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Paul Berger & Stephanie Mensh's
Stroke Survivor
News & Attitude
For YOU
April 2006
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~~~<<~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~>>~~~
1. NEWS: Research on Stroke Recovery & Rehabilitation
2. PAUL’S SURVIVORS TIPS: Your Springtime Attitude
3. STEPHANIE'S CAREGIVERS TIPS: Money Issues
4. FAVORITES: Dental Care
5. WHAT'S NEW on StrokeSurvivor.com
6. HARVARD Medical Conference: Paul & Stephanie on Faculty...Paul opened his presentation with a unique
twist. see below for details
7. Subscribe
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Please forward this newsletter to your friends and
colleagues who would benefit from these tips.
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1. NEWS: Research on Stroke Recovery & Rehabilitation
Empowering health consumers through computer access and electronic health records is a growing topic of discussion in the healthcare industry. "The Futurist" (magazine of the World Future Society) published a study that described the advances in online medical information, reporting that 8 in 10 Internet users have looked for health information online, and noting Google's statistics that there were more than 2.6 billion searches related to health care in 2004, which translates to 223 million health searches per month,7.3 million per day, and 85 per second.
The authors suggested ways that the healthcare system could use computer access to improve treatment and wellness, especially by developing electronic health records and making more information available. They listed selected websites for finding credible health information online, including sites sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The article, "The Digital Health-Care Revolution: Empowering Health Consumers," in the May/June "Futurist" is available at libraries, newsstands or from the World
Future Society.
For additional resources to help you find information on medical, health, rehabilitation, recovery, self-empowerment, and more,
see favorite links.
2. Paul’s Tips for Survivors: How Make Your Attitude Happy Like Springtime
Obviously, having a stroke is not a happy thing. But you can have a positive attitude if you try. Here are 5 tips:
1. Spring is the best time of year to improve your attitude. Look for new green leaves and grass, flowers, white clouds in a blue sky, your neighbors.
2. My attitude and energy always improve when I go for a walk. Greet everyone you see with a smile, a wave, and say "hello," even without words. When they wave back, you will feel great.
3. Hobbies and interests also help you feel better, especially being creative in some way, through arts and crafts, model-building (I have a model railroad in my basement), music, dance and sports.
4. Take time to appreciate your spouse, family, and close friends. Focus on the positive support they have given you.
5. Think about the exciting new products and services being invented every day. Some of these new things will help you feel better, do better, and have a more fulfilling life.
"How to Conquer the World With One Hand...And an Attitude,"
shows how you can turn your life around. For details, please click here.
For more tips, click here:
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PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
You can bring our expertise--on maximizing stroke recovery and motivation to regain a fulfilling life--to your organization. As professional speakers, we frequently speak to professional and lay audiences, providing inspiration, insight, and practical advice.
Through keynote speeches, panel presentations, and workshops, attendees learn how to set personal goals for success, how to communicate to improve results, and how to maximize resources to achieve objectives.
Do you know of an upcoming program, conference, convention,
seminar, workshop, or sales meeting? We will send information on our speaking and workshop services. Email us
at: Paul@StrokeSurvivor.com, call 703-241-2375, or click here.
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 3. Stephanie’s Tips for Caregivers: Money Issues
The cost of stroke has been estimated at $56 billion in health care and disability expenses per year. It's probably much more if you count all of the costs to the survivor's spouse and family. Here are 5 things that you can do to manage the impact on your finances:
1. As soon as tax season is over, find an experienced accountant who can advise you, particularly in understanding what is available
under current health and disability insurance and other benefits.
2. Pull together financial information, monthly household
expenses, periodic bills, and medical and care needs. This can help you develop a budget, understand what you can afford, and what financial help you need.
3. Save all receipts, keep track of cash spent,and mileage. At tax time, many stroke-related health and medical costs may be deductible, including--in some cases--the costs of making your house accessible.
4. Search for resources, financial assistance, and health care alternatives, everywhere, by asking everyone you meet if they have ideas or may know of others who have tapped into resources successfully. Think outside the program description--for example, staff in programs for the aged often have contacts for financial assistance and services that younger stroke survivors can use.
5. If you are working, try to keep your job. Ask for a short leave of absence or temporary part time hours.
Do you have tips that you can share with other caregivers? Please send them to me at: Stephanie@StrokeSurvivor.com. If we use your tip, we'll send you a gift.
For more tips, please click here.
4. FAVORITES: Dental Care
Stroke survivors who lose the use of one hand find difficulties in many daily grooming chores, including dental care, especially flossing. I use a new flossing system with disposable snap-on floss heads. This flossing system is a big improvement over the flossing product Iused in the past, which required someone else (Stephanie) to first thread the floss onto a y-shaped handle
With this new flossing system, individual flossing units snap onto the handle. I learned to snap the unit on with one hand, giving me one more moment of independence. Also,the floss doesn't get stuck in my teeth and pull off the unit, a problem that I had with the other product.
For details, on this and other helpful products, please
click here.
5. WHAT'S NEW on the Stroke Survivor.com website.
We're adding new things to our website all the time. Visit our Resource Links section to learn about these new additions coming soon.
- Aetna-Harvard Medical School InteliHealth for technical medical information
- The Merck Manuals online providing professional and consumer references on diseases and treatments.
Do you have a question that you would like us to answer? Email us at Paul@strokesurvivor.com.
6. HARVARD Medical Conference: Paul & Stephanie on Faculty ..and a little stroke humor.
We have always wanted to study at HARVARD, and now we had the chance to learn and to TEACH there!
Stephanie moderated panels of experts, and shared her expertise in Medicare reimbursement policy as a co-chair of "The Medical Device Regulatory and Compliance Congress," sponsored by the Harvard Health Policy Review, Health Affairs, AdvaMed, and other leaders in the field. Classes were held in Harvard University's Annenberg Hall, Lowell Hall Science Center and the Harvard Faculty Club, Cambridge, MA, on March 29-31, 2006.
Paul's presentation during the general session on March 31 was, "How Access To Medical Technology Improves Quality Of Life - From The Patient’s Perspective."
**Paul demonstrated that, despite his aphasia, he could be very cool and commanding. Since he was first up on the third morning of the program, and attendees were having their morning cup of coffee, he found a way to wake them up--accidentally:
The lecturn at Harvard was an old, solid wooden structure, with a hole drilled for the microphone. However, the mikes for the Congress' state-of-the-art video-CD recording system didn't fit through the hole, so the A.V. guys clipped them to the edge of the lecturn. When Paul opened his notebook to turn to his speech, he accidentally knocked the mikes off, causing a loud clatter and spine-piercing audio-feedback. Like a champ, he smiled, let the A.V. guys fix the mikes, then delivered a fluent, memorable presentation to an attentive audience.
"I did enjoy Paul's presentation very much." --Peter Grant, Ph.D., Partner, Davis, Wright, Tremaine, LLP.
For details on Paul's speech, please click here
7. SUBSCRIBE
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Copyright (c) Paul E. Berger & Stephanie Mensh
Permission is granted to reprint these articles
in your newsletter or magazine only with the following byline:
"Paul Berger & Stephanie Mensh are speakers and authors.
To find out more about their programs and services,
visit www.StrokeSurvivor.com
or call (703) 241-2375."
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