Islanders now have more community-based services to help them recover from a stroke and transition back to their home and community.
On Prince Edward Island, approximately 250 stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients are admitted to hospital each year, of which 80 percent spend time on the provincial acute stroke unit before going home.
“Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in our province and we are expanding services throughout the Island to help patients recover and transition back home,” said Health and Wellness Minister Robert Henderson. “In the past year we have added several valuable services through the provincial stroke strategy, including a new provincial stroke navigator, a respite and rehab pilot program in Kings County, and access to telestroke services at Western and Souris Hospitals.”
The new provincial stroke navigator, Ann Millar, supports and guides survivors and their families during their post-stroke journey. The navigator helps them understand the stroke recovery process and connects them with health care professionals and community-based resources that can support them.
“A stroke can be a life-changing experience for patients and their families,” said provincial stroke coordinator Sherry Pickering. “Every stroke survivor going through treatment and recovery needs information and support in addition to the medical care provided by their health care team. Our new provincial stroke navigator provides that additional comfort. This role is beneficial to survivors and their families, as well as health care providers, especially as we continue to enhance community-based services.”
A new Respite and Rehabilitation Pilot initiative being offered in partnership with Home Care is now underway in Kings County and offers further supports to stroke survivors and caregivers as they return to their homes and communities. The new initiative, which began earlier this year, includes a stroke rehabilitation assistant who, under the direction of ambulatory stroke services, provides stroke survivors with additional rehabilitation support.
Improving and expanding access to community-based services is the focus of the third and final phase of the Organized Stroke Care program. In 2014, a telestroke rehabilitation service was introduced at Prince County Hospital, providing survivors living in Prince County with access to the specialized provincial stroke rehabilitation clinic at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital without having to travel to Charlottetown. That service was expanded this past year to Western and Souris Hospitals, improving access and reducing the need for patients and their caregivers to travel.
Work is also underway to expand secondary stroke prevention services to other areas of the province. Secondary stroke prevention services are currently available through a clinic at Prince County Hospital, which focuses on individuals who have already experienced a stroke or TIA and those who are at high risk of stroke. Through a patient-centred approach, health care providers trained in stroke management offer individuals support with lifestyle management to address risk factors for stroke such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking. The clinic at Prince County Hospital receives approximately 100 referrals each year.
For more information on the Organized Stroke Care Program and services, visit www.healthpei.ca/stroke.