Health News For Champlain
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Pembroke Regional Hospital
New Support Group For Local Stroke Survivors And Their Caregivers
PEMBROKE – Starting this fall, monthly peer to peer drop-in support sessions will be available for stroke survivors and their caregivers living in the Pembroke area.
Supported by the Stroke Survivors Association of Ottawa, the District Stroke Centre at the Pembroke Regional Hospital, Carefor – Renfrew County, the Champlain Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), and the Champlain Regional Stroke Program, meetings will be held the first Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Champlain CCAC office located in the Pembroke Mall.
The first meeting will be held Sept. 3.
“This initiative has been developed in response to an identified gap in community supports for stroke survivors and their caregivers,” said Patrick Hurteau, Community and Long-Term Care Coordinator for the Champlain Regional Stroke Program.
“Each year, more than 200 people are admitted to Renfrew County hospitals following a stroke. Most return home and often find it difficult to resume their daily work, leisure and social activities. With few opportunities for social interaction, many become isolated,” Mr. Hurteau said.
Research has also confirmed that the pressures placed on caregivers affects their physical and mental health, placing them at an increased risk for depression. Support received from peers, who share the experience of living with stroke or caring for a stroke survivor has been shown to make a positive impact.
To be lead by the Stroke Survivors Association of Ottawa, an established peer support organization, the local group will be hosted for the first year by volunteers from Ottawa, after which local volunteers will take over the leadership role.
The project will culminate with the delivery of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s “Living With Stroke” program – a series of workshops based on a chronic disease self-management approach intended for stroke survivors and their family caregivers.
For more information, or help, please contact the District Stroke Centre located at the Pembroke Regional Hospital, (613) 732-3675, ext. 7310.