What is a Stroke?
A stroke is sometimes called a “brain attack” and is a catastrophic injury. The analogy is that, like a heart attack, the blood and the glucose it contains, ceases to flow to a vital organ. In the case of a heart attack, the heart is the vital organ, but in the case of a stroke, it is the brain.
Depending upon where within the brain blood stops flowing, the effects of a stroke can differ. If blood stops flowing for more than a few seconds, the brain is unable to obtain the oxygenated blood that it needs to function. As a result, cells die. Based upon where within the brain a stroke occurs, it can affect movement, speech, vision and the range of functions the brain controls. This is because different locations within the brain control different aspects of movement and cognition.
There are two primary types of stroke:
1. Ischemic stroke: Results from the blockage of a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. The blockage may form in an artery that is already narrow. The resulting stroke is called a “thrombotic stroke.” Within the category of ischemic strokes are also “embolic strokes.” These are characterized by a clot breaking off from another place in the blood vessels of the brain. Alternatively, the clot may break off from elsewhere in the body and travel to the brain. Ischemic strokes may also be caused by the collection of plaque that can clog arteries. The plaque can break off, travel to the brain, and hinder the flow of blood into and throughout the brain.
2. Hemorrhagic stroke: Results from a weakening in the blood vessels in the brain and a consequent burst of the vessels. If blood leaks into the brain and fills the space between the brain and skull, the term that is generally used to describe the condition is “subarachnoid hemorrhage.” If a defective artery in the brain bursts and fills the surrounding tissue with blood, the term generally used to describe the condition is “cerebral hemorrhage.”
While high blood pressure is the main risk factor for stroke, there are others; some are within the control of the individual but some are not. Some of the factors include:
- Lifestyle habits
- Diabetes
- Family history
- High cholesterol
- Age
The results of a study in London suggested that many individuals with undiagnosed attention problems also had a propensity for strokes. Examples included difficulties filtering out distraction, reduction in alertness and problems following instructions. The researchers tested 100 stroke patients and 62 controls (people who had not had a stroke). Five of the stroke patients had already been diagnosed with poor awareness and attention on one side of the body. All the 162 participants were given an ANT (attention network test), a computer-based test that measures alertness, executive control and orientation. They also underwent an MRI brain scan. The team found that more than half of the stroke patients had undiagnosed attention disorders. The head investigator explained that MRI brain scans can help predict what type of attention problems stroke patients might have. Those with the front of the brain affected tended to have problems filtering out distraction. If the center of the brain was affected, the patients were more likely to have poorer alertness, while lesions in the back of the brain were linked to difficulties following instructions[1].
The clinically relevant services that can be rendered to an individual who has suffered a stroke, in order to maximize his or her independence, depends upon several factors, including:
- Type of stroke
- Extent of the traumatic brain injury (effectively, how much brain tissue has been damaged)
- Bodily functions affected
The main goal of acute care is to medically stabilize the individual who suffered a stroke, to determine its nature and to initially assess affected bodily functions. Rehabilitation and the establishment of a plan may begin in the acute-care facility or in a specialized rehabilitation hospital. However, specialized rehabilitation, adaptive therapies, the re-learning of activities of daily living (ADLs) and the provision of services to achieve successful, sustained outcomes is the goal of post-acute rehabilitation for even the most difficult and challenging diagnoses and the focus of NeuLife’s specialized rehabilitation program.
NeuLife’s philosophy is that healing, wellness and personal fulfillment are best accomplished in a positive and uplifting therapeutic environment where caring staff encourage, assist and support each client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to increase function and independence. NeuLife seeks to achieve, for all of its clients, maximized, sustained outcomes that exceed the expectations of all persons served.
NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is a fully accessible residential post-acute program providing specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic amputations and other catastrophic injuries.
2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757
[1] MediLexicon International, LTD, May 14, 2014
