 2004.^[ After several months of physical therapy to overcome her leg and arm limitations, she made a mostly full recovery, although she still suffers from some short term memory loss and difficulties in writing."

Also, in a quote from a 2007 interview:

"In conversation, she will occasionally have trouble remembering certain facts, especially from the recent past, and if you look closely you realize she cannot make her right hand into a complete fist, which has affected her handwriting, if not her ability to grasp a gearshift knob. "It's not bad," she says, describing the damage to her hand. "I can function. I have short-term memory loss. I can remember all the major details of my life, but I sometimes can't remember what happened last week."

Hopefully her high-profile as part of the presidential campaign will also raise awareness of the effects of stroke and the degree to which it is a frequent, common occurrence for everyone.

Article: Recovery From Stroke

Admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:02:37 GMT

Recovery From Stroke

For Pedro Antaran, an 83-year-old Seattle resident, the stroke came in the morning, with little warning. After waking up to make coffee, he noticed that his right leg felt different than usual. “I felt that my leg was heavy, and I could not lift it,” he recalls. “I thought in my mind that maybe this was a stroke.” He asked his wife to call 911—and soon afterward was at the hospital.

Antaran’s fast reaction helped ensure an early intervention to the stroke, which in turn has aided his remarkably short recovery from stroke. He still suffers from some minimal neurological effects (he sometimes has difficulty recalling the name of objects, for instance). But less than four months after his stroke, Antaran is already living at home, walking without a cane, and traveling throughout Seattle by bus.

This article continues at Recovery From Stroke

Daytime Dozing May be a Warning Sign of Stroke

donnad — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:16:36 GMT

Does your mom fall asleep while watching afternoon TV? Does Granddad take a nap in his chair after he finishes lunch? If so, they may have a significantly higher risk of having a future stroke that their senior counterparts who rarely nap during the day. A recent study conducted at Columbia University found that nodding off to sleep, frequently, during the day is a warning sign of a future stroke.

Study participants who were heavy dozers were found to have a five times greater risk for stroke than those who rarely nodded off. Participants who dozed occasionally had a nearly three times greater risk of future stroke. The chance of having other vessel-related disorders also increased among the daytime dozers.

It's possible that nighttime sleep apnea may be the cause of daytime drowsiness. People with sleep apnea briefly stop breathing during sleep and this causes spikes in blood pressure as they suddenly startle awake.

So if you notice that your senior loved one tends to doze during the day, please be sure to mention it to their doctor. Ask about having your loved one evaluated for a sleep disorder.

www.strokeassociation.org

Study: New cells lead to faster stroke recovery

JohnT — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:26:15 GMT

South Korean and Canadian studies suggested stroke victims might benefit from transplantation of human mesenchymal or bone marrow stem cells.

In the South Korean study, researchers transplanted human mesenchymal stem cells, or hMSCs, into animal stroke models with cerebral artery occlusion. The animals were monitored by magnetic resonance imaging at two days, one week, two weeks, six weeks and 10 weeks after transplant.

Cells started showing indications of migration as early as one or two weeks following transplantation, said lead author Jihwan Song of the Pochon CHA University College of Medicine. "At 10 weeks, the majority of the cells were detected in the core of the infarcted area.

We speculate that the extensive migratory nature of stem cells and their utilization will provide an important tool for developing novel stroke therapies, Song said.

In the joint Canadian-Chinese study, bone marrow stromal cells, or BMSCs, were injected into animals 24 hours following stroke. Researchers found that within seven days the animals exhibited significant reductions in scar size and cell death and improvements in neurological function when compared to controls receiving no BMSCs.

Both studies are reported in the journal Cell Transplantation.

Source: United Press International