Note: This story was originally published on the University of Utah Health’s website.

Nearly 800,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year, and many experience changes to cognition, language, mobility, and mood that can last for months or years. Despite this wide range of long-lasting challenges, most research into stroke recovery focuses exclusively on motor symptoms.

But for stroke survivors, quality of life encompasses far more than that: how can survivors stay connected with their communities? How can they best maintain mental health? How can families and support networks themselves be supported throughout recovery?

The Center for Quality of Life (QOL) after Stroke aims to answer these questions and more, helping stroke survivors and caregivers live their best lives. Launching through the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital at University of Utah Health (U of U Health), the new center is dedicated to advancing the well-being of stroke survivors and their care partners through patient-centered, evidence-based research.

“My work has long focused on understanding how individuals adapt after stroke and translating that knowledge into evidence-based interventions,” says Alexandra Terrill, PhD, co-director of the Center. “I look forward to advancing rigorous, patient-centered research that redefines stroke recovery by placing quality of life at its core.”

Click here to read the full story on the U Health newsroom website.