Stroke Rehab

May is stroke awareness month -- a time for all of us to take stock of our risk factors. Stroke is the number-one cause of adult disability but rehabilitation has a big impact on quality of life.

In May's Health Check, see the difference that determination and goal-setting can make.

Georgia Stricklin has come a long way in a year. There's still work to do on her left hand but she's walking on her own, working out and getting back her independence, thanks to the skills relearned in rehabilitation

Georgia says the focus turns to, "brushing your hair, washing your face, doing your teeth, putting your deodorant on, just getting dressed, all those things you took for granted."

Patients see the most recovery for their effort in the first three to six months after a stroke. That doesn't stop Georgia from heading to Alegent Health's Immanuel Rehabilitation Center three times a week

Doctor Thomas Franco, with Alegent Health Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, knows that improvements can still be made. Recovery is based in part on the type and severity of stroke, a patient's health or risk factors, and attitude.

He says, "We take what we have to work with and then we try to rehab it to the fullest extent, giving a person an opportunity to go back to a life of independence, a life of loving their family, participating in anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmases."

Part of Georgia's recovery has to be tied to the fact she continually sets goals for herself. Soon she's going to start on video games to improve her hand/eye coordination because she's determined to drive again.

With help from her husband, Georgia pushes herself looking for the payoff.

"It's a have to," she says. "And you gotta do it every day. I figure I'll be exercising the rest of my life. That's the only way I'm going to get myself back to where I was before."

No matter how much time passes, that will always be the goal.

You can learn more about the causes of stroke and prevention by attending a free program at Immanuel Medical Center.

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