Experiencing a Stroke

Smartphone app helps stroke victims

(UKPA) – Feb 20, 2012 

Stroke patients could be helped to hospital quicker with a new smartphone app.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are set to release an application called Fast which identifies key symptoms of a stroke.
It is hoped the app will help diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the future.
Funding for the app has been provided by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) whose research shows that stroke is the third-biggest killer in Scotland, behind heart disease and cancer.
Fast asks users if the person can smile, can lift both arms and if their speech is slurred. If all these symptoms are present, the user is told to call 999.
The app, available on iPhone and Android handsets, points to different symptoms and indicators, while providing instant access to nursing staff and hospitals on demand.
David Clark, chief executive of CHSS, said: "Around 12,000 people will have a stroke each year in Scotland.
"We hope that our app will help people to recognise the symptoms of stroke and guide them through the process of calling for help.
"In a typical stroke, you lose two million brain cells a minute so it is vital that you're treated as quickly as possible."
The app is part of the Fast campaign by NHS Scotland and CHSS, aimed at treating and preventing strokes.
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ENGLAND legend Jimmy Greaves has revealed he has suffered a stroke.

England legend suffers stroke

Legend ... former footballer Jimmy Greaves

David New/The Sun

By DAN SALES

Published: 26th February 2012

ENGLAND legend Jimmy Greaves has revealed he has suffered a stroke.

22 comments

The former Spurs ace, 72, had to spend two nights in hospital after he fell ill at home.
Medics at Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital discovered the striker had suffered a transient ischaemic attack.
He also had to undergo neck surgery, but said that he had now made a full recovery.
He said: "I had a mini-stroke but just weeks later I'm honestly feeling better than I have in years - I'm as fit as a butcher's dog.
"I'm out and about, enjoying life to the full.
"I lost a stone, which I needed to do and it's made me feel a lot younger.
"If anyone complains about the NHS don't believe a word of it.
"The people who looked after me couldn't have been any more professional or caring."
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Life after a stroke

The harder you work during rehabilitation, the better your chances of significant recovery after a stroke.
THERE are many questions that come to the minds of stroke victims and their caregivers. Some people view a stroke negatively, whilst others take up the challenge of recovery and restoration of function as much as is possible.
Importantly, the stroke victim’s attitude has a substantial influence on recovery.
The care of stroke patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. The ideal is for all stroke patients to be managed in a stroke unit, which is a dedicated unit in the hospital that only manages strokes. Such a unit would be staffed by neurologists, geriatricians, general physicians with an interest in stroke, trained nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. It would also include neurosurgeons, social workers and dietitians.

The extent of recovery of motor functions is often influenced by the extent of compliance with the rehabilitation plan.

 

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Sudbury woman files negligence lawsuit

SUDBURY —

A Sudbury nursing home resident has filed a lawsuit against the home and its owner, alleging negligence in hiring a man she said sexually assaulted her in 2009.
Ruby McDonough, 63, through her lawyer, Harold Levine, filed the lawsuit in Middlesex Superior Court against the Sudbury Pines Extended Care Center and its owner, Roberta C. Henderson.
Henderson was served the suit yesterday.
In February 2009, McDonough accused then-Sudbury-Pines-employee Kofi Agana of sexually assaulting her.
McDonough suffers from expressive aphasia, a condition that limits her ability to speak or communicate.
Agana, 50, was found not guilty last year in Framingham District Court of the sexual assault after a two-day trial.
“Our focus is on accountability,” said Levine. “For us, it’s about finding out who, how and why? In particular, we want to find out how Mr. Agana had access to Ms. McDonough. From what I understand, he was here illegally, yet he was licensed, he was hired and he was supervised.”

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1679919739/Sudbury-woman-files-negligence-lawsuit#ixzz1oYMTdkHd

USC stroke trial gives hope to stroke victims with speech impairment

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) -- A USC professor and speech pathologist is conducting a stroke trial for people who have impaired speech after experiencing a stroke.

Internationally known speech pathologist Dr. Julius Fridriksson will conduct a study looking into the effectiveness of using electrode stimulation of the brain.

According to Fridriksson, the voltage used during the study is applied to the scalp and is low enough that patients will not feel it.

Mark Cox, one of Fridriksson's patients. will participate in the upcoming trial.

Cox is a retired Airforce Liutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander. The father of three was set to deploy to Afghanistan, but then he had a stroke.

According to Fridriksson, Cox has Aphasia resulting from his stroke, which causes him to have impaired speech.

"I would not have gotten through the Aphasia without Robyn, my wife. I am hard headed. She set me straight and made me do it," said Cox.

Annie Hill, another participant in the trial, also had a stroke, which caused impaired speech.........................

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