1/9
However, unlike a heart attack or a cardiac event, the individual reaches the hospital in time and survives the episode. They can walk out of the hospital after discharge and slowly resume their lives with some lifestyle changes.
2/9
Resuming life as it was before the event is a dream or a goal. Hence, saying that stroke significantly impacts the quality of life is an understatement.
3/9
Not being able to walk, talk, swallow, and sometimes even comprehend is a massive adjustment for stroke survivors and their immediate family members.
4/9
Just as when anybody learns how to ride a bicycle, swim or drive initially, it takes a lot of focus and practice. Repeated practice makes it better and more automatic.
5/9
Similarly, relearning basic skills like walking, talking, reaching, and grasping for a stroke survivor needs training.
6/9
Until the last decade or so, this was being carried out manually. However, with robotics in neurological rehabilitation, it has become possible to offer stroke survivors a significantly higher number of repetitions of a given activity.
7/9
It targets re-education of affected muscles and relearning skills (activities of daily living – such as eating, donning a shirt or going to the bathroom, amongst others) lost after the brain damage caused by the stroke.
8/9
Repetition is the mother of learning, and robots provide repetition. And freedom from dependence and every step towards independence is a step towards achieving the dream of normalcy.
9/9
Reaching a goal for a stroke survivor is a step towards “normalcy”. Being less dependent on a caregiver or a family member for something like holding a glass of water and walking is a massive achievement for the stroke survivor.
