CONTINUOUS REHABILITATION OF ELDERLY STROKE PA- TIENTS IN THE PREVENTION OF MENTAL AND MEMORY DISABILITIES

SUMMARY. · Increasing attention has been paid to the problem of dementia in neurology, in its scientific, clinical and practical aspects. New diagnostic technology, and perspectives of prevention and treatment have transferred medical interest from the phenomenological, predominantly psychi-atric view to the etiologic, organic aspect which is by nature closer to neurology. The aim of the study was to evaluate the contribution of continuous physical and mental rehabilitation of elderly patients with ischemic stroke resulting in motor deficiency, in the prevention of dementia syndrome. The patients were divided into two groups: group A consisting of patients treated during the period from October 1, 1991 till April 30, 1992, who could not receive continuous physical and mental rehabili-tation due to the war; and group B including patients treated at the beginning of 1991, who under-went continuous physical and mental rehabilitation. The patients from both groups belonged to ur-ban or suburban population, and were matched according to age, sex, education, and diagnosis. Neu-ropsychological studies for some specific cognitive abilities indicated significantly better preserva-tion of visuomotor abilites, visual memory and short-term memory in the group included in the re-habilitation process. Likewise, these patients showed considerably better emotional stability, while the patients who did not undergo rehabilitation showed symptoms of anxiety and depressive disor-der. The second part of the study referred to evaluation of the success of rehabilitation in the treat-ment of motor deficiency. The percentage of mobile patients in group B (53.8%) was considerably higher than in group A (21.4%)