Is a Stroke Preventing You from Enjoying Life? New therapy offers hope and healing in Central Florida Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States for people 65 and over. Nearly two million brain cells can die each minute during a stroke, leaving behind a wound in the brain. While the effects depend on the areas of the brain impacted, they commonly include partial paralysis, speech impairment, memory problems, cognitive difficulties, and even personality changes.  Physical, occupational, and speech therapies can help stroke survivors recover some lost function and learn to manage their condition, particularly in the first six months after the stroke. After that point, most are told that continued improvements are unlikely. Peer-reviewed, published research suggests that recovery is still possible, even years after a stroke.  A unique protocol of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to trigger the bodys own self-regeneration mechanisms, restoring physical and cognitive functions. Clinical evidence indicates that this protocol can create new blood vessels, stem cells and nerve cells in the brain and improve physical abilities, attention, information processing speed, memory, and other skills.  Does it Work?  Cindy, a 67-year-old widow and hemorrhagic stroke survivor, was left unable to drive, work, walk without assistance, or even comb her hair. More than three years after her stroke, she turned to the Aviv Medical Program, a customized treatment plan built specifically for her needs. Her program included a unique, scientifically proven HBOT regimen along with cognitive training, dietary coaching and physical training to build the foundation for her ongoing recovery. Since completing the program at Aviv Clinics, Cindy can walk without a cane, work, drive her golf cart around The Villages, and even style her own hair.  Because of Aviv, Im now able to do those things, says Cindy. The more progress I make, the more I want to do.  About Aviv Clinics The Aviv Medical Program and this unique evidence based HBOT protocol is offered exclusively at Aviv Clinics in central Florida.  Wondering if the Aviv Medical Program right for you or someone you love? Contact Aviv Clinics for a free, no-obligation consultation with a licensed physicians or visit www.aviv-clinics.com to learn more.   Editors Note: This article was submitted by Dr. Mohammed Elamir, MD, FACP, lead physician at Aviv Clinics. The clinic may be reached at 352-488-2848 or by email at info@aviv-clinics.com.

The aftermath of a stroke can be devastating and present many challenges that require specialized personal care and dedicated attention for senior patients. If a stroke has significantly impaired your loved ones physical ability and emotional well-being, you may be worried and frightened about the road ahead.Professional stroke home care can be a beacon of hope.Visiting Angels experienced caregivers will help your senior safely age in place after a stroke in the comfort of home. Your loved one will receive a non-medical customized home care plan to assist them with their daily routines and activities. Visiting Angels care providers will then foster ongoing companionship and one-to-one support on your seniors road to recovery.Professional Help at Home After a StrokeEvery year, nearly 800,000 U.S. adults experience a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many endure reduced mobility that affects their safety and independence at home.Like many primary caregivers tending to a stroke survivor, you may doubt whether you can provide the best care especially while balancing work, personal, and family obligations.With the help of Visiting Angels, you dont have to provide home care alone.Visiting Angels understands the impact of stroke and can deliver personalized care that addresses your loved ones limitations. Here are some common stroke after-affects your senior may be experiencing and how Visiting Angels can help:Cognitive difficultiesVisiting Angels can implement exercises, games, and routines to enhance your seniors memory, problem-solving, communication, and cognitive skills. Caregivers will provide emotional support and encouragement, creating a conducive environment that promotes cognitive rehabilitation and overall well-being.Difficulty swallowingIf your senior has swallowing problems, Visiting Angels will assist in preparing tailored meals and ensuring safe consumption. Caregivers will provide reminders about taking medications, performing therapeutic exercises, and attending appointments. Caregivers can also monitor your senior for signs of choking or increased difficulty swallowing.Mood changesVisiting Angels provides camaraderie and companion care that can help your older adult cope with feelings of frustration, sadness, depression, and isolation that may arise during their recovery.Reduced mobilityVisiting Angels will be by your loved ones side to reduce the risk of falls, assist with transfers, and help your older adult navigate the stairs, bathroom, and other high-fall-risk areas of the home.Speech and communication challengesVisiting Angels will get to know your loved one and understand their preferences, needs, and cues even if they have a limited ability to speak or understand. Caregivers will also remind them to perform therapeutic speech exercises, if needed.Vision concernsVisiting Angels will make recommendations to improve household safety and quality of life for your senior with reduced vision  such as adding light, marking areas that could cause accidents, adapting activities for low-vision needs, running errands, and providing transportation.Choose Visiting Angels for Home Care Stroke AssistanceIf your senior has a stroke, they are at a higher risk of having a second one. Survival chances and positive treatment outcomes increase when stroke symptoms are identified and treated early. An in-home professional caregiver from Visiting Angels by your loved ones side can monitor for stroke signs and request immediate life-saving emergency assistance.Visiting Angels also provides a Ready, Set, Go Home program that helps seniors successfully transition to home following a hospitalization, including after a stroke. The program includes home visits to identify and reduce the risk of preventable events or mishaps that could cause a return to the hospital or emergency room. Visiting Angels caregivers can also visit your senior in the hospital or rehab facility and have a plan in place before discharge to ensure you have peace of mind.Surviving a stroke doesnt mean your loved one has to give up their independence or move away from the home they love. Learn how Visiting Angels can help your senior age in place after a stroke through a free home care consultation.

