STROKE Education Suppliment In Canadian-Health Magazine

Canadian Health Spring 2011

Hello to all my PEI Stroke Recovery readers,

While I was at the Lawtons Drugs next door this evening  I noticed a magazine rack in the waiting room filled with the latest edition of the Canadian Medical Association quarterly magazine "Canadian Health" As I leafed through it I noticed an article on Fatigue that I thought I would like to read. I picked up the couple of items that I had come for and then took a copy of the magazine as I noticed the large "FREE" sign that dominated the very top of the magazine rack. The price was right as Lawtons Drugs was providing the magazines at no charge.

Back  in my big blue chair I proceeded to devour the contents of the magazine. I skimmed the article on Fatigue . It dealt not with the "stop in your tracks" fatigue that comes as a result of traumatic brain injury, suffered from  a stroke type brain attack. It dealt with the fatigue that comes late in the day. That comes after not getting proper sleep at night, or not taking in sufficient fuel at the beginning of the day. Th body is left lacking to make it through the entire work day. My eyes skimmed through the remainder of the magazine stopping here and there as something caught my attention. Then, on pages 56 and 57 they met, "full stop", with familiar material.

Two pages of "STROKE Education Supplement" that spoke of the importance of Awareness and Education in reducing the occurrence of stroke in Canada. (50,000 new strokes  in Canada each year) The supplement spoke of methods for health care professionals, stroke survivors, caregivers and families. These methods are  being developed through the "Organized Stroke Care Model" and are being promoted as ways to support the 315,000 Canadians living with the after effects of stroke.

It was great to see this two page "stroke education supplement" in this high profile health magazine.

Please pick up a copy if you are near a Lawtons Drugs. You can also check it out by clicking the links in this blog post. Please pass on this link "stroke education supplement" in order to make others aware and educate them that together we can "STOP STROKE!"

I will post again soon,

New Website For "Canadian Best Practice Recommendations For Stroke Care"

Welcome to all of my PEI Stroke Recovery readers,

As a stroke community in Canada we have been long awaiting the 2010 update to the "Canadian Best Practice Recommendations For Stroke Care"

It was released on December 3rd 2010.

Click here to download your copy or just read it online. There are some pretty nifty additions. One in particular that I like personally is the use of  hyperlinks in the PDF.

O.K, I hear you "What are hyperlinks and what is a PDF?"

1. Hyperlink - A little piece of computer code that allows the reader to click in a blue underlined text link and then be taken directly to what is being talked about. Like the "Click here" up above to take you to the 2010 update.

2. PDF - Public Document File. Documents are able to be published electronically using the public document file format so that anyone with a computer and Internet access can either read to document online, download the document to their personal hard drive/memory stick or print the document using a local printer.

In order to open a PDF the user will need to have Acrobat Reader downloaded and installed on the computer that is being used. (most if not all newer computers usually have it on them)

Oh Yes! For a major announcement: The Canadian Best Practices has launched a new website. Click here to go there now.

This is an awesome website with the very latest information and links to stroke research reports and partners there. I encourage you to spend some time there checking out everything including the new "Transitions Of Care" links.

This amazing document and website is the result of a partnership of The Canadian Stroke Strategy, The Canadian Stroke Network and The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

I hope that as a reader of "Prince Edward Island Stroke Recovery" you will find the answers to your questions about stroke whether you are a survivor, a caregiver or a health care provider. I encourage you to tell me what it is you need by way of a comment  or contact me directly. All of my contact info is contained on my  web page. Simply click here to go there.

I will post again soon,

Gary

Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic Pilot Open At PCH

Welcome to all our stroke recovery and at risk readers,

Here is the long awaited news that one more piece of the Organized Stroke Care Model for P.E.I. is now in place. The details are included in the following government press release dated November 25, 2010.


November 25, 2010
For immediate release
Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot up and running at Prince County Hospital

Health PEI
The first phase of the Organized Stroke Care Model for Prince Edward Island is now complete with the launch of the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot at Prince County Hospital (PCH), says Health and Wellness Minister Carolyn Bertram.
“Government remains committed to implementing a provincial Organized Stroke Care model to help improve the lives of Islanders who are either at risk of suffering a stroke or who have suffered a stroke,” said Minster Bertram. “It is important that we continue work in partnership with Health PEI to promote a timely and coordinated provincial approach to prevention, early assessment and comprehensive care by interdisciplinary health care teams across the continuum of care. The establishment of the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot at Prince County Hospital is a key part of that approach and will lay the foundation for future clinics across the Island.”
Secondary stroke prevention is focussed on patients who have already experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a non-disabling stroke, and those who are at high risk of stroke.
“The Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot provides out-patient follow-up care for acute TIA patients and post-acute stroke patients,” said Dr. Doug Carmody, Internist at PCH and medical lead for the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot. “This pilot offers a patient-centred approach to specifically address risk factors for stroke including assistance with lifestyle management and assessment by a coordinated clinical staff with specialized training in TIA and stroke management.”
People who suffer a stroke or a TIA are at high risk of recurrent strokes and other vascular events. Quick identification of risk factors and appropriate treatment is critical to prevent further strokes and the possibility of even greater damage and disability. A TIA is an important warning sign that a person is at increased risk of a full-blown stroke.
Major risk factors for stroke include age, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. 83 per cent of Islanders have at least one of these major risk factors and 45 per cent have at least two.
The Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot will initially receive referrals for patients who have been identified as having a known or suspected acute TIA or stroke and who live within the Prince County catchment area. The purpose of the pilot is to evaluate and plan for the appropriate resource requirements prior to expanding the Secondary Stroke Prevention service provincially.
The establishment of the pilot at PCH completes the first phase of the three-phased Organized Stroke Care Model for Prince Edward Island. Government has invested $2.1 million into phase one which includes the Secondary Stroke Prevention Pilot Clinic at PCH, as well as creating and filling a Provincial Stroke Care Coordinator position and instituting an acute in-patient stroke unit and in-patient stroke rehabilitation unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Phase two, includes the establishment of district-level ambulatory stroke rehabilitation services, a provincial roll-out of secondary stroke prevention services, and provincial stroke rehabilitation assessment clinic. Phase three includes the establishment of community re-integration services. Phases two and three will be implemented over the next two years.
Health PEI is responsible for coordinating and delivering Organized Stroke Care services.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. In PEI, there are approximately 350 strokes annually – this equals about one stroke every day.
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Media Contact: Amanda Hamel
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