Links of Interest    · A Stroke In The Family:      What Can We Expect? Patient Information    · American Heart Association    · National Stroke Association

Every 45 seconds, someone suffers a stroke. "About 700,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. (American Stroke Association). Many of the patients at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center (PNRC) are people who are stroke survivors. They are treated by a team approach that includes the patient and their family members. The team consists of physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, rehab psychologists, nursing staff, case managers, recreation therapists, and physiatrists, who are physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The rehabilitation staff are experts in the care of stroke survivors and have many years of experience. Our therapists have specialized training to maximize the survivors ability to succeed. Some of this training includes the latest advances in neurodevelopmental treatment, specialized vision and balance re-training, Vital-StimTM for swallowing dysfunctions, and a driving re-education program.

The Stroke Support Group meets the 4th Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8pm. Contact Angie Griffin at (865) 531-1356 for more information.

The primary goal of rehab is to help survivors overcome disabilities and rediscover a satisfied, productive lifestyle within the limits imposed by their stroke. Treatment is an active process in which the patient and their family is involved in the goal setting, therapy, and education. Aspects of the therapy program include interdisciplinary training in ROM, strength and conditioning exercise, training in self-care and daily living skills, homemaking, leisure and recreational activities, training in ambulation and mobility, balance, and community re-entry, retraining in speech, language, cognition and perception, and swallowing, monitoring medication, bowel and bladder re-training, psychological adjustment to disability, and coordinated discharge planning. Other aspects include identification and management of risk factors to help prevent future strokes.

Many stroke survivors will require follow up therapies after their discharge from the inpatient rehabilitation hospital. These therapies may include visits from a home health care provider or participation in an outpatient program as well as community wide support group gatherings. Patricia Neal Outpatient Clinic is available to assist stroke survivors with their follow-up therapy needs.

Now that a life has been saved from a brain attack, the comprehensive rehabilitation team will help develop the skills needed to make that life meaningful and productive for the stroke survivor.

On 6-month follow-up survey, PNRC patients rate their overall satisfaction as 3.74 on 4.0 scale. (MedTel Outcomes, 3rd quarter, 2007).