Fewer strokes. Better outcomes.
Living with Stroke© is a six-week self-management program developed by the Heart & Stroke Foundation for individuals with stroke and family/informal caregivers. Sessions are offered in Belleville, Kingston, Brockville and Perth, one to two times/year by the Stroke Group Facilitators. Each program involves one session (1.5 to 2 hours) per week for six weeks. No cost to participate. Information on next program in your area can be obtained by using the contact information on the relevant Support Group brochure.
Aphasia Supportive Conversation Groups are being offered in Kingston and Belleville. For further information, please see below.
The Stroke Network of Southeastern Ontario, in partnership with the South East Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) and the SouthEasthealthline.ca, has produced an online database of services available to people with stroke. This database includes information on rehabilitation, transportation, community services, psychosocial support, recreation, adapted equipment, home renovation and income assistance and has been designed to provide information on these topics and many others through a user-friendly format. Persons with stroke and their families as well as health care providers will find the site to be an invaluable resource. The site may be accessed by:
An interactive system navigation tool has been created by the Centre for Studies in Aging and Health to help healthcare providers and the public to search for the services across Southeastern Ontario that might be useful in recovery following conditions that include stroke. The database includes outpatient and community-based rehabilitation services and community support services. You can search this database by type of service using an interactive map.
Please use the FASTlinks Web-based Maps to access this information.
Tyendinaga Home & Community Care offers a network of services provided by qualified staff to assist individuals to remain in their own home for as long as possible. Click on the links below to learn more.
Three Commuity Reintegration Questionnaires have been developed to facilitate the community reintegration of stroke survivors and their family members following hospital discharge. These questionnaires can be used along with the preceding "Community Resource Directories for Stroke Survivors and Care Partners" as support resources to identify services/organizations that could address needs identified in the questionnaires.
The Screening Questionnaire is intended to be used during the initial visit to primary care post-discharge from acute or rehab. The questionnaire was designed to be administered by a care team member (eg, physician, nurse practitioner, RN, case manager). Any questions answered with a "NO" highlight areas of potential need that should be addressed. This questionnaire is designed to target areas of immediate, practical need.
The Stroke Survivor Questionnaire is intended to be completed by the stroke survivor during a subsequent visit and is designed to identify additional supports that would benefit the stroke survivor and family at a later stage in their recovery journey (eg, three months, six months). This questionnaire may be repeated at various intervals to identify changing needs.
The Caregiver Questionnaire essentially mirrors the Stroke Survivor Questionnaire with the addition of a few caregiver-targeted questions. The purpose of asking the caregiver to complete a similar questionnaire is to identify where there may be discrepancies between the stroke survivor's perception and the caregiver's perception. This provides an opportunity for diaglogue with the healthcare provider to ensure that all needs are captured. As with the Stroke Survivor Questionnaire, this is to be completed subsequent to the initial primary care visit and may be repeated at intervals as care and support needs evolve.
These directories are relevant to stroke survivors and care partners
This resource provides a listing of supports and services which would be of interest to clients and caregivers who have experienced a stroke and to health care providers working with individuals who are living with the affects of a stroke. The listing includes embedded links where available. The document is divided into two sections; the first section is targeted at clients/residents/caregivers and the second section is targeted at health care providers. Some resources may be included in both sections.
Resource Listing
This resource provides a listing of community-based meal services including special diets such as textured meals. This listing provides information current to December 2016. Users are also encouraged to refer to the SE Healthline Meal Delivery Services and SE Healthline Frozen Meals.
The Guide developed by March of Dimes, Stroke Recovery Canada is an excellent free resource for both stroke survivors and caregivers. The Guide provides "practical tips for daily living, relevant medical information, as well as stories from caregivers and survivors. In addition, there are articles on rehabilitation, spasticity, community reintegration, post-stroke relationships, adapting your environment, and lists of useful contacts." (Stroke Recovery Canada)
Family Caregivers Voice (FCV) is a family caregiver-led group promoting family caregivers' local support groups and encouraging self-advocacy through education. Family Caregivers Voice also advocates for changes to the health care system which would improve the life of caregivers. The FCV website includes a video presentation on The Stages of Caregiving.
Please visit the FCV website to learn more and to view the video.
This exercise information brochure for people living with the effects of stroke includes a checklist to determine what exercise program is right for you.
This Return to Work Toolkit provides stroke survivors, family members and healthcare providers with assistance to navigate the process of returning to work including information on local and provincial resources and an online Job Readiness Self-Assessment Guide.
With appreciation to the Stroke Network of Southwestern Ontario for their willingness to share the resources within their Return to Work Toolkit.
The loss of a driver’s licence following a stroke can have significant impacts on the stroke survivor and on the family. Impacts can include emotional, financial and social and returning to driving after a stroke can be a complicated and costly endeavor for stroke survivors and their families. Leveraging the work done by the Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network, the Stroke Network of Southeastern Ontario has adapted Driving After a Stroke in Ontario to reflect the services and supports available here in the southeast. The Driving After a Stroke in Ontario resource is intended to help stroke survivors (and families) understand the process required to return to driving and to connect with relevant supports & services. The resource also recognizes that not all stroke survivors will be able to resume driving and a section applicable to those individuals is included. The resource also includes two aphasia-friendly algorithms for returning to driving when the stroke survivor’s licence has been suspended and when the licence has not been suspended. As well, there is information on Driving After a TIA in Ontario. For more information, contact Gwen Brown, Regional Community & LTC Coordinator at gwen.brown@kingstonhsc.ca or by phone at 1-613-549-6666 X 6867.