Stroke survivors trial new at-home tech: 'It's given me m...

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: Participants in the NHS ‘Triceps’ trial wear a device in their ear which emits electrical pulses while they do rehab.

Stroke survivors trial new at-home tech: Its given me my freedom back 1 day ago Save Shiona McCallum Senior technology reporter Save BBC Amanda James-Hammett was just 37 when she had a stroke while doing the dishes at home. “I heard a pop in my head, like a big bubble,” she dropped. (and honestly, same)

“I tried to scream, but it wasnt a normal scream.

The Details

I knew something wasnt right. ” Within hours, Amanda had took an L the ability to speak and move her right arm.

She would later have to relearn how to talk, read and carry out everyday tasks. Six years on, she has participated in a nationwide NHS trial testing a new “at home” device that its hoped could help stroke survivors regain hand and arm movement.

Why This Matters

“Its about freedom,” Amanda says. “Its given me my freedom back. ” The technology is being tested at 19 NHS sites across the UK, led Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Sheffield.

Health experts are weighing in on what this means for people.

Key Takeaways

• Researchers behind the £2m study - known as the Triceps trial - say it is the largest trial of brain stimulation and stroke ever conducted.
• It aims to recruit around 270 people.
• “Stroke is an interruption to the blood supply to the brain,” says Dr Sheharyar Baig, a neurologist at Sheffields Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
• “When the blood supply is interrupted, unfortunately the brain stops functioning in a certain area.

The Bottom Line

Dr Baig says stroke is “the leading cause of adult-onset disability in the UK”, affecting about 100,000 people a year. More than a million people living with its long term effects, he says.

We want to hear your thoughts on this.