Stroke is the leading cause of disability. The fastest rising stroke population is younger individuals, <55 years-old, who are still in the “prime” of their lives, contributing to the global workforce, and serving as family providers. Little is known about the post-stroke needs of younger individuals, who, unlike older individuals, must continue to serve as caregivers despite their own disability. Long-term disability resulting from young onset stroke therefore represents a global challenge, with little information to support the development and implementation of comprehensive resilient solutions.

 This project aims to measure and model the key physical, cognitive, and effective factors that impact functional capacity of younger and older individuals with stroke in a home-based setting. Utilizing Northeastern University’s Home Laboratory specially designed for behavioral monitoring in a realistic home environment, the project team will gain insights about functional capacity that cannot be revealed in a traditional laboratory setting. This multifactorial assessment of the specific impairment characteristics that most strongly influence function status requires an interdisciplinary team with skills in movement and cognitive analysis, remote sensing, and predictive modeling. This project represents a first step toward creating resilience to the burden of young onset stroke on individuals, families, communities and society.

Project Principal Investigators