May is both National Arthritis Awareness Month and National Stroke Awareness Month. While those may seem unrelated afflictions, they have at least three essential things in common: Anybody can be affected by them; the incidence of both conditions increases with age; and the things you can do to help one condition may also help or prevent the other. Do You Have Arthritis?Youre not alone. Far from it. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the U.S., with more than 100 types and related conditions. Arthritis does not respect age, sex or race. Curiously, geography may be a factor. Those in rural areas are somewhat more prone to arthritis than urban dwellers, but thats not to suggest that moving from one to the other would affect your arthritis. The most common symptoms:Joint swellingPain in the jointsStiffness and diminished range of motionYou may have mild symptoms, and your symptoms may come and go. Progression can be slow or sudden. We consider arthritis severe when chronic pain makes it difficult to perform routine activities, walking, dressing, cooking, and climbing stairs. You may think of arthritis by its visible symptoms: knobby finger joints, for example. But arthritis can be invisible, detected only through X-ray or MRI.So far, we've talked about the symptoms primarily associated with osteoarthritis. Gout is a type of arthritis often associated with diet and shows up as severe joint pain. Autoimmune types of arthritis are different still, marked by inflammation and can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, and skin. Autoimmune is a broad category that includes rheumatoid, psoriatic, spinal, and juvenile variations. Finally, bacteria entering a cut or sore can introduce arthritis of the infectious type.We have found one of the best sources for arthritis and treatment is "Answers To Your Arthritis Questions," available from the Arthritis Foundation (arthritis.org). The information is worth reviewing if you are concerned about the types, causes, and treatment. What can you do if you have arthritis? Rely on non-drug therapies as much as possible.Apply heat and cold treatments to help ease pain and stiffness.Use braces, canes, and assistive devices to address mobility issues. Consult your doctor before any treatment. A treatment that might be right for one person might not be for another. You don't want to aggravate your condition or dismiss a therapy because you tried it, and it didn't work. Your doctor may also prescribe physical or occupational therapy to increase strength, range of motion and mobility, and help with advice on protecting your joint.Youll also want to explore therapies that you can integrate with conventional treatments. Supplements, massage, acupuncture, biofeedback therapy, meditation, and relaxation techniques can help you manage pain and help with depression. Many who never thought a holistic medicine approach was for them have found these therapies complement their conventional treatment, if not replacing it. Tell Your Arthritis to Take a WalkWalking is proven to improve arthritis pain, fatigue, function, and quality of life. What better time to start or recommit yourself to a walking routine than the spring? Walking is an excellent way for people with arthritis who live in rural areas to be physically active. For those uncertain about walking, proven programs such as Walk with Ease can help people get started.The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, found on Health.gov, recommends all adults (including adults with arthritis) get two and a half hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. Activities may include brisk walking per week. Also, include muscle-strengthening exercises two or more days a week. Exercise and activity are one area where arthritis treatment and stroke prevention cross paths. Most doctors recommend a generally healthy lifestyle and physical activity for both. Walking serves the purpose very well, so your walking routine is doing double-duty to prevent stroke. Quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthfully, getting enough sleep, and limiting stress also can help control inflammation, protect joints and contribute to overall health. These healthy habits may also prevent strokes. So, let's talk about stroke  especially if you think it doesnt apply to you.  80% of Strokes Are PreventableIts a tragedy an avoidable tragedy that so many people live with or die from the effects of stroke when, according to medical professionals, 80% of strokes are preventable. You can significantly decrease your chances of stroke with simple preventive measures. The first prevention is to know if you're having a stroke. Every second counts: A Stroke Is an Emergency!Call 911 