Hello EnableMe member

In this edition of the EnableMe newsletter we delve deeper into what we know about long term recovery after stroke.

We look at the recovery 'plateau' with William Lo, as he shares his view that recovery is a lifelong process.

We talk about the impact of neuroplasticity on long term recovery with Nadia Moffatt from the Consumer Council and Professor Julie Bernhardt in the EnableMe podcast: Long term recovery after stroke.

Leisl, Adrian and Martia share the impact 'acceptance' has had on their life and recovery.

We hear from Natalie Fini from the Australian Physiotherapy Association about the importance of exercise for your brain, your body and your mind.

Melita from StrokeLine looks into bench-marking and whether comparing your recovery to others is a help or a hinderance.

StrokeLine suggest its top 10 recovery books to read which follows on from Katrina's blog: Literary Apothecary: books to cure.

All this and more!

P.S click here for all EnableMe newsletters.

In this podcast, we talk about how long-term recovery works, what you can expect in terms of highs and lows, and how to make the most of it.

Our guests are Professor Julie Bernhardt, Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery;  Nadia Moffatt, who had two strokes when she was a teenager and is now a member of the Stroke Foundation’s Consumer Council and physiotherapist Carol Pham, from StrokeLine.

We discuss latest research projects looking for participants and can joining a research project help you.

Listen to other EnableMe podcasts about topics discussed by Julie, Nadia and Carol:

• Neuroplasticity
• Depression and anxiety
• Physical activity and exercise
• Fatigue management

Click here for the full EnableMe podcast series.

Forums:

• Jeff: On your own
• Rahima: Aphasia and Dysphasia
• Brodz: My 16 year old sons stroke

Blogs:

• Gather My Crew: Wondering how to keep on top of things?
• Shelagh: Loss of identity
• Katrina: Just one of "those" days
• Sue Bowden: 2018 The Determinators - Stroke Support Group Bathurst

For all blogs click here

Ask a question:

• Lynne: What's the best exercise for someone recovering from a mild stroke?
• Wayne P: How do we assist my father-in-law, with severe short term memory loss and depression to settle into residential care?
• Helen: Will my speech improve or have we missed the opportunity?
   

Click here for questions asked by your fellow community members. Perhaps you can contribute some of your own experiences, learn something new or ask a question?

How do you know how long it will take to recover from stroke? What will your recovery look like? And how long should it take you to achieve your goals? These are questions people commonly ask and there is no one-size fits all answer.

The best approach is to measure your progress against yourself. In stroke recovery it is all about setting personal bests in activities that are meaningful to you.

Read more.

"I thought I was having one of those nightmares where you think you can’t move, but then I thought, surely I’ll wake up soon."

'Is too much acceptance a bad thing?' I think I know the answer but....

Is acceptance of everything that has happened, whilst psychologically beneficial, taken away some mongrel and fight in me?

Join the conversation and have your say.

There are stroke support groups across Australia, powered by stroke survivors and carers who want to see the benefits of peer support made available to as many people as possible.

Find your local stroke support group here.

Today I wanted to talk about returning to work after stroke.

I find this difficult to talk about, because the act of actually returning to work after stroke means a different thing to everyone and quite often it’s a difficult goal to achieve.

In the world of stroke, I think there is this huge emphasis on “coming back” which often gets in the way of actually recognising everything which may be required after a brain injury such as stroke.

The reality is after stroke we may no longer be able to function in the workplace like we did before.

Australian Physiotherapy Association Neurological Physiotherapist Natalie Fini answers questions about how physiotherapy can help you to maintain physical activity throughout your rehabilitation and recovery. Read here.

Listen to Natalie interviewed in EnableMe podcast 13: Exercising after stroke.

Seventh of April was 25 years since my stroke. It's been a huge 25 years.

I have lived my life with the future always in my mind, balancing hope with the past. And that future vision was always so important to me. 

The future to me is like a little pot of something at the end of a never ending rainbow, so it's always just out of my reach.  

But that's OK.

Click here to read more from Sue.

Number One: The brain that changes itself by Norman Doidge

Stroke survivors often tell us this book changed their lives. On top of that, this book also changed the world. Combining science with stories, this is the book that brought neuroplasticity into popular understanding.

For the full list.

Read Katrina's blog: Literary Apothecary: books to cure.

Remember, if you need help or have any tips to help improve EnableMe, we would love to hear from you at enableme@strokefoundation.org.au

We look forward to assisting you in your recovery and helping you to live your life well after stroke.

Many thanks,
 

Diana Kerr | Online Community Coordinator
National Stroke Foundation | Level 7, 461 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
T +61 3 9670 1000 |StrokeLine: 1800 787 653