Falling Through the Cracks: A Literature Review to Understand the Reality of Mild Stroke Survivors
http://thomasland.metapress.com/content/j15g01377802u232/
The link discusses how mild stroke survivors may present impairments that do not interfere with basic activities of daily living but do affect performance of complex tasks. Home interventions were found to help patients maximize their functions and improve rehabilitation outcome. However the majority of mild stroke survivors are sent home without referral to rehabilitation services although they present functional deficits.
Home rehabilitation will give better outcome if the dedicated supervised therapy sessions are as regular and intensive as in an in patient environment. However early release may be based on a logistical and financial decision rather a health decision.
The article points out however that the majority of mild stroke survivors are sent home without referral to rehabilitation services and their handicap/ disability, if not addressed, can lead to immobility demotivation, depression and the lack of ability to do active daily living tasks (ADL). This will prevent their reintegration into the community.
In order to enhance functional recovery it is fundamental that a customized home based rehabilitation program ensures that traditional task and exerise based rehabilitation is undertaken intensively and regularly.
The MediTouch HandTutor is a rehabilitation glove and software which offers impairment orientated training (IOT) and augmented feedback. The HandTutor provides repetitive customized isolated or inter joint co-ordinated finger and wrist hand exercises and rehabilitates fine movements of the hand and wrist. At the same time the dedicated rehabilitation software motivates the patient to continue intensive repetitive exercises by providing challenging games that have been designed around both neurological and Orthopedic conditions.
Research with the HandTutor confirms that task oriented training should be combined with Impairment oriented (IOT) training to achieve enhanced functional recovery. The HandTutor is used in hospitals and community hand therapy clinics and home care to give an intensive active isolated exercise program. In home care the HandTutor can be supported by out patient therapy sessions or PT/ OT home visits or by tele rehabilitation therapy.
Examples of patients that are treated include Stroke, TBI, spinal cord injury CP, Orthopedic hand and arm surgery, development co-ordination disorders in children etc.
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