Stroke Rehab

[Jay-Jay, RN]

I was just reading Walter Gretzky's bio, and found out there were certain mental exercises his therapist used to help him recover from an aneurysm. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of thing? I've never heard of anything like this. My husband had a right brain stroke back in January, and I'm looking for anything that will help him recover. He mainly has problems with sequencing, reaction time, and judging where objects are in space/relation to himself. (Well, that is improving...he doesn't bump into the doorframes nearly as often as he used to! But I would certainly not want him driving a car just yet!)

If anyone has info on these exercises, please let me know!

[LeesieBug]

My father had a stroke 7 years ago, at age 54. While I haven't heard of what you mentioned specifically, my dad made a great deal of progress cognitively using computer programs that basically excercised his brain. I tried some of them out..the one I remember in particular consisted of tracking a small ball as it appeared and clicking on it before it would disappear, etc. It measured your reaction time, and kept track of your progress.

These programs became progressively more challenging...my mother bought a new one every few months. These things really worked for him. It took time, but he has made HUGE progress. When he came home, for example, he did not understand that his feet hurt because he did not have on socks... he was trying to slice the table instead of a piece of cheese....he understood turning ON the water faucets but would not turn them OFF...he would know he was hungry but had NO idea what to do about it and would not eat unless someone suggested it and prepared the food.... It seemed there were all these little connections in his brain that were no longer in place.

He now is very functional. He drives the car, does the grocery shopping, actually laughs and has some expression in his voice! The biggest difficulty he has at this point is that he can not handle a lot of activity and noise going on around him..too much input. It makes him very agitated. He cannot work, but we at least feel like we have HIM back!

If you would like to know information about the computer programs, I can get the info from my mother for you, or I can have her contact you about the course of treatment they used, if you think that would help.

I undestand that reading and doing crossword puzzles are also excellent for those trying to recover cognitively. My dad spends a good part of his day on these types of activities.

Best wishes for you both. I understand the pain and struggle involved when this happens to a loved one. Take care.

[Jay-Jay, RN]

Hmmm....don't know how well this would work, Leesie! My husband had great difficulty manipulating a computer mouse BEFORE the stroke! But, if you'd be so kind as to send me more info, I'll check them out. Wouldn't hurt to try!