June is Stroke Month: Most stroke sufferers are older adults

TORONTO, ON – It was one of the most frightening experiences in Ian Carmichael's life. The active 64-year-old was sitting in his office when he suddenly felt numbness in his legs and arms, became dizzy and began slurring his words.

Ian is among the 300,000 Canadians who are living with the effects of stroke.

"While there is a disturbing number of younger people and baby boomers having strokes, and this is cause for concern, it's important that we not lose sight of our most vulnerable group - adults over 65," says one of Canada's leading stroke researchers, Dr. Donald Stuss.

Dr. Stuss is Director of The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. Baycrest is a key player in Canada's first-ever stroke recovery centre, spearheaded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. The virtual research centre will pool the best minds in stroke research, care and recovery from three sites -- Baycrest, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and the Ottawa Health Research Institute at the University of Ottawa. The aim is to develop therapies that will improve the quality of life for patients after stroke.

Researchers and clinicians at Baycrest will focus on developing more effective rehabilitation therapies for stroke patients, with particular emphasis on recovery of physical function, speech, and memory.

"We know the adult brain has some restorative capacity. It has the potential to partially repair itself after injury," says Dr. Stuss.

Using a powerful, magnetic brain imaging device (known as magnetoencephalography or MEG), Baycrest researchers are able to track the effectiveness of various therapies by monitoring functional changes in the patient's brain.

And what happened to Ian Carmichael, the 64-year-old who was sitting at his office desk? Ian didn't know it then, but he had just suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), also known as a transient stroke that usually lasts 24 hours. It occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is briefly interrupted. TIAs are often warning signs that a person is at risk for a more serious and debilitating stroke. Unfortunately for Ian, there would be several more attacks in the days to come that would leave him paralyzed down the right side of his body. That was spring 2001.

Almost two years later, Ian has made a remarkable recovery, thanks to the Rehabilitation Unit and Stroke Self-Management Program at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

Today, Ian continues to exercise in the warm water pool at Baycrest twice a week and volunteers on the Rehabilitation Unit so he can provide encouragement to other stroke patients.