A new program with Alberta Health Services is using at-home treatments to help those who have suffered a stroke.
The Stroke Early Supported Discharge program was started in 2009 as a pilot project. It ran twice as a pilot project and was very successful.
The program is for stroke sufferers who are moderately affected by the stroke and no longer require hospital treatment, but still need rehabilitation. Some patients may also have trouble entering a rehab facility because of the loss of mobility, endurance or stamina that commonly occurs with stroke patients.
In March 2011, the program became part of Alberta Health Services. Over the past year, the program has helped more than 200 stroke patients. It oversees the rehabilitation of 16 to 20 people at any given time.
“We see patients who have had an acute stroke and are mildly to moderately affected by their stroke and are able to be released from the hospital,” says program team leader Jodi Roberts.
“There are either barriers for them going into an outpatient program, or what their needs are, are better addressed right in their home.”
Roberts points out that the in-home therapy provides another option for those that can’t get into an out-patient facility.
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“Sometimes it is the person who is the most involved with the client – the care giver, spouse, family – may be just overwhelmed by everything that has happened and the idea of trying to get that person to an outpatient program is just too much for them,” says Roberts.
Ruth McIntyre suffered a stroke in February and it affected her speech, language, cognition and left her with weakness in her left side. McIntyre, who is 49-years-old, experienced fatigue that left her too weak to attend outpatient therapy. So, she appreciated the option of receiving in-home therapy.
“I think the program is an incredible opportunity. You hear so many things about the health care system that aren’t positive. This is one that is very, very positive,” she explains.
“The professionals came right to me, to my home. It was comfortable. It was relaxed. The services were outstanding and I could see the benefits right away.”
The convenience of being able to receive therapy in her home has been a good experience for McIntyre – and a convenient treatment option.
“I haven’t driven for five months and so I don’t have transportation. My husband works full time, I have three kids in school and our lives are very, very busy.”
“It’s really nice to be comfortable in your own home and sleep when you need to sleep and get the rest that you need.”
In this program, a team of therapists will come to the client’s home with the tools needed to work at restoring the abilities they lost as a result of the stroke. The in-home therapy team offers physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and social work support. The program has cut hospital stays in half; patients are admitted for an average of two weeks.
Andrea Ruelling is a speech language pathologist with the program, and finds that it allows clients to try things they wouldn’t have been able to in the hospital.
“A client is better able to tell me, or even show me, what they’re working on or what they’re trying when they’re in their own home,” says Ruelling.
For Ruelling, the program is more client-centred, and while she enjoys it better than the hospital, she is sure the clients do as well.
“People are very grateful to have you in their home and they try to be a lovely host, even though you don’t need anything when you’re there, you’re there to help them. But it makes them feel like they’re a real part of the process,” she says.
References to the Stroke Early Supported Discharge Program come from four Edmonton hospitals: Royal Alexandra, University of Alberta, Grey Nuns and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Currently, the program is only available to people who live in within the city of Edmonton.
With files from Su-ling Goh
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