'I screamed, but there was nothing to hear': Man trapped in 23-year 'coma'

Doctors in Belgium have freed a hospital patient from a 23-year nightmare after discovering the man had been misdiagnosed with a coma.

Rom Houben, now 46, suffered serious injuries in a 1983 car accident, leading doctors to conclude he lived in a persistent vegetative state, but new testing techniques revealed Houben’s brain remained fully functioning throughout the two decade ordeal. Next...

Born with half a brain, woman living full life

Born with only half a brain, Mack can speak normally, graduated from high school and has an uncanny knack for dates.
At 27, doctors determined that the right side of her brain had essentially rewired itself to make up for function that was likely lost during a pre-birth stroke. But her childhood and young adult years were fraught with frustration.

Spreading the message

"Then, Tuesday afternoon, she was dressed for Sunday School," she said. "We realized she wandered when 'Pop' was in the shower. That was a familiar place to search for him." Van Cleave discussed what are called the four A's of Alzheimer's namely, amnesia, aphasia, apraxia and agnosia. Amnesia is, of course, memory loss, with aphasia being the loss of the ability to communicate. Apraxia is the loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements, such as walking. Agnosia is the loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, etc.
A key part of the study dealt with the acronym, C.O.P.E., which is: --Communicate, not only with the patient but also with the doctor, other helpers, and supporters.

--Organize and simplify the details of your own life and the patient's life....next..........

--Prioritize your time.

--Energize your body and your brain.

Singalong the right prescription for patients

THERAPEUTIC SINGALONG: Parkinsons sufferer Iris Matheson is finding the CeleBRation Choir is helping her to walk more confidently.

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The CeleBRation Choir is not your average choir.
Set up in September by Auckland University's Centre for Brain Research, it uses music as therapy to help people with neurological conditions such as huntington's or motor neurone disease.
The weekly sessions at the Tamaki Campus in Glen Innes provide an opportunity for patients and their caregivers to get together and enjoy a sing-along.
Music therapist Alison Cooper says it is the first choir of its type in New Zealand...NEXT........

Stroke and infections (video): Some infections increase the risk of stroke.Little Rock, AR - FOX16 Health Report --