Healthy Living Newsletter
Be Stroke Smart
Know the “3 Rs” of Stroke
 May is National Stroke Month. Did you know that stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and that up to 80 percent or 600,000 strokes are preventable each year in the United States?
The National Stroke Association reports that every 45 seconds, someone suffers a stroke, and twice as many women die from stroke every year than from breast cancer.
What’s more, for African-Americans, the incidence is nearly double that of Caucasians; and more African Americans suffer extensive physical impairment as a result of stroke.
The high incidence of stroke is directly linked to increased risk factors for stroke, which include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and, for African Americans — Sickle cell anemia.
It’s vitally important that all African Americans recognize the importance in reducing these risk factors.
To help reduce the incidence of stroke, the National Stroke Association has outlined the “3 Rs” of stroke and encourages everyone to become Stroke Smart.
1) Reduce stroke risk
2) Recognize stroke symptoms
3) Respond: at the first sign of stroke, call 911 and get to the hospital fast.
Rehabilitation Options after Stroke
Although stroke is preventable in 80 percent of the cases; for those who do experience stroke, there is hope for successful recovery.
The goal of stroke rehabilitation is to restore as much independence as possible by improving physical, mental and emotional functions. This must be done in a way that preserves the patient’s dignity and motivates the relearning of basic skills that the stroke may have affected, such as speech, eating, dressing and walking.
Rehabilitation should start in a hospital such as Mercy Hospital as soon as possible after the stroke. Mercy offers access to intensive rehabilitation services through its Inpatient Rehabilitation Center.
If the patient is medically stable, rehabilitation may begin within one day after the stroke, and should be continued after release from the hospital, if needed.
Stroke rehabilitation options depend on several factors, including ability to tolerate intensity of rehabilitation such as hours and stamina, and degree of disability.
During all phases of rehabilitation and recovery, patients at Mercy Hospital work with a team of professionals from different specialties, including:
- Physiatrist: a physician specially trained in rehabilitation medicine
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Speech Therapists
- Social Worker
- Rehabilitation-Trained Nurses
It’s very important for patients to know the health care team and feel comfortable addressing recovery issues.
Mercy Hospital’s intensive program requires patients to participate in three hours of therapy throughout the day, which includes such services as self-care and speech therapy. This therapy is individually designed to meet the patient’s goals as quickly and successfully as possible.
For information regarding stroke prevention and treatment, visit the Inpatient Rehabilitation & Stroke Treatment section of this website; or www.stroke.org or call 1 (800) STROKES.
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