Counseling Degree.com provides academic and career guidance to prospective students in a simple and meaningful way. Our website contains information about degree programs, specialty areas of study, job searching, and common questions and answers. No matter what level of education you are seeking, our site will help you find the right program, the right school, and the right information to kick start your career.

Our site also links visitors directly to accredited degree programs. With over 80 accredited programs listed, you can begin your studies confident that you’re enrolled in a school with top instructors trained to help you reach your academic and career goals.

STEPHANIE’S TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS:
Stepping Back

A stroke has a way of magnifying personality traits in the caregiver as well as the survivor. My need for control was pumped up, possibly because our lives felt like they were spinning out of control. I looked for ways to exercise
control. One way was learning everything I could about stroke. Another was keeping lists and notes on everything the doctors, nurses and therapists said and did.

As Paul recovered, I couldn’t stop myself from needing more control, particularly over little details. If those details didn’t go as I had planned, if I wasn’t in control, I would get stressed out.

I usually drive because I am a control freak. Of course, I explain that if I drive, “Paul is more rested,” and so more able to fully engage with whomever or where-ever we’re going. The loss of control when the traffic slows down (which happens all the time where we live), makes me frustrated and angry, so maybe I should let Paul drive more.

Recently, Paul’s brother spent a week with us for the first time in many years. I wanted to be sure that Paul and his brother had time alone, without a control freak micro- managing the scene, so I planned to work most of the week. On Wednesday, Paul drove his brother to his Rotary Club without me. They spent the day together and had a great time.

I have met many caregivers who were or became control freaks, perhaps more compulsive than me. They would do everything for their survivor, make all the decisions, try to be in complete control. They wouldn’t let the survivor learn to get a snack for himself, or help with the household chores,
because the survivor was too slow or “couldn’t do it right.” They were totally stressed by all the work, with no end in sight.

I have learned that the more independent I helped Paul become, the more time and independence I gained for myself. I know that loosening control and stepping back helped Paul to be more self-sufficient and self-assured, and helped me find perspective. And last week proved this in a very positive way.

For more tips for caregivers, please visit:

http://www.strokesurvivor.com/articles_and_tips.html.

*** Looking for even more inspiration & solutions for spouses and families? Read, “Conquering
Aphasia & Stroke for Caregivers,” the special E-book by Stephanie Mensh. Details and to order your
copy, anytime, anywhere: http://tinyurl.com/CaregiverE-Book

Life after Stroke: the Conversation Partner Scheme

By Kimberly Bond
For people suffering after a stroke, life can be very difficult. But a scheme that helps both Aphasia patients and professionals understand the route to recovery is starting to become a success.

The Conversation Partner scheme, which was started in the UK by the Communication Disability network ‘Connect’ in 2006, uses trained volunteers to support Aphasia sufferers in their own home.

Aphasia is a communication disorder often caused by Stroke –affecting one in three stroke survivors. It affects the sufferer’s ability to speak, read and write, sometimes leaving them with little or no speech at all.
Dr Simon Horton is a lecturer in the Faculty of Health at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and is one of the chief organisers of the scheme. The University was the first site to train their students in the scheme, which is now a national network of more than 20 in the UK and Ireland.

The programme sees all first year Speech and Language therapy students at the University go into the homes of Aphasia sufferers to provide them with stimulating conversation once a week for six months.

Dr Horton said: “The scheme is based on evidence that people suffering from Stroke and Aphasia are vulnerable to isolation- as they are typically elderly and often have physical disabilities. This means they are unable to get out and access the stroke treatments and clubs available in the community, which are normally run by the Stroke Association.”

Read full article .

Like the individuals who experience them, no two strokes are exactly the same. Learn more about the common physical, communication, emotional and behavioral effects that stroke can have on a survivor and find great tips for improving and adapting to make the most of your recovery.

The Stroke Network, Inc. is an on-line stroke support organization and are available to everybody, worldwide. Since 1996 they have provided on-line stroke support and information to well over 250,000 visitors to the site. The Stroke Network is the homepage for a network of several other smaller web sites owned by The Stroke Network Inc.

The Stroke Network provides on-line support to stroke survivors and stroke caregivers of adult stroke. They have found that a stroke caregiver or another member of the stroke family will seek out a web site looking for information about stroke after their loved one has just had one.

Visit our, twice a day, daily chat sessions. Whether you just want to talk or have serious questions of other, more experienced, stroke survivors or stroke caregivers, our hosted chat sessions are the place to come.

