HappyNeuron Pro Case Study: After Stroke, British Columbia
Type: Stroke Recovery
Location: Vancouver, BC, CA
Size: 6 Board Members and 10+ Program Coordinators
HappyNeuron Pro user since: 2021
Clinic's challenge:
Seeking a digital tool to assist in the cognitive recovery of clients who have experienced a stroke.
How After Stroke British Columbia Changes Lives
The Stroke Recovery Association of British Columbia, doing business as After Stroke BC, provides services, education and advocacy to those affected by stroke throughout every stage of recovery. Program instructors facilitate sessions with stroke survivors in person and remotely that address the many needs of stroke survivors living in British Columbia. As of January 2021, After Stroke BC has implemented a cognitive curriculum as part of its services to address stroke survivors’ cognitive recovery.
How Do Digital Cognitive Therapy Tools Fit Into A Stroke Recovery Program?
Rehabilitation and recovery post-stroke services involve a multidisciplinary care team. Program instructors may provide individual, and group activities that target specific cognitive areas a client with stroke is struggling with. Oftentimes, instructors must search through a vast number of print and digital resources to find appropriate activities that adequately challenge and engage a client. For After Stroke BC, that is where HappyNeuron Pro comes in.
“I found that I was building a lot of the programming myself. I would spend a lot of time in program planning trying to find the activities that I want to use. I find that HappyNeuron Pro does the work for me. It is easy to access and I like the information portion of it. “ – Karin Harrison, West Shore Stroke Recovery
Program instructors in stroke recovery programs play a tremendous role in supporting a client’s stroke recovery by building customized programs that meet the needs of a group of clients. These programs may be focused on rehabilitation or stimulation, depending on the focus of the program. Activities of this nature that engage brain functions help clients use, develop, and practice cognitive skills. While completing these activities, program instructors may provide guidance to participants to help them understand the purpose of the activities that they are doing. Contextualizing the activities that clients perform helps them understand and apply the strategies used during the completion of cognitive activities.
“The thing that I found when I was building this program, people would ask why they are doing [a particular activity]. The thing that I appreciate about HappyNeuron Pro is that it explains what the activity is for and what you are working on with it. There are also some videos on the website that explain what area of the brain you are working on. There are a lot of resources on the site: youtube videos, a list of the different studies that you have done… ”
People coming to After Stroke BC want to keep their cognitive capacity after having a stroke. Keeping cognitively active is important for stroke recovery, as unused cognitive skills may deteriorate over time. For clients with stroke, cognitive recovery involves learning adaptive strategies to tackle cognitive obstacles that they face. Using the different HappyNeuron Pro exercises, clients with stroke are able to learn and practice cognitive skills under different task demands.
“Someone I work with who is very interested in getting his driver’s license back directly related the processing activities, just the visual acuity with getting his driver’s license. He not only did HappyNeuron Pro with us once a week, but he did it at home as well. Some activities are very suited for one-on-one and some are great for groups. It is also a common thread that people can talk about to get to know each other. “ – Joanne Patterson, Shaughnessy Stroke Recovery
Depending on a client’s particular goals, the program instructors at After Stroke BC will tailor their activity plans to help their clients meet their recovery goals. Program instructors are able to assign their clients home exercises if they would like to provide them additional practice at home. By providing their clients with home exercise programs, the program instructors at After Stroke BC apply the recovery principles of neuroplasticity, which involve exercising the brain adequately while learning adaptive strategies which then help “rewire” the brain to effectively accomplish cognitive tasks.
Stroke rehabilitation and recovery involve cognitive, psychological, and physical therapeutic interventions. Program instructors can develop customized cognitive curriculums that address individual and group therapy goals. At After Stroke BC, each program instructor inputs their own approach to therapy to help their clients excel post-stroke.
Solution:
Utilizing HappyNeuron Pro as part of the stroke recovery program, patients are able to practice various cognitive skills.
Outcomes:
Many patients are able to re-learn various cognitive skills and recover from post-stroke symptoms.
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