Have just discovered another site that helps caregivers and stroke survivors with forums and handbooks for everyone to post their experiences. Here is an excerpt from their ‘About Us’ page with (hopefully) a link. If I’ve been able to put this in correctly. “The Stroke Network provides on-line support to stroke survivors and stroke caregivers of adult stroke. We have found that a stroke caregiver or another member of the stroke ... Read Full Story

There are physiotherapists and there are physiotherapists; and as the Bard in his wisdom once said, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. While I agree in principle with the spirit of this declaration I do have differences with it in one regard, namely one cannot generalise. I say this with special reference to physiotherapists. I have by now been treated almost continuously by physiotherapists since early 2007 and can safely claim to be something of an authority on the... Read Full Story

“Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft starlight at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.” Mary Elizabeth Frye Last year on April 9th, 2008, my sister Vinita Shivdasani nee S... Read Full Story

Here are some thoughts, some light, some not so light. Please feel free to add your own. Politeness and manners should never be mistaken for weakness Why be difficult, when with a little more effort, you can be impossible Loud and abrasive behaviour is not a sign of strength A doctor with an iota of compassion is a rare find and worth his weight in gold Greed is an offspring of one’s upbringing The family is one’s only last bastion Repay malice with kindness, it confuses everyo... Read Full Story

This is a short story, but I hope it will have a big impact. Obama said, “Yes, you can” and if any one person, that I know has followed that dictum, it is Mike Austin, once a talented art director and a well-loved, much admired, and highly awarded art director. And he followed the spirit of “Yes, you can,” long before Obama was heard of by the world at large and well before his famous slogan became the battle cry that called a vast majority of Americans to seek change.... Read Full Story

A compound found in soya beans and chickpeas could help stroke patients, research suggests. A study into a dietary supplement containing isoflavone found it improved artery function in stroke patients. Heart disease patients who had suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot were split into two groups, with one given isoflavone and the other a placebo. Researchers measured the way the main artery in the arm dilated following an increase in blood flow, known as flow-mediated dilation (FMD). The ... Read Full Story

TED talk – brain scientist describes the journey of her own stroke ! This is an incredible story and for anyone who hasn’t seen it or read it, it’s an eye-opener. Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions — motion, speech, self-awareness — shut down one by one. An astonishing story. TED has so many inspiring talks on different subjects. Here’s the link: http... Read Full Story

Ten Tips for Caregivers to Stroke SurvivorsIf your loved one just had a stroke, you (or a relative) will face the scary prospect of starting your on-the-job training as a new caregiver when he or she comes home from the hospital or stroke rehab center. It will be a long road filled with….http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/204495/ten_tips_for_caregivers_to_stroke_survivors.html Posted in Physiotherapists Read Full Story

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and its turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about When they might have won, had they stuck it out. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, You may succeed... Read Full Story

The problem with the “rat race” that we all run today is that even if you do emerge a winner, you are still a rat which (with due apologies to the bard) by whatever name you give it, smells just as foul. I find the above parody on the old quotation, which I unlocked from the vaults of my memory bank, to be tailor made to suit the situation of the stroke victim trying his damndest to travel the road to recovery. Lacks motivation? Sure! But whoever said that providing motivation to recover was ... Read Full Story