Click on the Chat Schedule link, under the Quick Links section, to find a chat session that is convenient for you.

The Stroke Network has been hosting stroke support chats for over 15 years! We know what we are doing and are here to support you!

Find out more on their CHAT .

May 13, 2013 3:19 PM by Megan Sutton for Advance

One of my favorite features of the iPad for people with reading impairments is the ability to read any selected text aloud. This one accessibility tool makes it possible for people with aphasia or dyslexia to listen to emails, websites, and e-books instead of reading them. As an added bonus, the feature can be set to highlight each word as it is read, providing extra therapeutic stimulation. What if the device could also read text from any source? Using OCR (optical character recognition) technology, the text embedded in photographs can be turned into editable text, allowing users to take photos of printed materials, extract the text, and use it just like any other digital writing.

One app that employs OCR technology to recognize text in photos is OCR Scanner by Smart Mobile Software, available on App Store and Google Play. The recognized characters are displayed in plain text that can be copied, emailed, or read aloud within the app. The app works best when the picture only contains text displayed on a plain background. Five scans per day are included in the free app; unlimited scans are available through in-app purchase or you can buy the unlimited version of the app called Mobile OCR Pro for $2.99.
Read More

Learn the sudden warning signs of stroke so you can recognize and respond to stroke FAST. Cut Out wallet card and keep it handy for emergency.

Maine aphasia group is about six months old and its derived at “aphasia recovery connection”.the purpose of this group is to talk talk talk! and talk s’more!

Maine aphasia group’s, Monday through Friday, 6-7 PM EST. Learn more by emailing jeffcostanzo@gmail.com.

This site is designed for people in Maine and surrounding states promoting Aphasia! with aphasia, their friends, and their families.
Professionals are also welcome.
It is an “aphasia-friendly” site.
Please use simple speech with short sentences.
We encourage video posts. (1-2 minutes)
MAG is supported by Jeff Costanzo both young & old stroke survivors with aphasia . WELCOME! You are welcome to add friends from SPECIFIC to aphasia. Please do not randomly add all your Facebook friends as we are a closed group with a specific purpose.

Caregiving Radio: New Show for Family Caregivers, an article by ving Radio: New Show for Family Caregivers
Posted by Matthew Colella posted to Stroke Smart.

Helping his family navigate a $9,000,000 medical catastrophe that has included 78 surgeries, multiple amputations, 60 doctors, 12 hospitals and 7 insurance companies over 27 years has earned Peter Rosenberger what he calls a “PhD in Caregiving.” And on Sunday, May 12, the motivational speaker will share that wisdom with the nation’s 65 million family caregivers through a new radio show called “The Peter Rosenberger Show.”

With his self-proclaimed “PhD in caregiving from the school of hard knocks,” Rosenberger says he is turning his trial into a trail for others to follow. The author-turned-radio host says he will use the airwaves to offer leadership and a voice of experience to the nation’s growing community of dedicated caregivers.

“Caregivers often suffer from the ‘three I’s’: loss of independence, loss of identity and isolation,” Rosenberger says. “Through this show, we want to reach those feeling overwhelmed and alone—and introduce them to a community where they can draw strength from each other.”

Recognizing and addressing the critical issue of medical insurance for today’s chronically ill, Rosenberger’s radio show (and latest book) speaks directly to the heart of a caregiver by offering assurance and a “calming voice of one who has been there, still there, and thriving in it.” Read more .

Partial Review by -Susan Robinson, MBA, MA, CCC-SLP of Moss Rehabilitation Hospital Philadelphia, PA

The scope of the booklet is exceptional. The detailed information includes discussions of pensions and benefits, rights as a hospital patient and as a person with a disability, services available, vocational issues, relationship issues, and maintaining or establishing interests as well as the more basic explanations of what is occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc. On almost every page, resources are listed with phone numbers and/or Web sites as appropriate for that section. Although normally, this could be seen as repetitious, for this book it is not because it highlights the resources for that particular issue. Each section can be read as needed without the need to have read previous sections.

Overall, this is an excellent resource guide on aphasia. The structure and content of the book emphasize how to maximize communication for persons with aphasia. It is one of the few aphasia resources dedicated to the person with aphasia versus the family or professionals. While this resource will be most useful to persons with aphasia and their families, there is substantial material that is relevant to traumatic brain injury. Clinicians working with persons with stroke or traumatic brain injury will want to check out this user-friendly handbook.

Purchase this book from Amazon .