June is Stroke Awareness Month and there is much to celebrate! The stroke care system in our region is well established and continues to improve. This is supported by the ongoing commitment and compassion of everyone working in stroke care in our region, across the full continuum of care. To celebrate Stroke month, there are many events going on at National and Local levels. Stroke Survivor Support Groups are working with local Community Support Agencies to help get key messages out again this year!
At a National level, The Heart and Stroke Foundation is hosting a webinar on June 13 titled “Optimizing CVT Care and Outcomes: Closing the Evidence to Practice Gap”. This webinar will explore Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (CVT) as a less common type of stroke which most frequently affects women under the age of 50. The webinar will highlight the new Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations module focused on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis. The session will also discuss the unique needs of people with lived experience of CVT, as well as available support. Register here to attend this webinar on June 14, 2024, 1200-1300h.
Locally, Community Support Services Agencies in our region provide invaluable support to Stroke Survivors throughout the year. A caregiver commented, “I appreciate all the support available through the community stroke support coordinator”. For Stroke and Aphasia Awareness Month, Community Stroke Support Services have been working diligently with Stroke Survivors and Caregivers to promote awareness. Some of these activities are summarized below.
In Hastings and Prince Edward County, Lorraine Pyle (Stroke Support Services Facilitator) for Community Care for South Hastings (CCSH), Stroke Survivors and Caregivers will be participating in raising stroke and aphasia awareness on June 13th at the Quinte Mall. There will be several proclamations. Signage for stroke awareness will be promoted across the area. Media attention will support key messages. FAST cards will be distributed through local pharmacies and Nurse Practitioners' Offices.
Jennifer Godkin (Stroke Support Services Facilitator) for Community Primary Health Care – Senior Support Services (CPHC) will be hosting a Stroke Awareness month BBQ in Brockville on June 18th. Local radio stations and TV interviews, signage, social media and websites will promote awareness in the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville area. Information booths in area Hospitals are also being planned.
In the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area, Emilia Leslie (Stroke Support Services Facilitator) for the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), is also working diligently to organize presentations and media interviews. Resources such as t-shirts, posters and booklets are being used to promote awareness of stroke. There will be Proclamations organized in Kingston and Napanee, along with Kingston City Hall illumination on June 18th.
We thank the Stroke Survivors and Community Support Services Agencies across our region for their continued dedication to promote stroke and aphasia awareness month. Thank you to each of you as we work together to realize our joint vision “Fewer Strokes, Better Outcomes."