How can we provide rehabilitation to those who’ve had a stroke in a cost-effective way? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Intensive and personalized physical rehabilitation one to two months after a stroke helps people recover better, a recent study showed, but getting such services paid for remains a challenge. Steven Zeiler, a stroke expert at Johns Hopkins, says technology can help.

Zeiler: That’s why there is a lot of interest for example in some of the immersive environments, robotic assisted play areas, and creating virtual environments that would allow patients to do this with less occupational therapist input. Not to say completely independent, but perhaps less. We were excited to see this data; we’re not surprised. It fits right smack dab into the animal, and human model that we’ve built. It’s nice to see the confirmation and we intend to capitalize on it.  :29

Zeiler states that there’s no doubt of the benefit to society of more fully rehabilitated people who’ve had a stroke in addition to the individual’s quality of life. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.