Hi All – Spent last night with Chris, Barbara & Liesha. Chris was in good shape and in a good mood. He brushed his teeth whilst Liesha annoyed him by issuing instructions. Boredom is the big issue for him at the moment. We’re plotting music (Alec is putting together a playlist of faves) & DVDs & reading to him – but we wanna come up with more things he can do for himself for stimulation. We’ll try a Discman & an iPod tonight and see what works.
His bed is under a clock which looks a little tortuous to me (seems like there is a CK song in here somewhere too). We have to buy him slippers today (or ‘sleepers’ as the Jamaican (??) nurse pronounced it – which is much better). We’re also working out a fine dining menu for him with lots of vege food – however my plan to smuggle him an Epic caught the wrath of Barbara (and that’s something not taken lightly, if you’ll forgive the pun).
All the beats folks
Roy
Chirs Knox’s iPod playlist is something I would be very keen to check out. I’m sure it would contain a plethera of relatively unknown but fantastic artists. Point him in the direction of http://www.dustytunes.com, so that we can all check out his musical library!
Hello, my name is also Chris Knox I recently discovered your music while doing a complety ego driven google of my name. I have to say I have enjoyed your music greatly and your music has been blaring during my recent “chillout” sessions. I’m glad you seem to be doing better. I would hate for someone with our glorious name to be in medical peril. Much love from Me and my friends…. If you’re ever in Austin know you have fans.
Hullo Ward-Knoxes & Roy
I was very distressed to hear about Chris’s stroke – and am glad to hear the rehab therapy is coming along fine. Rehab can be very boring, but it is really, really worth it.
Best wishes to Chris, Barbara & everyone
Dyan Campbell & Paul Gumbley
Please see the (excerpt from) article below about virtual reality games & how they facilitate physical therapy.
The URL can be clipped & pasted into your browser if you want to read the whole article.
http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/758/63
Virtual Reality Therapy Shows Promise for Stroke Patients
Patients who played the games improved in walking, standing and climbing steps. Also, brain imaging done before and after the experiment indicated a reorganization of brain function after the therapy. Virtual reality therapy — for example, a video game that simulates deep-sea diving in a shark-filled sea — has shown promise in helping people who have suffered strokes regain some of their lost range of motion, balance, mobility, stepping and walking skills.
Video Games May Help Stroke Victims
When stroke victims played virtual reality games in which they imagined they were diving with sharks or snowboarding down a narrow slope, their ability to walk eventually improved, researchers reported in a small study.
Doctors called the findings promising, especially since the patients had all had strokes more than a year earlier, a time frame when further recovery is unlikely.
“People love to play games,” said study co-author Dr. Mark Hallett, and the virtual reality therapy helped the patients use their weakened legs and ultimately walk better. Hallett is chief of the human motor control section with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
While the study size was small and the volunteers relatively young — 10 stroke victims with an average age of 57 — the researchers believe video games may be a good way to keep patients engaged in therapy.
About 700,000 people each year experience a new or recurrent stroke, which often impairs one side of the body and walking ability.
The patients in the study, which appeared in Thursday’s issue of the journal Stroke, all had weakness on one side of their body. Researchers randomly assigned them to a control group or a virtual reality group. The control group got no intervention while the virtual reality group used the video training for an hour a day, five days a week for more than a month.
“This was a group of people that you would not expect to improve, and that’s what made it interesting that they did,” said Dr. Robert Felberg, director of the stroke program at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans.
The three games in which the patient’s body is superimposed into the scene were used to build a range of motion, balance, mobility, stepping and walking skills. One game simulated going up and down stairs, another let the patient go deep-sea diving with sharks and the third recreated snowboarding by simulating gliding down a narrow slope, jumping and avoiding obstacles.
The five patients who played the games improved in walking, standing and climbing steps, researchers said. Also, brain imaging done before and after the experiment indicated a reorganization of brain function after the therapy, said lead author, Sung H. You, assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University in Hampton, Va.
Experts said more study is needed.
“It doesn’t show that virtual reality is any better than any other intervention,” said Dr. Allen Brown, medical director of brain rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
And neurology professor Dr. Lawrence Wechsler, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Stroke Institute, said, “I think it’s too early to make any conclusions about virtual reality therapy. It looks promising and I would say it’s something that we’d continue to investigate.”
Hi. Just heard of what happened to Chris. I met him in France for a special event in Arras (“scene partagee”)in 2004 and found out what a great human being he is, besides of his obvious artistic talent. Wanted to send him my most friendly regards and best wishes of recovery. Hope things will get better and better.
Love from France,
Alex
Hey Chris – thank god for for the blog! I’m still in Minnesota and it’s good to hear news of your recovery. This Roy mate of yours is a treasure. Hey, matey, PLEASE get well soon. I’m thinking of you all often and sending big warm hugs. Barbara, you’re a rock and Chris is so lucky to have you and I hope you’re getting all the support you need too. And Leisha and John as well. I’ve set up a Chris Knox radio station on Pandora.com (cool net radio outfit over here) and I had a wee cry the other day when I heard a couple of your songs. I’ll never forget how we rocked Dunedin with that clip we shot in the graveyard – “Old …” – what was that song called? The phone lines were jammed with outraged Dunedinites. They were easily shocked in those days. Lots of love, matey and I’ll see you when I get back end of August. Bridget xx
Kia kaha Chris and Barbara and family on this Mataariki cusp
I wanted to send love and good wishes for your steps back to square one Chris. You came and did a gig for us at Department of Conservation last year at the Fort Takapuna sculpture show under a full moon rising from Rangitoto and we very much appreciated it and had good fun.
Speedy recovery
Bill Trusewich and the folks at DOC Auckland
Chris let me know when Barbara is cool with you having an Epic. Releasing the new IPA “Armageddon” in a couple of weeks, I’ll keep some aside, and put it with the Mayhem I still owe you.
Check out this fascinating video “Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight”
http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html