Kessler Foundation awarded $50,000 grant to study outcomes of new stroke therapy

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Sep 11 2018

Kessler Foundation has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Charles and Ann Serraino Foundation, Inc. The two-year grant will advance the Foundation's practice-based stroke rehabilitation research to advance the diagnosis and treatment of spatial neglect, a hidden disability that complicates recovery after brain injury, especially right brain stroke.

Ten rehabilitation facilities across the U.S. currently implement Kessler Foundation's spatial neglect assessment and treatment protocols, the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP™), and the Kessler Foundation Prism Adaptation Treatment (KF-PAT™). Therapy teams at each center are tracking and reporting their use of these tools. This grant enables investigators at Kessler Foundation to analyze the impact of the care processes--whether, across this network of care providers, this rehabilitation may enhance functional recovery.

"Through this support, we will be able to examine the impact of our treatment program on the recovery and independence of stroke survivors, their successfully returning to home, the community, and the workplace," remarked AM Barrett, MD, director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation. "We expect to confirm numerous previous controlled trials that indicated functional benefit of spatial neglect care, and we believe better recovery will translate into improvements across important clinical benchmarks for stroke rehabilitation, including lower fall rates and higher rates of home discharge," noted Dr. Barrett. "Our aim is to present evidence of enhanced quality care and cost-efficacy with the system. If successful, these results can then be leveraged to influence medical systems and third-party payers to adopt prism adaptation therapy as a standard of care for stroke survivors across the country."

The Charles and Ann Serraino Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, is dedicated to supporting quality of life for senior citizens. "This gift from the Charles and Ann Serraino Foundation will significantly advance the Foundation's stroke rehabilitation research in the treatment of spatial neglect," said Michele Pignatello, chief development officer of Kessler Foundation. "With this support, senior stroke survivors will gain better access to quality care, which will allow them stay engaged in family life and the community."

"Charles Serraino, who was a former Board member of Kessler Institute, was committed to giving back through accessible and preventative healthcare," remarked Joanne Serraino, President of the Charles and Ann Serraino Foundation. "This grant upholds his vision in providing improved care for seniors who have had a stroke, and ultimately, preserving quality of life. I am happy to partner with an organization that shares the same innovative values as my father, Charles Serraino, and look forward to the future."