Employing foreign caregivers: A qualitative study of the perspectives of older stroke survivors.

Background: Global populations are aging, and the numbers of stroke survivors is increasing. Consequently, the need for caregiver support has increased. Because of this and demographic and socioeconomic changes, foreign caregivers are increasingly in demand in many developed countries.

Responsiveness and construct validity of two outcome measures of bilateral upper limb function in patients with chronic stroke.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability among stroke survivors. Despite the availability of numerous stroke rehabilitative therapies, such as mirror therapy, bilateral arm training, and robot-assisted therapy, the recovery of motor function after stroke remains incomplete. Bilateral arm function is a key component in stroke patients to perform activities of daily living and to reflect their functional autonomy.

Effects of orthopedic insoles on postural balance in patients with chronic stroke: A randomized crossover study.

Background: Orthopedic insoles (OIs) with medial arch support and heel cushion are widely used to manage lower extremity injuries, but their effects on postural balance in patients with chronic stroke have not been adequately explored.

Methods: Design: Double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized crossover trial.

Participants: A total of 32 ambulatory patients (20 men and 12 women, aged between 30 and 76 years) with more than 6 months since stroke onset.

Effectiveness and Superiority of Rehabilitative Treatments in Enhancing Motor Recovery Within 6 Months Poststroke: A Systemic Review.

Objective: To investigate the effects of various rehabilitative interventions aimed at enhancing poststroke motor recovery by assessing their effectiveness when compared with no treatment or placebo and their superiority when compared with conventional training program (CTP).

Data Source: A literature search was based on 19 Cochrane reviews and 26 other reviews. We also updated the searches in PubMed up to September 30, 2017.

Evaluate the Feasibility of Using Frontal SSVEP to Implement an SSVEP-Based BCI in Young, Elderly and ALS Groups.

This paper studies the amplitude-frequency characteristic of frontal steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) and its feasibility as a control signal for brain computer interface (BCI). SSVEPs induced by different stimulation frequencies, from 13 ~ 31 Hz in 2 Hz steps, were measured in eight young subjects, eight elders and seven ALS patients. Each subject was requested to participate in a calibration study and an application study.