The Heart & Brain Connection: Heart Care After Stroke
Release Date: 02/12/2024
Stronger After Stroke
Episode 34. The Overlooked Key to Stroke Recovery: Hearing Hearing is one of the keys to independence after a stroke. More than just sound, hearing is critical for brain health, rehabilitation and independence following a stroke. In this episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” host Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, talks with Virginia Dekanski, Au.D., CCC-A, about how untreated hearing changes can impact recovery and long-term cognitive health. In this episode, you will learn: Why hearing loss can slow rehabilitation after a stroke. How balance problems are connected to hearing...
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Episode 33: Stronger After Stroke — Love, Resilience and Recovery: A Young Caregiver’s Story In this heartfelt episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” host Rosa Hart welcomes Katelyn Deakins, wife of a young stroke survivor who shares her inspiring story of love and resilience amid the realities of caregiving. Katelyn shares what it was like to step almost overnight into the role of caregiver, navigating the medical system and supporting her husband’s recovery while also learning to care for herself . In this episode, Katelyn discusses: The emotional rollercoaster of her...
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Episode 32: Role Reversal – When the Child Becomes the Caregiver with Tiffany Cardwell When a person has a stroke, life changes for family members as well. Host Rosa Hart is joined by Tiffany Cardwell, who shares a deeply personal journey of love, responsibility and unexpected role reversal after her father experienced a stroke while traveling overseas. What began as a season filled with travel plans quickly turned into a crisis when her father suddenly was stranded in the Philippines, requiring rehabilitation before he could make the long journey home. Tiffany opens up about the emotional...
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Episode 31: Stronger After Stroke – Can I Drive Again? Legal Realities After Brain Injury Driving is more than just transportation—it represents autonomy, identity and freedom. Host Rosa Hart welcomes attorney and brain injury survivor Cameron Fathauer, J.D., for an enlightening conversation about the emotional and legal complexities of driving after a brain injury. With firsthand insight and legal expertise, Cameron guides listeners through the critical considerations survivors and caregivers must understand when it comes to regaining the ability — and the right — to drive safely and...
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May 12: Stroke Awareness Month Episode Episode 30: Stronger After Stroke – From Patient to Purpose: Adam Maddox’s Journey In this powerful episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” host Rosa Hart, stroke nurse navigator, sits down with Adam Maddox, a stroke survivor who’s rewriting his life story. At just 26 years old, Adam suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at his brother’s funeral — a devastating event that led to a lifesaving intervention at Norton Brownsboro Hospital. Now a nursing student and patient care associate at the very hospital that treated him, Adam shares how his experience...
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Stronger After Stroke: Driven to Thrive: Tackling Transportation After Stroke In this empowering episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” host Rosa Hart is joined by social worker Caitlin Zoeller, MSW, LCSW, for an honest conversation about one of the biggest hurdles stroke survivors face: transportation. From the emotional impact of losing the ability to drive to the everyday logistics of getting to appointments or simply staying social, transportation challenges can deeply affect independence and quality of life. Together, Rosa and Caitlin unpack the grief many survivors experience,...
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March 10, 2025 Episode 28Should You Apply for Disability After a Stroke? Steps to Take With Sam Schad In this episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” we tackle a crucial question for stroke survivors: Should you apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits? Navigating the SSDI application process can be overwhelming, but knowing when and how to apply can make all the difference. Our expert guest, Sam Schad from Schad Law, has spent his career advocating for individuals with disabilities, managing all aspects of SSDI claims. As one of the first non-attorney...
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Episode 27 Heart Month: Watching Over the Heart and Brain Did you know a stroke can come straight from the heart? Gain more insight from our discussion between D. Sean Stewart, M.D., cardiologist with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, and Rosa Hart, stroke nurse navigator with Norton Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Stewart explains the role of the anatomy of the heart in clot formation during atrial fibrillation (A-fib), putting someone with A-fib at risk for stroke. He also explains how an implant called a Watchman device protects against clot formation and can decrease the need for taking...
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Episode 26: Lost in Translation: Bella’s Stroke Journey Abroad Episode summaryIn this episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” stroke nurse navigator and host Rosa Hart interviews Bella Portaro-Kueber, a stroke survivor who shares her remarkable journey of resilience after experiencing a stroke while on vacation in a foreign country. Bella opens up about the fear and uncertainty of receiving medical care in a language she didn’t understand, as well as her decision to keep her stroke private for two years before finding the courage to share her story. Her experience highlights the...
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Episode 25: What I Wish I Knew: A Caregiver’s Journey With Brain Injury Recovery Episode summary In this heartfelt and enlightening episode, host Rosa Hart, stroke nurse navigator with Norton Neuroscience Institute, sits down with Michelle Sanchez, a devoted daughter and caregiver, to explore her journey through navigating her mother’s brain injury rehabilitation and recovery. Michelle shares invaluable lessons learned, the unexpected challenges of caregiving and the resources she wishes she had known about earlier. From navigating the health care system to finding emotional support,...
info_outlineEpisode 15: The Heart & Brain Connection: Heart Care After Stroke
On this episode of the Stronger After Stroke podcast, we speak with Sofya Kuznetsov, M.D., cardiac electrophysiologist, Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. She helps us understand why, after surviving a stroke, a patient might be referred for a heart health evaluation.
Dr. Kuznetsov specializes in abnormal heart rhythms, called cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. She and her team support patients with heart rhythm disorders with a variety of treatments, including cardiac ablations and devices that are implanted and monitored, like pacemakers and defibrillators.
Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, a stroke nurse navigator for Norton Healthcare, hosts the discussion.
Connect with Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Centers for support after stroke:
To schedule an appointment with a cardiologist or for more heart health resources:
https://nortonhealthcare.com/services-and-conditions/heart-and-vascular-care/patient-resources/
Norton Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system, is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. Five Louisville hospitals provide inpatient and outpatient general care as well as specialty care, including heart, neuroscience, cancer, orthopedic, women’s and pediatric services. A strong research program provides access to clinical trials in a multitude of areas. More information about Norton Healthcare is available at NortonHealthcare.com.
If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to Norton Healthcare’s other podcast, “MedChat,” available in your favorite podcast app. “MedChat” provides CME on the go and is targeted toward physicians and clinicians to offer the latest updates on adult and pediatric health care topics.
Date of original release: February 12, 2024