Painting a mural and writing an article: creative rehabilitation strategies

In this article, the authors describe a creative rehabilitation process that used painting a mural and writing for publication as interventions. The successful rehabilitation process is described from the perspective of the patient as well as the rehabilitation nurse. Creative strategies often are needed when a patient does not readily respond to traditional rehabilitation methods. A patient's interests, talents, and concerns often can be creatively aligned with the rehabilitation goals of the nurse and can result in unique interventions that have successful outcomes. Painting a mural and coauthoring this article became the primary rehabilitation interventions for a patient with expressive aphasia and impaired mobility, secondary to his stroke in 1987.