Brooks Broad Strokes Blog for Patients, Families and the Community
Broad Strokes is a blog about the stages of stroke recovery. Our goal is to create a community to share ideas, technology, therapy options, support, and stories. Join us on this journey!

Clubhouse
Following rehabilitation, Brooks Rehabilitation Clubhouse Membership is available to any adult, age 16 or older, who would benefit from activities to enhance social, physical, cognitive and vocational outcomes following a stroke.

Support Groups
Brooks Gateway Stroke Club
Scheduled Meetings: Second Monday of each month, 6pm (Sept. - May)
Location: Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, 3599 University Blvd S., Jacksonville, FL 32216 Corporate Offices
Room: Brooks 1 and 2
Contact: Jennifer Guss, Stroke Program Admin Assistant (904) 345-7640) or Drusilla Lovecky, Stroke Program Director (904) 345-7657

Inpatient Stroke Groups
Stroke/Cardiac Education Session:
Scheduled Meetings: Monday - Friday, 11-12pm
Location: Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, Room 3421
Contact: Rhonda Felice, Stroke Program Manager (904) 345-7689 or Shirley Koehler, Ph.D. (904) 858-7655

Tell me about Stroke:
Scheduled Meetings: Monday - Friday, 4:30-5:00pm
Location: Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, Room 3421
Contact: Rhonda Felice, Stroke Program Manager (904) 345-7689

Reading For Life Book Club
Review books, short stories or articles. Study guides provided before each month. Books announced 1-2 months in advance. Support provided for those with reading impairments along with adapted techniques such as books on tape and movies.
Scheduled Meetings: Third Thursday of each month, 11:45am - 1:00pm
Location: Brooks-UF Conference Room, Brooks Rehab, Memorial Healthcare Plaza, 3901 University Blvd, South, Suite 101, Jacksonville, FL 32216
Contact: Ceil Brooks, SLP (904) 345-7260, or Flo Singletary, SLP (904) 345-8973

Toastmaster's Aphasia Group
This group is based on the principles of the Toastmaster’s Club and focuses on learning ways to communicate fluently in various challenging environments such as speaking to a group, talking on the phone and meeting new people.
Scheduled meetings: 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 3-4pm
Location: Brooks Clubhouse
Contact: Ceil Brooks (904) 345-7260

Drivers Rehabilitation
Our driver rehabilitation program begins with a comprehensive evaluation during which you assess your strength, range of motion, coordination, vision and other skills that are essential to safe driving.

Stroke Wellness Program
Long term effects of a stroke can include general muscle weakness, decreased endurance, slower metabolism and decreased blood flow on the affected side of the body. Research shows that a healthy lifestyle including exercise and good nutrition can improve the long term health of stroke survivors.  The Stroke Wellness Program provides stroke survivors with customized exercise programs and nutrition education to support the goal of restoring strength, endurance and agility after experiencing a stroke.

Adaptive Sports and Recreation
Stroke survivors can benefit from the Brooks Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program. Whether it's wheelchair basketball, tennis, handcycling or adaptive rowing, those living with a brain injury can rebuild their strength and sense of independence while increasing body awareness, building self-confidence, learning new life skills and even making new friends. Children and adults participate at both recreational and competitive levels.
 

Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
Most patients come to the Brooks Rehabilitation Inpatient Hospital following a stay at an acute care hospital.  Typically, they then continue on to Brooks Home Health, the Brooks Outpatient Network or the Neuro Recovery Center. Patients may be able eligible to participate in a Brooks Center for Rehabilitation study.

Brooks Home Care Advantage
Many patients receive Brooks Home Health services usually after staying at the Brooks Rehabilitation hospital.  Following Home Health Care services the patient may then begin receiving care at the Brooks Outpatient Network, Brooks Neuro Recovery Center, Brooks Stroke Medicine or can transition to the Brooks Clubhouse.

Brooks Rehabilitation Outpatient Network
After receiving outpatient services following a stay at the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital or following Home Health care, patients will usually transition to receive Brooks Stroke Medicine services, participate in a support group, transition to the Brooks Clubhouse or become involved in the Stroke Wellness Program.

Neuro Recovery Center
Brooks Rehabilitation Neuro Recovery Center will provide a seamless transition between stages of recovery for patients within the Brooks Rehabilitation system of care.  Patients typically access the Neuro Recovery Center following a visit to the rehabilitation hospital before or after outpatient rehabilitation.  Members of the community can also benefit from neuro recovery services years after their stroke.

Neurologic Day Treatment Program
Our comprehensive approach to stroke recovery continues in our unique Day Treatment Program.  After hospitalization, one of the most valuable steps patients who have experienced a stroke can take is to participate in our Neuro Rehab Day Treatment Program. This program, along with outpatient therapy, helps to ease the transition from acute care or inpatient rehabilitation to home. It was created to help patients improve cognitive/ thinking, communication ability, social skills and emotional stability, all while the patient continues to regain physical abilities.

Brain Injury Medicine
At Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, patients have access to a physician 24-hours a day. All of our doctors are highly skilled experts in rehabilitation medicine. They are physiatrists—physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists—and they lead the team to help our patients achieve their highest level of independence.

Stroke Wellness Program
Long term effects of a stroke can include general muscle weakness, decreased endurance, slower metabolism and decreased blood flow on the affected side of the body. Research shows that a healthy lifestyle including exercise and good nutrition can improve the long term health of stroke survivors.  The Stroke Wellness Program provides stroke survivors with customized exercise programs and nutrition education to support the goal of restoring strength, endurance and agility after experiencing a stroke.

Brooks Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports and Recreation
Stroke survivors can benefit from the Brooks Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program. Whether it's wheelchair basketball, tennis, handcycling or adaptive rowing, those living with a brain injury can rebuild their strength and sense of independence while increasing body awareness, building self-confidence, learning new life skills and even making new friends. Children and adults participate at both recreational and competitive levels.

Nutrition
Healthy eating and living habits are important following a stroke.  At Brooks Rehabilitation we have a full time nutritionist who provides healthy cooking and eating classes. Our dieticians evaluate our patients’ nutritional needs and determine the appropriate diet to meet their individual requirements.

Heart Healthy Cooking
Brooks Clinical Dietician, Kerrin Going, has created a series of recipes to help Brooks stroke patients learn how to become more heart healthy.

American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Balance Services
When you're out of balance or experiencing dizziness, it's hard to enjoy life. In order to get you back to what you love, we use formal, evidence-based physical therapy.

Stroke Support for Caregivers
Caregivers have needs too, learn about support groups, local resources, and more.

Stroke Caregiver Training
Learn more about what it takes to care for someone who has experienced a stroke.

Stroke Community Resources
Learn more about resources in our community for stroke survivors and their families.

ABCs of Preventing Heart Disease Stroke and Heart Attack
By following these simple steps you can reduce all of the modifiable risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Stroke Resource Center by Mayo Clinic
Stroke is categorized into two main types: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Each type is treated differently but, in general, stroke treatment involves three stages: prevention, medication and surgery, and rehabilitation.

American Stroke Association: Effects of a Stroke
The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls various body functions. If a stroke occurs and blood flow can't reach the region that controls a particular body function, that part of the body won't work as it should.