Disneyland job helps aphasia victim talk

Roseanna Uman happily goes about her job at Disneyland as a merchandise hostess, a job she has held for four years and one that helps her keep talking.
Uman is an aphasia victim. The 36-year-old woman suffered brain damage at the age of three and has always had difficulty speaking.
For several years, Uman has been a part of a stroke and aphasia victims’ recovery group that meets on a regular basis at the the First Presbyterian Church in Fullerton.
“The purpose is to practice adult conversation skills and also to reduce isolation that happens after stroke or aphasia,” said Dr. Candace Vickers, the founder of the program.
The program works with the help of volunteers and practices conversation techniques with the victims in a relaxed setting....next

Bypass patients can benefit from a few drinks

CHICAGO — Men who underwent heart bypass surgery and consumed about two drinks a day afterward had fewer subsequent cardiovascular procedures than those who abstained, according to a study released Sunday.

Light alcohol consumption was associated with a 25 percent reduction in additional heart procedures, heart attacks or strokes in the study by Italian researchers, presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago....next