immediately if you notice any of these signs. Lost time means greater disability:There is sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.Sudden droopiness in the mouth while trying to smile.The sudden change of vision blurred, blackened, or double-vision in one or both eyes.Sudden severe or persistent headacheSudden loss of balance or coordinationSudden trouble with speaking or understanding speech What Causes a Stroke and What Can I Do About It?Strokes happen when oxygen-rich arteries supplying the brain are constricted or obstructed, as by a blood clot. The closing or clogging of the arteries to the brain is directly related to the arteries' health, which is affected by how you eat, how much you eat, your physical activity, blood pressure, whether you smoke, and whether you have diabetes among other factors. Those are factors mainly under your control. You can't control your age, gender, race, and family history, all of which can play a part in your stroke profile. So, let's focus on the things you can change.  The Stroke Recovery Foundation offers 11 Pillars of Stroke Prevention, all easily achieved goals and routines that everyone should attend to daily. 11 Pillars of Stroke PreventionHave an annual physical exam and talk with your physician about any medical issues you may be having.Take control of your blood pressure! There are now new, more stringent guidelines to be considered.Eat less - everything you eat contains calories.Exercise and increase your day-to-day physical movement.Stop smoking stop.Lose weight every pound counts.Drink in moderation! Consider red wine.Carotid artery screening may be appropriate. See your doctor.Control your diabetes if that is an issue.Attend to atrial fibrillation should you have it.Take your prescription medications and manage your supplements. Second Strokes Can Be PreventedBecause stroke is a leading disabler among diseases, you may have already had a stroke or strokes if you're an older adult reading this. If so, you're familiar with all the above, all of which still apply to you. One of the best sources of information on strokes, The American Stroke Association (StrokeAssociation.org), a division of the American Heart Association, provides a checklist of eight simple items to prevent a second stroke:Monitor your blood pressure.Control your cholesterol.Keep your blood sugar down.Get active.Eat better.Lose weight if you need to.Dont smoke, period.Talk to your doctor about aspirin or other medications. (Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.) Know Your Numbers!Have all your vital signs and health numbers recorded at your doctors office, along with a complete physical and blood panel. And then monitor your numbers at home. Daily. Technology and home test kits have made it extremely easy and affordable to monitor your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, resting and active heart rate, body mass index (a ratio of weight and height), the number of calories you take in, even the number of steps or miles you walk every day. The only number you need to know for cigarettes is zero.When you know your numbers, youll feel a sense of control over your health that you havent felt before. Every day is a snapshot of your health, and this makes it easy to tell if youre moving in the right direction. Kaiser Permanente provides five essential health numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, waist size, body mass index, and blood sugar. Visit the site or ask your doctor for the proper range and how to measure them. Arthritis, Stroke and the Benefits of Senior LivingEventually, the balance of your attention will shift from your house, job, and all the business of daily life to your health and the years you'll spend as an aging adult. This article has been a relatively lengthy discussion of just two of the health factors you need to be aware of, and weve barely scratched the surface on those. Its a lot to pay attention to, along with your everyday busy life. It's easy to say, "Well, just stay healthy, and you won't have to worry about it." But it's more realistic to say that all of this works better when people with similar health goals surround you.Eating healthy, monitoring your health numbers, and staying active are all parts of any senior living residence worthy of your consideration. Experts in Senior Living, such as our Legend and Windsor Associates, are well-trained in nutrition, exercise, and socialization, with a mission to serve the whole person, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Here, you'll be in the supportive company of friends and associates. Your awareness level for your health will be top of mind, and all the help you need to reach your goals will be right at hand.