By Cheryl Lloyd, RN, BSN, CCM

More than 700,000 people will suffer strokes in the United States this year. Fortunately, with increased awareness of stroke symptoms and advanced technology and medicine, a growing number of people are surviving strokes and able to undergo rehabilitation.

Although rehabilitation doesn't cure strokes and cannot reverse brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen, rehabilitation does help people achieve the best possible long-term outcomes. Through rehabilitation, stroke survivors relearn skills that can be lost when part of the brain is damaged. Rehabilitation usually begins within three to four days after a stroke is treated and stabilized in the hospital; for many stroke survivors, rehabilitation requires a two- to three-week stay.

Stroke patients and their families often are concerned about what functions they may regain once they realize what they've lost after a stroke. Northern Nevada Medical Center's team of dedicated therapists and clinical staff tailors its approach to the personal issues and concerns surrounding the recovery process according to each patient's needs. We feel it's what sets us apart from other, larger rehabilitation units.

Northern Nevada Medical Center offers the ideal environment for stroke rehabilitation on its Northern Nevada Rehabilitation unit. Every room is private, offering sweeping views of the Sierra Nevada to the west, and each room has a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. This personalized unit offers the ideal blend of clinical services and a healing setting that supports care tailored to stroke survivors' needs.

Licensed therapists are available seven days a week to provide rehabilitation services. A team of professional nurses also is on hand 24 hours a day. Since Northern Nevada Rehabilitation is located within the hospital, other medical services are easily accessible if additional treatments are needed during rehabilitation.

Throughout rehabilitation, staff use a multidisciplinary approach to address the various aspects of care that stroke survivors need. Patients often suffer from one or more of five types of disabilities:

• Paralysis or problems controlling movement or basic body functions
• Sensory disturbances including pain
• Problems using or understanding language
• Problems with thinking and memory
• Emotional disturbances

Martin Arraiz, MD

Each disability is treated by a member of the rehabilitation team, a team that includes the following professionals and services:

• Physicians who specialize in rehabilitation medicine
• Physical therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Speech therapists
• Rehabilitation nurses
• Social workers
• Dietitians
• Psychologists
• Physician specialists (by referral)
• Family education and training
• Spiritual counseling
• Home evaluation for accessibility issues

Weekly team meetings include the discussion of patients' treatment plans and progress. Families also are involved in the recovery process and may be included in the team meetings.

At discharge, the stroke patient and family work together with Northern Nevada Medical Center social workers to determine a suitable living arrangement. Many stroke survivors return home, but some may need additional care at an assisted living facility or group home.

Cheryl Lloyd, RN, BSN, CCM

Martin Arraiz, MD, who serves with Bruce Witmer, MD, as co-medical director of Northern Nevada Rehabilitation, said that he enjoys his rehab practice and the close teamwork with staff to promote excellent patient outcomes. A native Nevadan who grew up in Carson City, Dr. Arraiz attended medical school at the University of Nevada and completed his residency in physician rehabilitation and medicine at the University of Utah.

Cheryl Lloyd, RN, BSN, CCM, is director of Northern Nevada Rehabilitation, located on the fourth floor of the hospital. For more information, please call 356-4004.

Northern Nevada Medical Center 2375 E. Prater Way, Sparks, NV 89434 775-331-7000