Stroke Rehabilitation

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Strokes happen when blood can't reach some or other part of your brain. When blood flow to the brain stops, brain cells in that part of the brain may die. Your brain controls how you move, feel, think and behave.

In the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year, and approximately two-thirds of these individuals survive and require rehabilitation. The goals of stroke rehabilitation are to help survivors become as independent as possible and to attain the best possible quality of life.

What is the goal of stroke rehabilitation?

Stroke Rehabilitation goal is to make the effected person as independent and productive as possible. That may mean improving physical abilities. Often old skills have been lost and new ones are needed. It's also important to maintain and improve a person's physical condition when possible. Rehabilitation begins early as nurses and other hospital personnel work to prevent such secondary problems as stiff joints, falls, bedsores and pneumonia. These can result from being in bed for a long time.

Even though rehabilitation does not "cure" stroke in that it does not reverse brain damage, rehabilitation can substantially help people achieve the best possible long-term outcome. It helps build your strength, coordination, endurance and confidence. In stroke rehabilitation, you may learn how to move, talk, think and care for yourself.

How stroke Rehabilitation professionals work?

Post-stroke rehabilitation professionals involves physicians; rehabilitation nurses; physical, occupational, recreational, speech-language, and vocational therapists; and mental health professionals. Nurses specializing in rehabilitation help survivors relearn how to carry out the basic activities of daily living. They also educate survivors about routine health care, such as how to follow a medication schedule, how to care for the skin, how to manage transfers between a bed and a wheelchair, and special needs for people with diabetes.

Stroke Rehabilitation Options

Depending on the effects of your particular stroke, your health insurance coverage, and your budget, stroke rehabilitation options may include:

1. A rehabilitation unit in the hospital
2. A subacute care unit
3. A rehabilitation hospital
4. Home therapy
5. Home with outpatient therapy
6. A long-term care facility that provides therapy and skilled nursing care.