These exercises can be done as way to accelerate recovery at home. Ask your physiotherapist how many sets and times per day you should be doing each exercise based on your needs.

1. Pendulum stretch
Relax your shoulders. Stand beside a surface and lean over slightly with the affected arm hanging down. Swing the arm in a small circle — about 30cm in diameter. As your symptoms improve, increase the diameter of your swing and use a small weight.

2. Towel stretch
Hold one end of a three-foot-long towel behind your back and grab the opposite end with your other hand, holding in a horizontal position. Use your good arm to pull the affected arm upward to stretch it. Hold the bottom of the towel with the affected arm and pull it toward the lower back with the unaffected arm.

3. Finger walk
Face a wall three-quarters of an arm’s length away. Reach out and touch the wall with the fingertips of the affected arm. With your elbow slightly bent, slowly walk your fingers up the wall until you’ve raised your arm as far as you comfortably can. Your fingers should be doing the work, not your shoulder muscles. Slowly lower the arm and repeat.

4. Cross-body reach
Use your good arm to lift your affected arm at the elbow, and bring it up and across your body, gently stretching the shoulder. You may do this either sitting or standing.

5. Armpit stretch
Using your good arm, lift the affected arm onto a shelf at chest level. Gently bend your knees, opening up the armpit. Deepen your knee bend slightly, gently stretching the armpit, and then straighten. With each knee bend, stretch a little further without force or pain.

6. Outward rotation
Hold a rubber exercise band between your hands with your elbows at a 90-degree angle close to your sides. Rotate the lower part of the affected arm outward 5cm and hold for 5 seconds.

Physiotherapy can help you through recovery following a stroke with a program that focuses on challenging your brain and nerves, as well as muscles, balance and coordination.
Treatment methods that physiotherapist use with patients recovering from a stroke include:

• Mobility and strengthening exercises
• Increasing muscle tone in the affected groups
• Trunk stability and strengthening
• Regaining balance to improve stability and coordination
• Increasing exercise tolerance and endurance
• Assisting with activities to encourage independence in regular daily tasks
• Improving gait to prevent falls and lessen the difficulty of movement

Working to improve strength and balance should also be done at home to ease the recovery process. Here are a few tips to try out:

• Each day, raise your affected arm up and down with your unaffected hand.
• Think about moving one finger at a time and try fanning them out a throughout the day.
• Strengthen arm and hand muscles by pushing your affected side against a mattress or pillow.
• Practice making a fist.
• Shifting weight from side to side while sitting up straight.
• Reaching your non-affected arm out toward the weak side.
• Reaching forward with clasped hands, eventually adding going from seated position to standing.

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Working to regain normality in your life following a stroke can be discouraging. It is hard to remember that rehabilitation does not occur overnight. While some people see significant improvements from the effects of a stroke within a few weeks, you are more likely to see recovery gradually while receiving Physiotherapy treatment.
It is also important to make sure you take precaution to prevent future strokes by:

1. Identifying your personal risk and its factors.
2. Making lifestyle changes to reduce your risk and ask your doctor about any necessary medication.
3. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of a stroke by memorizing FAST (facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, and time).

Most people find it’s hard to set aside time for an exercise regime with a busy schedule, and if there is time, you’re usually too tired to have motivation. Making small changes in your daily routine can be just as effective as going to the gym a couple times a week. Here are some simple ways to be more physically active at home, at work and at play to help you maintain good health.

At Home

• Plan housework so that you incorporate more trips up and down the stairs and more squatting.
• Skip the riding lawn mower and work in the garden by raking leaves, pruning, digging and pick up trash.     
• Walk more. Go out for a short walk before or after meals for 15-30 minutes.
• Walk or bike to work or to the local store.
• Increase your heart rate while walking with a brisker pace. Don’t take shortcuts and choose a route with an incline.
• When lounging or watching TV, sit up instead of lying on the sofa.
• Pace around while talking on the telephone.
• Park farther away at the mall and walk the extra distance. Wearing comfortable walking shoes will encourage you to walk around more while shopping.

At the Office

• Walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone.     
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.      
• Join a fitness centre near your job so you can fit in a workout immediately before or after work.
• Make exercise an appointment by scheduling it in your calendar.
• Get off the bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way.
• Walk around your building on your lunch break.

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At Play

• Plan activities with families and friends that involve physical activity like hiking, backpacking, swimming, tennis etc.
• Visit new places or your favourite hangout by walking, jogging or bicycling around the area.
• Play your favourite music while exercising to add motivation and fun.
• Find an activity that you love. Make it a hobby, not a chore.
• Join a recreational club in your community during the summer that involves physical activity.
• When golfing, ditch the cart and walk instead.

With endless baking and cooking happening during Thanksgiving, it's not unlikely to get a nasty burn from the oven or stove. The treatment you choose depends on the severity of a burn, but in every case, immediate attention to the area is important.

Before inspecting the area to assess the degree of the burn itself, run the area under cold water for at least 10 minutes. It's important to note that you should never apply ice to a burn as it can increase tissue loss and the possibility of scar damage.

The next steps you should take are during the healing process.

• Regularly clean the burn gently with soap and water.
• Do not break blisters to avoid the possibility of infection.
• Apply ointment, such as Vaseline, Polysporin or aloe vera.
• Protect the area with gauze lightly taped or wrapped over it, changing it once daily.
• Burns can be painful. Over-the-counter pain medicine such as Tylenol and Advil can be used for temporary relief. Use according to the directions on the bottle.

The last step is to be patient. Remember, even minor burns can take up to 3 weeks to heal.

If you're experiencing an increase in pain, redness, swelling, oozing or pus, or a fever, seek immediate medical attention. Accidents happen, but it's a good idea to review kitchen safety tips to avoid the pain of unnecessary injuries.