Thursday, October 8, 2009

Stroke survivors practice skills by making apple pies

A press release from Ithaca College:

Peeling and slicing apples, kneading pie dough, sprinkling sugar — these are little things people take for granted until they can’t do them anymore. To help stroke survivors regain functions necessary for daily living, as well as to help restore lost confidence, Ithaca College students in Professor Janice Elich Monroe’s Therapeutic Recreation and Physical Therapy class will be making apple pies — as well as friends — with post-rehabilitation stroke survivors at the college’s Center for Life Skills on Friday, Oct. 9. 

Working together from 10 a.m. to noon, the participants will donate the fruits of their labor to the Brooktondale Apple Festival, to be held Saturday, Oct. 17.               

“This activity is designed as a means to help stroke survivors regain functional skills in speech, mobility and socialization,” said Monroe, professor of recreation and leisure studies. “Community service projects of this nature also enable stroke survivors to regain confidence and realize that although they have limitations, they can still make significant and meaningful contributions to society. We believe that this is a significant aspect of the recovery process.”

The Center for Life Skills is a rehabilitative program developed by Ithaca College to assist individuals who have experienced a stroke meet their maximum potential. The Center features faculty and students from a variety of allied health disciplines, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, therapeutic recreation and speech-language pathology. Participants in the program have experienced many benefits such as increased independence and functional level, improved communication and life skills and enhanced socialization with peers.

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