They say August days are the "dog days of summer." It's hot and many are looking forward to cooler days. Those who are tied to the school year are either looking forward to or dreading the first of September. No matter what your situation is, hope summer is treating you well.

We welcome Kathy Saul as an official member of the newsletter staff. This month Kathy contributes her third article. She will be researching and reporting on assorted topics.

This month Steve Mallory updates organization news. There are three articles covering Constraint Therapy Induced Therapy. The first is an article by Chris DeWald which explains CIMT. The second is written by two therapists. Finally there is an article which shares experiences of three Stroke Network Members.

Kathy Saul contributes an article on disaster preparedness. Lin Wisman reviews the book "My Stroke of Insight." Lin Mouat tackles the subject of social skills and stroke. Jean Guggenheimer reviews stroke news. Nancy Fiduk provides a listing of this month's birthdays and stroke anniversaries.

Deb Theriault is seaching Member Stories for future newsletters. Be sure to contact her if you are interested in being featured. Her email is below.

Enjoy the August newsletter.

Lin Wisman
Editor, StrokeNet
lwisman@strokenet.biz

Organization Highlights

Stroke Network News
By Steve Mallory

Steve was reading through the comments made on the Demographic Survey. It became apparent that there are many who do not realize the many features of the sites of The Stroke Network. He explains some of those features and provides links.

The Caregiver Handbook revision is complete. Steve lists those who helped with the rewrite and provides a link to the revised addition.

Fundraising, free email accounts and the store are discussed. Steve completes his report by providing a link to the results of the survey. This is a great way to discover who is a part of this network.

Click to Read Steve's Remarks...

Contact Steve at smallory@strokenet.biz

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Forcing Affected Side Usage
By Chris DeWald

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy forces the use of the affected side by restraining the unaffected side. In this article Chris presents research explaining how CIMT works and its history.

At the end of the article is a link to exercises which can be used to improve your affected side. Even if Constraint Induced Movement Therapy is not for you, these are simple exercises you can do at home.

Click to Read CIMT

UK Study looking for research partners. If you live in the UK be sure to check this out.

Contact Chris at cdeward@strokenetwork.org

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Medical Perspective
By Monique Macias and Gillian Porter

Monique Macias OTR/L and Gillian Porter, OTR/L are therapists at SWAN Rehab in Phoenix. They have provided info on Constraint Induced Movement Therapy from the medical perspective of therapists.

Of particular interest is their listing of necessary criteria for a patient to be accepted for Constraint Therapy. Check here to determine if you should raise the possibility with your therapists and/or doctor.

Click to Read CIMT Medical Perspective

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy
User Perspective Many Stroke Network members have already experienced Constraint Induced Movement Therapy. Click below to read the comments by Rich James, Carol Jennings and Michael Hand. Click to Read CIMT User Perspective

Disaster Preparedness
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure By Kathy Saul Disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods are often in the news. Kathy investigated and reports on preparations you might want to consider. A little preparation could make a big difference if disaster strikes. Click to Read Disaster Preparedness Contact Kathy at ksaul@strokenet.biz

Book Review: My Stroke of Insight

By Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.
Reviewed By Lin Wisman

Jill is a brain scientist. When she had a stroke in 1996 she immediately understood what was happening.

In her book she tells her story of the stroke and the journey back. This book might be of special interest to families, caregivers and friends who are sometimes perplexed by the survivor.

Click to Read Book Review

Contact Lin at lwisman@strokebiz.org

Fuel for the Journey

Social Skills and Stroke
By Lin Mouat

Lin writes about how stroke damages survivor social skills. Suggestions for dealing with social problems are discussed.

Click To Read Fuel for the Journey

Contact Lin at lmouat@strokenet.biz

Stroke Newsfeed Review

Stroke News Last Month
by Jean Guggenheimer

Each month Jean reviews stroke news that was published the previous month.

Topics reviewed this month:

Canadian woman gains 'east coast' accent After stroke
Man who stabbed woman has stroke
Omega-3 fatty acid may stop repeat stroke
Depression strikes those close to stroke survivors
Merck to fund settlement with former Vioxx painkiller
Activating stem cells in the brain

If any of these interests you, click below.

Click to Read Newsfeed Review

Intensive Aphasia Therapy Program
RIC is offering a new outpatient Aphasia program. The four week program begins September 2, 2008. This press release provides more information. Click to Read Aphasia Therapy Program

Member Stories
By Deb Theriault There are thousands of stories and thousands ways our Readers are dealing with stroke. If you would to have your story featured, contact Deb Theriault, the Members Stories Coordinator, at dtheriault@strokenetwork.org.

Member Celebrations

Birthdays and Stroke Anniversaries
Compiled By Nancy Fiduk

The Stroke Network congratulates all members who have celebrated a birthday or stroke anniversary this month. Click below to see the birthdays and anniversaries we have on file for this month.

Click to Read Celebrations...

Contact Nancy at nfiduk@strokenet.biz

Each month members' birthdays, which they have placed in their message board profile, are listed.

To add your birthday, go to My Controls on the Message Board. Look for Personal Profile on the left of the screen. Select Edit Profile Information. Enter both you birthdate and your interests.

To locate My Controls from the home page of the Message board, http://www.strokeboard.net, select Member Links, My Controls.

If you would like your stroke anniversary listed, send to the the Celebrations Monitor at nfiduk@strokenet.biz. Be sure to include your username and the month, day and year of the stroke. If you are not the survivor, please include the survivor's first name and your relationship. For example: Bill, husband.

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Contents may not be reprinted without the organization's permission. Please contact the editor.

Disclaimer

This newsletter is sponsored by The Stroke Network, Inc. The items contained herein are published as submitted and are provided for general information purposes only. This information should not be considered as personal advice.

Readers should not rely solely on our newsletter information, but should make their own inquiries before making any decisions. The Stroke Network works to maintain up-to-date information from reliable sources; however, no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions or results of any actions based upon this information. If you have any questions regarding any of these items, contact the newsletter editor.

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