Music lights up the whole brain, “like the sky during a fireworks display,” said Kyle Wilhelm, MA, MTBC in the Music Therapy Services department of West Music. This seems to bring delight as many survivors experience firsthand.

Music therapists do not try to improve a person’s ability to sing or play an instrument — that is the job of a music educator. Music therapy is used to improve three areas of functioning with survivors: motor, speech and cognitive.

For stroke survivors, outdoor sports provide opportunities to challenge yourself both physically and mentally due to an unpredictable and changing environment. Meeting new challenges can be empowering to a survivor.

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) — also known as vascular dementia — affects thinking, memory, the ability to shift focus and more. There is no cure, but it may be that a heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent it.

For Phyllis Weiss, a 65-year-old survivor from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, each sound she painstakingly — but patiently — forms is a triumph. In her quiet, halting delivery is an underlying strength and vitality. Qualities that carried her through an entire year of silence.

Survivor, Quenby Schuyler, had never been a particularly grateful type of person. After her stroke, her take on gratitude changed.

Life-altering events force us to look back on our lives. That was especially true for me during the first four months after my hemorrhagic stroke in 2013 at age 44.

Getting back to traveling can give families dealing with stroke a fresh perspective by going with others who share similar challenges. While traveling post-stroke can be challenging, going with a group can offer “a safe place to explore new boundaries for both the caregiver and the survivor,” said cruiser Laura Latham.

Of course I knew how to swim, but what could I do now with one arm and one functioning leg?

Stroke Survivors Empowering Each Other, Inc. (SSEEO) offers support but isn’t your traditional stroke support group. Founded in 2004 by survivors, caregivers and other stroke stakeholders as a patient-support advocacy group, SSEEO has grown into a nonprofit that provides advocacy, support, education and resources to stroke families.

Diane is the writer and producer of the award-winning, Just Another Dance with My Father, a 17-minute film about a young stroke survivor. She wanted to write about a young survivor because as a speech pathologist she had witnessed the trauma stroke brings to someone in the prime of life.

Online pharmacies can be an easy and affordable way to stay on track with your prescription medicines. But it’s important to be a savvy consumer because fake online pharmacies are a growing problem.

A new, non-biased website dedicated to assisting patients, families and health professionals with identifying appropriate neuro-rehab solutions and resources has recently launched.

Left untreated, high blood pressure (HBP) may significantly increase your risk of developing a brain bleed, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2016.

Ekso Bionics Inc., a robotic exoskeleton company, recently announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Ekso GT robotic exoskeleton for use in the treatment of individuals with hemiplegia due to stroke.

Stroke patients at hospitals participating in a nationwide quality-improvement program were more likely to be discharged home and less likely to die after discharge than patients in non-participating hospitals, according to research in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.