B.C. woman says V-PASE study was so beneficial “I’d love to do it again”
Stroke crept up slowly on Shirley Binder, a retired Surrey, B.C., woman and part-time Avon representative.
It began one evening with a numb left hand, which she attributed to too much time spent grasping her phone. The next morning, the numb hand was accompanied by a loose arm. Then, she had difficulty walking.
Shirley was in the process of calling B.C.’s telehealth service to ask about her symptoms when her son intervened and dialled 9-1-1. Because she was on blood thinners, Shirley was not a candidate for a clot-busting drug when she got to the hospital, but she underwent a myriad of tests to try to determine the cause of the stroke.
Thankfully, within two weeks, Shirley’s symptoms waned as her brain recovered and she received therapy. The mobility in her hand, arm and leg gradually improved. She was discharged home on Christmas Eve and waited a couple of months to get further rehabilitation.
“I was just determined I would recover,” she says. To regain her strength, Shirley walked as much as she could and did the hand and foot exercises provided by hospital rehabilitation specialists.
Last year, she heard about the Virtual – Physical Activity Seated Exercise (V-PASE) trial, led by Dr. Janice Eng at the University of British Columbia and conducted in a number of provinces across Canada. Shirley jumped at the chance to join, partly because she wanted to “be able to help the next person who has a stroke.”
V-PASE has the potential to improve balance, mobility, muscle strength, quality of life, and heart health. In addition, the study delivers online therapy to people who live in rural and remote communities and may not otherwise be able to access further stroke rehabilitation.
“It was excellent,” says Shirley, age 80. “The exercise program was fantastic. I got my heart rate up. I couldn’t believe it.” She participated three times a week by Zoom, working with a therapist who ran her through a series of seated exercises. She said she lost weight and felt better, both physically and mentally.
“I’d love to do it again,” she adds. “I found the people, especially Dr. Paul Mackie who ran the study, were great to work with and very accommodating. I hope more people who have experienced a stroke will be able to take part in a study like this.”