The shift in rehabilitation has been 180° in about 15 years. Prior to the prospective payment system (~1998), therapists were able to treat stroke survivors for as long as the therapist liked. There was some question about whether this therapist-dictated system was cost-effective. So it was scuttled.
Other countries have therapist treat stroke survivors for longer time periods. In many European countries these longer treatment times result in more recovery.
So if more treatment is better, but cost savings dictate shorter treatment periods, what's a stroke survivor to do?
One easy answer is to go home and work hard. This is where my book, and other books, can help. The idea is to do "massed practice". Many hours a day of practice.
Hard, sweaty, ugly practice.
Hard, sweaty, ugly practice.
If this sounds uninviting, it should. But in order to rewire the brain after stroke hard, sweaty, ugly work needs to be done. Remember Michael Jordan didn't start out as Michael Jordan. He started out as awkward kid who was a crappy basketball player.
Be Like Mike.
Hard Work = Recovery.
~
2 comments:
Very accurate! I did the hard, ugly work you describe and it did pay off! i am a stroke survivor of 23 years, had it at age 15 ...I had a brain bleed from an AVM caused my right side to be completely paralyzed - lost reading, writing, walking and talking. Now I am 37. I live an active, fulfilling life as mother of 2 young boys - 4 and 2 yrs, wife, product marketing director, swim, bike, run, play catch with my kids, ... and still have residual affects with my fine motor skills and numbness. My insurance ended at 4 yrs post and treatment options were sparse. Great to hear such "spot on wisdom" ...
Thank you Ms. Penney! I have the easy part. There is a Joe Jackson song with the line, "Good advice is oh so nice, but oh so hard to do."
And you've done it.
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