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Proven Stroke Expertise A stroke wasn’t on 26-year-old Joe Marucci’s agenda. But then again neither was the unexplained tear in a blood vessel in his neck or the clot that went to his brain. The recovery this stay-at-home dad has had is remarkable, but so too are the functional gains he continues to make more than three years after his near fatal stroke.
Thanks to the most experienced stroke team in Mississippi and their use of the latest technology, Marucci continues to see significant improvement in his ability to use his right arm.
While he is much younger than the typical stroke survivor, he’s not alone. Since 1975 thousands of stroke survivors have benefited from Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s comprehensive Stroke Program. Last year, 264 stroke patients sought treatment at Methodist. By far, more stroke survivors rehabilitate at this hospital than at any other hospital in Mississippi.
And those numbers really count. Stroke requires immediate intervention by a team dedicated solely to a survivor’s recovery. And it requires proven expertise. Stroke survivors deserve nothing less and Methodist provides both.
Our Patients
As Mississippi’s only provider of a stroke-specific rehabilitation program, Methodist Rehabilitation Center is able to offer stroke survivors the most advanced information, practices and research related to stroke treatment and prevention.
Since the programs inception more than 30 years ago, thousands of patients have benefited from the stroke team’s proven expertise and approach to caring for survivors of mild, moderate or severe strokes.
The Stroke Program’s comprehensive services address the effects of stroke on the mind, body and spirit and educate patients and their families about their role in the rehabilitation process.
Our Team
The multidisciplinary stroke team at Methodist is led by a physiatrist—a physician who specializes in physical medicine a rehabilitation. The team includes certified rehabilitation nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, therapeutic recreation specialists, vocational rehabilitation counselors, dieticians and neuropsychologists. The referring physician is encouraged to remain involved in the patient’s care and other medical specialists are consulted, as needed.
Recognizing that each patient is unique, the stroke team treats the medical, physical, cognitive, communication and swallowing disorders associated with stroke, and addresses issues related to a patient’s mobility, nutritional needs and activities of daily life.
Our Program
The Stroke Program at Methodist Rehabilitation Center offers each patient a comprehensive, personalized plan that treats every part of the patient that a stroke affects: body, mind and soul.
The Stroke Program offers comprehensive services that prepare stroke survivors for life after rehabilitation. Although each treatment plan is tailored to meet individual needs, patients may require or benefit from a variety of therapies.
Speech-language pathologists evaluate skills related to listening, thinking, speaking, reading and writing and work with the patient to develop the most effective communication system possible.
Stroke patients often suffer from swallowing problems known as dysphasia. Dysphasia is diagnosed using videofluroscopy and treated in one-on-one therapy and in special feeding groups.
Stroke patients may benefit from Methodist’s Motion Analysis Laboratory, a part of the Center for Neuroscience and Neurological Recovery. It is uniquely equipped and capable of precise kinetic and kinematic analysis of any kind of human motion. Stroke patients often come to the lab after treadmill gain training, a therapy that has helped many patients make significant gains in their walking ability. While the treadmill’s harness, pulleys and pneumatic system support the patient’s weight, therapists can assist the person with a stepping motion.
Through recreational activities like art therapy, pet therapy and game night, stroke patients learn to modify leisure activities so they can continue to enjoy them at home. Organized outings to restaurants and malls help prepare patients for the challenges of returning to their communities.
After discharge from the inpatient program, treatment can be continued at Quest—Mississippi’s only comprehensive outpatient program designed to help brain-injured patients reintegrate into society. A team of physical, occupational and speech therapists work with physicians and neuropsychologists to help patients improve in a setting that’s more tailored to their individual needs than a hospital environment.
Stroke Program Benefits
- Stroke patients are hospitalized on a separate floor with staff and facilities dedicated solely to the treatment of stroke
- Stroke patients have opportunities to participate in clinical trials
- Stroke patients undergo driving evaluations and retraining
- Stroke patients are able to participate in therapeutic recreation programs
- Stroke patients have priority access to accessible housing and long-term, residential care
- Stroke patients have access to assistive technology
- Stroke patients can be evaluated in the hospital’s Motion Analysis Laboratory, one of only a few in the nation that tests patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries, brain injuries or Stroke
- Stroke patients have access to treadmill gait training, a therapy that has helped many patients make significant gains in their walking ability
Research
Stroke patients at Methodist have opportunities to participate in and benefit from clinical trials and other research through the hospital’s Center for Neuroscience and Neurological Recovery. A team of CNNR physician-scientists translate basic neuroscience research into useful therapies that benefit patients suffering from stroke. By building on the hospital’s reputation and strong commitment to research, this team is able to quickly move research findings from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside, thus bridging the gap between biomedical discoveries and their clinical application.
This commitment to neuroscience research is a crucial component of a comprehensive stroke program. Our research team’s mission is to provide objective evidence about what works for whom, when and why, whether evaluating new promising therapies or challenging embraced clinical practices. The goal is to provide clinicians with the best possible evidence to consider when evaluating or modifying practices in Stroke rehabilitation.
In this endeavor, patients and investigators form a partnership, with our patients contributing to knowledge by electing to participate in studies that they hope will benefit themselves or others like them.
Learn More About Research at Methodist
Methodist Stroke News
Numerous news releases and feature stories have been written about stroke patients who’ve had successful outcomes or made significant gains following treatment at Methodist Rehabilitation Center. To read those stories, go to the patient profiles section and click “stroke.” Many more SCI news releases and links to news coverage about Methodist’s SCI program are available by entering the keyword "stroke" in the search box at the top of this page.
More About Methodist
Contact Us
Program Manager
Susan B. Greco, RN, MSN, CRRN
sgreco@mmrcrehab.org
601-364-3480 or 601-497-2070
Nurse Manager
Shirlene H. Allen, RN, BSN
SHallen@mmrcrehab.org
601-364-3436
Additional Questions?
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Does Methodist treat a lot of stroke patients? |
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Yes. Methodist treated 264 stroke patients in 2006, far more than any other hospital in Mississippi. In fact, 17.8 percent of stroke patients in Mississippi sought treatment at Methodist Rehabilitation Center according to statistics compiled by the Mississippi State Department of Health. |
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