Stroke Rehabilitation and Robots

A new study conducted by researchers at University of Massachusetts-Amherst reveals that using robots to provide speech and physical therapies to stroke patients may provide noticeable benefits.

The researchers observed how a uBot-5, a child-size humanoid robot interacted with a 72-year old male stroke patient and found that using such a robot could be effective in providing speech and physical therapies, such as word-retrieval games and arm movement tasks, in an engaging way.

The researchers said that the patient, who suffered from a physical disability on one side as well as aphasia, interacted with the robot over a few weeks and displayed 'notable gains in the frequency and range of the upper-limb movements'. The study has been published in the journal Aphasiology.

"In addition to improving quality of life, if we can support a client in the home so they can delay institutionalization, we can improve outcomes and make a huge impact on the cost of elder care. There are 70 million baby boomers beginning to retire now. Stroke rehabilitation is such a monumental financial problem everywhere in the world, that's where it can pay for itself", co-author of the study, Rod Grupen said.

Source: Medindia

Stroke

Stroke can cause permanent disability and it is important to recognize its early warning signs to stop its progress. Early warning signs of stroke include sudden weakness of facial muscles.

Stress and the Gender Divide

Stress has become entwined in the current lifestyle of a young working couple and has resulted in the rise in incidence of hypertension, diabetes and psychosomatic illnesses.

Aphasia

Aphasia is a condition where the patient has a language disorder. The patient has problems with comprehension, expression, repetition, reading and writing.

How to Deal with a Stroke

Stroke is a brain attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. It affects all age groups; according to the WHO, 15 million people are affected by stroke annually.