Fighting Isolation in Stroke Survivors

One thing that many stroke survivors deal with on a persistent basis is isolation. This is mostly because of the limitations that are imposed on survivors in the aftermath of a stroke. Disability is common after a stroke, and although not all of these are permanent, even a temporary disability that requires rehabilitation and therapy can help contribute to isolation. And because being by yourself for prolonged periods of time has been shown to have a negative impact on mental health, this can extremely dangerous for those that are already prone to mental health issues thanks to suffering from a stroke. Thankfully, new research is attempting to stop this problem.

 

One new project involves using sensory devices to help stroke survivors. These haptic devices rely on vibrations in order to help those that may have sensory impairment walk more confidently. Being confined to a wheelchair is common after a stroke, but it is possible with therapy for many of these victims to walk well again someday. The idea is that the vibrations would communicate with the patient so that they could make adjustments to their stride and balance as they are relearning how to walk. It’s similar to a cell phone vibrating, but rather than alerting the wearer that they have a call, it is sending them feedback on how they are doing as they walk.

 

Relearning how to walk is a tough task for stroke survivors. New devices might be able to help more people in this area.

 

Fighting in the aftermath of a stroke is not easy. If you’ve ever had a loved one go through this, you have seen the difficulties of relearning things that were second nature to them. Even something as simple as walking down the hallway can now be almost impossible. Many people that have the potential to recover their physical health after a stroke don’t, often because their therapy methods are too difficult for them to persist through. This isn’t their fault at all, but rather the fact that the therapy may not have matched their physical and mental needs. Using technology like these new devices to help people casts a wider net and it creates the potential for helping people that might not have benefited from other methods of rehab to recover. It’s an exciting new development, and it has the potential to help thousands of stroke victims to make a more complete recovery.

 

Therapy is just one part of the recovery process of course. The isolation that comes with having a stroke can be even more devastating, and although this method does attempt to fight that, it doesn’t take into account senior care at all. Many elderly folk that are in the process of recovering from a stroke find huge benefits in having an in-home caregiver on their side, keeping them company during the day when they would otherwise be alone. This creates a better mental health resource than many of the alternatives, even if the physical disability that was created as a result of the stroke isn’t too severe. If your mom or dad has suffered from a stroke, this may be something that you wish to consider.

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