Life after a stroke: How rehabilitation can make a difference
Clare Lillis was relaxing at home when the first hint emerged of something being off.
He dropped his hearing aid while attempting to place it on a table, then fumbled several times trying to pick it up. Thirty minutes later, Lillis didn’t feel right as he walked downstairs.
“Can you take me to the emergency room?” he asked his wife, Kathy. “I think I’m having a stroke.”
They raced to M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital.
Early recognition is key and, thankfully, Lillis was in good hands. Our experts helped stabilize and eventually transfer him to the comprehensive stroke center at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital – but treating the stroke itself was just the beginning.
While every stroke is different, many stroke victims are left with lingering symptoms. These can include paralysis, difficulty with movement or balance, difficulty speaking, depression, or other health issues caused by damage from the stroke.
From Southdale, Lillis spent three weeks in March as an inpatient working closely with physical, occupational, and speech therapists at the M Health Fairview Acute Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in Minneapolis to make his transition to his new normal as smooth as possible.
What are the signs of a stroke? Learn how to quickly identify a stroke and seek treatment.
The road to recovery
“Clare was quite restricted when he arrived at the ARC, especially in his upper body,” said M Health Fairview Occupational Therapist Katelyn Meyers, MAOT, OTR/L. “We worked on dressing, walking, and other daily activities to help Clare become more independent. He was unbelievably motivated to regain function and made great progress while he was here.”
At the ARC, Lillis’s treatment focused on forms of functional electrical stimulation (FES), which uses electrodes to send small pulses of electrical current, activating nerves and making affected muscles move. Stroke patients are good candidates for FES since their limb problems stem from an injury to the brain.
Lillis received FES through a Restorative Therapies cycle bike and a neuromuscular electrical stimulation unit to encourage neuroplasticity—a process by which areas of the brain that weren’t affected by a stroke help those that were. These therapies helped him regain some function in his left arm and leg.
Lillis relearned to walk with an ankle-foot orthotic for stability and a walker, which his occupational therapist outfitted with a customized splint to allow his limp hand to grip. With help from his care team, Lillis quickly graduated to a cane that he found to be most comfortable.
“This is a great example of how our team works together. We help each other to help our patients,” said M Health Fairview Physical Therapist Sharon Kimble, PT, DPT. “We helped Clare relearn to climb stairs and spent time mocking up his living situation to make sure the transition home could go smoothly.”
Lillis struggled with slightly slurred speech after his stroke.
“Right away, you could tell how motivated he was because he was asking for homework to do when he wasn’t working with me,” said M Health Fairview Speech and Language Pathologist Eric Gardner, SLP.
Lillis also worked with occupational and speech therapists to recover other cognitive skills like problem-solving, reasoning, and attention to detail.
Since he quickly improved his speech and language, he was able to target his specific concerns by decreasing the time he spent in speech therapy and increasing the time he spent in physical and occupational therapy.
“That’s the great thing about our team,” said Gardner. “We collaborate and make sure every patient is getting the care they need.”
What makes the ARC different?
Lillis is thankful for the care he received at the ARC: “It was wonderful, the therapists were excellent and very helpful, kind, and courteous.”
“He really liked how he was challenged by the team – it helped him get better,” added Kathy.
The stroke recovery process can be frustrating and difficult, but a strong support team can ease the burden, and a patient’s rehabilitation program can make a huge difference. It’s crucial that families speak with their neurologist, neurosurgeon, or primary care doctor prior to the patient leaving the hospital in order to ensure the patient will receive the best rehabilitation care possible going forward. Often, patients who have suffered a stroke are unable to communicate clearly at this point. Support from family or friends is critical in working with providers on next steps, whether that be an inpatient stay at the ARC or outpatient therapy based on the patient’s needs.
At the ARC, every patient receives therapy for three hours a day, seven days a week – tailored to their unique needs. The ARC is one of only a few programs in the metro that offer this intensive seven-day regimen to patients. Additionally, our facility has unique equipment like the electrical stimulation bike that can speed recovery.
“I appreciated all of the therapists – all of the work they did with me and how well they worked together,” said Lillis. “It was fun getting to know them, too. It made the experience more personal.”
