BME-Stroke-Rehabilitation-Applications

• Wearable technologies will improve stroke rehabilitation
  

  The new partnership will also explore the development of other wearable health technologies for older adults.

  “From the management of chronic disease, to fall prevention and mobility strategies, health wearables have the potential to make a huge difference for the elderly,” said Muhammad Khan, founder and CEO of Pervasive Dynamics, and an alumnus of the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program at Waterloo. “If we can get technologies like these in the hands of the public and practitioners we can significantly reduce the impact and burden of an aging population on the Canadian health-care system by providing clinicians with more data on which to base health-care decisions.”

  By 2030, one-quarter of the Canadian population — close to 8 million people — will be over the age of 65. Stroke is the third major cause of death in Canada, with approximately 50,000 Canadians suffering a stroke each year. More than 20 per cent of older adults will take serious falls, costing the health-care system $2 billion in related costs annually.

  “ARCH is focused on facilitating advances in therapies to slow down the trajectory of aging and reduce the risk of age-related injury and disease,” said McIlroy. “If we hope to reduce the impact of an aging population, we need to start now.”

• Wearable technology to help people recover after stroke
  
  
  "Stroke rehabilitation is increasingly home-based, as patients are often discharged from hospital after only a few days. This policy encourages independence and avoids problems associated with prolonged hospital stays," Jane Burridge, professor of restorative neuroscience at Southampton, was quoted as saying."However, some patients struggle to carry out the exercises and they may question whether what they are doing is correct," Burridge added.
  
  The wearable technology will be the first to incorporate mechanomyography (MMG) microphone-like sensors that detect the vibration of a muscle when it contracts, and inertial measurement units (IMU), comprising tri-axial accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers that detect movement.Data from the two types of sensors will be put together and then data that is not needed, for example outside noise, will then be removed from the muscle signal.
  

  The feedback to patients will be presented on a user-friendly computer interface as an accurate representation of their movement, showing them how much they have improved. "We hope that our sleeve will help stroke patients regain the use of their arm and hand, reduce time spent with therapists and allow them to have the recommended 45 minutes daily therapy more flexibly," Burridge said.
  

  
  
  

• Benefits of Virtual Reality for Stroke Rehabilitation

  SaeboVR is the world’s only virtual rehabilitation system exclusively focusing on ADL’s (activities of daily living). The proprietary platform was specifically designed to engage clients in both physical and cognitive challenges involving daily functional activities. In addition to interacting with meaningful every-day tasks, the SaeboVR uses a virtual assistant that appears on the screen to educate and facilitate performance by providing real-time feedback.
  

• 5 Apps for Stroke Recovery

  
  Cozi is a calendar app aimed at keeping families in sync. But it can be used as a great tool for multiple caregivers involved in the care of a stroke survivor. The features include a shared calendar that is color-coded for each person. It keeps track of appointments and assigns which caregiver is involved and allows you to see the calendars of others in your circle. Other features include a to-do list, shopping list and journal. This app is available for Android and any iOS device.

   

  SmallTalk helps people with aphasia, focusing on text-to-talk. Meaning that it speaks conversational words and phrases. Simple photos paired with functional expressions communicate exactly what you need to say. It comes with a male or female voice.  Examples are “I have aphasia”, “Speak slowly” and “what should we do today?” You can personalize and expand the vocabulary as you go. This app is helpful in everyday situations, doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping and emergencies. This app is available for any iOS device.

   

  CakeHealth is designed to make tracking your healthcare costs and benefits easier. After registering online, the app connects to your health insurance and imports your health information. Users can check on their bills and see their remaining benefits anytime on any computer. Items are broken down using graphs and pie charts, making the app easy to sort through, unlike your medical bills. This app is available for iPhone.

   

  Naming TherAppy is also targeted toward aphasia patients. There are four options: naming practice, naming test, describe and flashcards. Naming practice will show and describe a picture, then ask the user to name the object. Describe does the opposite, it shows a photo and asks the user to describe how it looks, tastes, smells, etc. It’s equipped with 500+ photos and a male voice that delivers cues and questions. This app is compatible with iPhones and iPads.

