I bet your doctor has no cognitive protocol for you post-stroke. You'll have to figure this out on your own.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=152318&CultureCode=en
Strokes are the second leading cause of death worldwide; they kill
more than one million people in Europe each year accounting for 14% of
all deaths. About a third of the 8 million stroke survivors in the EU
are left with some degree of physical or cognitive impairment affecting
their ability to plan and carry out actions.
While there are already many rehabilitation ICT systems focused on
treating the physical symptoms of stroke, such as hemiparesis, there
aren’t many for the rehabilitation of cognitive impairments. The
EU-funded COGWATCH project has developed a rehabilitation system to help
improve the cognitive functions of stroke survivors.
Stroke patients can have trouble performing ordered sequences of
movements, such as those required to brush their teeth or to make a cup
of tea. These are often symptoms of Apraxia or Action Disorganisation
Syndrome (AADS). COGWATCH is using intelligent tools and objects,
portable and wearable devices as well as ambient systems to provide
support at home to patients with AADS symptoms.
‘We take it for granted that we can perform these activities of daily
life,’ says Professor Alan Wing, the project’s coordinator and a
faculty member of the School of Psychology at the University of
Birmingham. "Yet many of these seemingly simple tasks are actually
complex and involve a large number of small steps that must be performed
in the correct sequence."
As simple – or complex – as brewing a cup of tea
The COGWATCH scientists customised a prototype that helps stroke
patients brew a cup of tea – a complex sequential daily task. The system
consists of two tablet computers, one for the patient and one for his
clinician, and sensors attached to the bottom of objects such as the
cup, milk jug and kettle that track the objects’ movement, while a video
camera records the entire process from overhead. On the tablet, the
patient can choose an action, for example he will prepare a cup of tea
with milk and sugar.
A action-recognition system is then activated: it receives the
information from the sensors, compares those with the task model
corresponding to the steps of preparing a milk and sugar cup of tea. If
the patient makes an error in preparing the tea, then system prompts the
correct action using any combination of video, audio, text or vibration
to suggest the right step.
Professor Wing, ‘As a patient, it is as if there is someone beside
you to tell you what to do, but they allow you to act independently if
you want to be independent.’
Tea-making results
To test the system, the COGWATCH researchers conducted a randomised
study with 30 patients. Compared with the control group, participants
who were trained using the COGWATCH system, showed statistically
significant improvements in tea-making performance; they made 54% fewer
errors and showed a 20% reduction in time taken to make a cup of tea.
Better care
Apart from helping stroke patients regain independence, the COGWATCH
system could also enable occupational therapists to work with more
patients or develop more of each patient’s skills. The system already
provides useful information on the patient’s task performance over time.
Longer-term, COGWATCH could facilitate the earlier discharge of
patients, thus lowering their risk of infection, allowing them to return
to their familiar home environment, and freeing bed space.
COGWATCH ran from1 November 2011 through 28 February 2015 and received EUR 3.7 million in EU funding.
‘We would eventually like to offer systems that are affordable enough
for home use so that, for example, every hospital could loan them out
to its patients,’ concludes Professor Wing.
http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/162534_en.html
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