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Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Enhancing the Quality of Life of Stroke Survivors research archives

Stroke is a very common disorder, constituting the largest source of severe continuing disability in the US. It affects people in diverse age groups, of both genders, and of many ethnic backgrounds. Although stroke often affects those at or beyond retirement age, about one-third of stroke survivors are under age 65 years, and many would like to return to work or other community activities if they were able and if their working environment was able to support their objectives. All stroke survivors would like to achieve independence in their home environment and to be active in the community. Although promising pharmacological interventions are rapidly emerging for both acute and chronic stroke management, for the foreseeable future, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and clinical psychology will be the primary disciplines utilized in the restoration of function in stroke survivors.

Therefore, we see an enormous opportunity for the development of appropriate mechanical and electronic systems to aid the rehabilitation process. Accordingly, we are developing and evaluating a sequence of robotic training and assistive devices that will be designed with the idea of promoting efficient function in the workplace or at home, and with the further intent that they will form a basis for the development of appropriate technologies to allow disabled persons ready access to existing facilities in the community. At each stage we will engage students from our engineering school as a means to provide intensive effort for development of novel designs, but also to provide valuable opportunities for training students in the themes related to recovery of function and community integration of the disabled.

We also are conducting a project in which patients with stroke will be assisted in writing their own personal narratives describing their experiences with stroke and disability. We believe that this methodology can become a useful adjunct therapy for coping with a stroke.

For more information about these current projects and other RRTC activities, we invite you to visit the Research, Training, and Evaluation sections of our website. Information about previous RRTC in stroke rehabilitation (1998-2003) can be found in the section on archived material. If you would like more information about specific projects, contact information is provided for each project.