   

  iTherapy is designed for cognition and language rehabilitation. It can be used by the caregiver or clinician. It allows the clinician to assign homework, check up on the stroke survivor’s progress and to send personalized messages when they have reached a milestone. It has 50 different tasks with over 12,000 items to complete. In a sense, it is a therapist on the go. This app is available for iPad.

  
  

• Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

  What is post-stroke rehabilitati

  What is post-stroke rehabilitation?

  Rehabilitation helps stroke survivors relearn skills that are lost when part of the brain is damaged. For example, these skills can include coordinating leg movements in order to walk or carrying out the steps involved in any complex activity. Rehabilitation also teaches survivors new ways of performing tasks to circumvent or compensate for any residual disabilities. Individuals may need to learn how to bathe and dress using only one hand, or how to communicate effectively when their ability to use language has been compromised. There is a strong consensus among rehabilitation experts that the most important element in any rehabilitation program is carefully directed,well-focused, repetitive practice—the same kind of practice used by all people when they learn a new skill, such as playing the piano or pitching a baseball.

  Rehabilitative therapy begins in the acute-care hospital after the person’s overall condition has been stabilized, often within 24 to 48 hours after the stroke. The first steps involve promoting independent movement because many individuals are paralyzed or seriously weakened. Patients are prompted to change positions frequently while lying in bed and to engage in passive or active range of motion exercises to strengthen their stroke-impaired limbs. ("Passive" range-of-motion exercises are those in which the therapist actively helps the patient move a limb repeatedly, whereas "active" exercises are performed by the patient with no physical assistance from the therapist.) Depending on many factors—including the extent of the initial injury—patients may progress from sitting up and being moved between the bed and a chair to standing, bearing their own weight, and walking, with or without assistance. Rehabilitation nurses and therapists help patients who are able to perform progressively more complex and demanding tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and using a toilet, and they encourage patients to begin using their stroke-impaired limbs while engaging in those tasks. Beginning to reacquire the ability to carry out these basic activities of daily living represents the first stage in a stroke survivor's return to independence.

  For some stroke survivors, rehabilitation will be an ongoing process to maintain and refine skills and could involve working with specialists for months or years after the stroke.

  
  

• Virtual Reality In Stroke Rehabilitation

  Virtual Reality is a very encouraging and effective treatment for patients post stroke. In turn combining VR and other physical therapy modalities patients can effectively speed up their treatment and recovery time. Furthermore, advances in stroke therapy is promptly showing significant improvement when combined with Virtual Reality.

  Roughly two-thirds of stroke survivors experience motor deficits, according to the American Stroke Association, and conventional rehabilitation can be a lengthy process. Virtual reality therapy is transforming the way to a future of efficient stroke rehabilitation.

  Virtual reality therapy for stroke victims has infinite possibly and potential. It was proven to help improve motor impairment as mentioned in a 2011 study published by the American Stroke Association found. In the 2011 study found that 11 out of 12 studies previous studies showed a significant benefit from rehabilitation with virtual reality.

  Another benefit of using Virtual reality therapy in patients post stroke is being able to offer many different treatment options for each patient as no stroke survivor has the same impairment. Stroke physical therapy can be individualized to render the most effective treatment which will optimize rehabilitation and help the patient get close to where they were physically and motor skill wise before suffering from a stroke.
  The virtual experience activates neurons and induces a therapeutic effect on the brain that may reduce pain and increases function. By viewing the movement of an effected body part without pain, the brain undergoes a corrective learning process.

  Immersive virtual environments can break the everyday link between where our senses tell us we are and where we are actually are and whom we are with. Furthermore, VR increased perception and cognition.
  People who have survived a stroke and are living with minor to severe functional limitations. Impairments such as loss of range of motion and movement disorganization creates a deficit in motor control that affect the person’s ability for independent living. Therapeutic interventions such as facilitation techniques, progressive strengthening, biofeedback, and electrical stimulation have been used to promote functional recovery, but outcome studies have yielded inconsistent results. Virtual reality environment is an enhancement to existing methods of retraining the patient in after a stroke. Virtual reality rehabilitation is a new and developing science with very well established clinical trials and clinical experience. At DNR with CAREN (Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment) we are the leaders of VR treatment in the New York area.