When Edna Zak of Killam had a stroke on April 24, she could have been in for a stressful recovery, either as an inpatient in an unfamiliar community or driving long distances to receive care. However, the St. Marys Hospitals Stroke Unit Equivalent Care (SUEC) and Early Supported Discharge (ESD) program changed all that.
Instead of clients remaining in hospital, theyre able to get home faster and receive all of the rehab they need within their home, explained team lead Melissa Sztym. The idea of the program is to be able to provide the the intensity of rehab that somebody would get at an inpatient rehab program within their own home with the support of your family and community.
Zak was well aware what her recovery could have been like without therapy; she was the sole carer for her husband, Alben, when he had a stroke years ago.
I had no therapy except the wife and the children, said Alben. The wife had to work on me every four hours, close my eyes because I didnt blink.
Zak, by contrast, was back in her home the day after after her stroke, having received leading edge care at St. Marys from the SUEC team. That following Monday, she received her first home visit from the stroke ESD team, who developed a comprehensive rehab plan for her. She received up to two hours daily therapy and by June 26 had recovered enough to be discharged from the program altogether.
Initially, stroke rehabilitation team members including a registered nurse, a social worker, a speech pathologist and occupational, recreational and physical therapists assess clients and suggest treatment plans which a therapy assistant then puts into action in treatment sessions in the home.
Its just so different going into the home and doing the therapy as opposed to being in hospital where its very simulated, said therapy assistant Alanna Book. With Edna, we wanted to be able to walk to Co-op and go grocery shopping, so instead of being in hospital and trying to simulate that, we went and walked.
It was Ednas goals that we were working on, the things that mattered to her. It was neat being able to see that and then seeing her succeed in the exact things that she wanted to do.
Zaks goals were to be able to get back to doing housework, baking, yard work and grocery shopping
At first, It took us over 20 minutes just to walk a block, and now I can walk downtown [four blocks] and back in what it took to walk that one block, Zak said.