Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network
Southwestern Ontario Stroke NetworkStroke Resources
This page highlights resources developed or contributed to by the Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network and the Ontario Stroke Network to support implementation of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations into daily practice. These resources include clinical practice tools, and stroke awareness materials. They are presented in alphabetical order:
This pocket guide targetting healthcare and service providers outlines 6 things that they can do to support the recovery of the stroke survivor.
This guide includes information that will help stroke survivors and their loved ones make decisions about choosing, moving into, and living in a Long Term Care (LTC) Home.
Knowing what questions to ask, and getting the answers you need, will help you find the Long Term Care Home and the services that best meet your needs.
View the Guide for Persons with Stroke about Long-Term Care Homes
Core competencies of stroke care are the key clinical skills and knowledge required to enable a health care provider to practice at a level consistent with evidence-based stroke care. A framework has been created to support the health care provider acquire the education and skill to achieve a level of stroke clinical expertise. The framework includes learning objectives, resources/knowledge translation tools, and suggested evaluation methods.
This six page patient centric resource guides the stroke survivors return to driving following their stroke. It is intended for use by both health care providers (to help guide the return to driving conversation) and patients (by demystifying the return to driving process). The appendixes provide additional information and aphasia friendly flow charts to simplify the journey back to driving for survivors.
Erie St. Clair Stroke Resources Micro-Site South West LHIN Stroke Resources Micro-Site
The Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) of Canada has created several resources to support health care provider. These resources, which align with the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations in Stroke Care, can be found and downloaded from the HSF web site:
- Taking Action for Optimal Community and Long-Term Stroke Care: A Resource for Health Care Professionals has replaced the Tips and Tools for Everyday Living Resource. It provides an overview of stroke, different challenges potentially experienced by a person with a stroke, and outlines strategies to help.
- Taking Action in Stroke Prevention: A Quick Response Guide pocket-sized resource concisely outlines the recommended diagnostics and medical management of a person who experiences a stroke or TIA, according to the onset of the stroke symptoms.
- Taking Action Towards Optional Stroke Care: An Overview provides an overview of the continuum of stroke care, offers a detailed summary of the services available at hospitals offering different levels of stroke care, and concludes by suggesting steps to implement optimal in-hospital stroke care.
- Stroke Assessment Pocket Guide outlines the common signs and symptoms of stroke syndromes, types of stroke, functions of the brain and their relation to stroke as well providing everything needed to complete the Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS) and the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS).
Additional resources targetting stroke survivors, caregivers and friends can also be found at this page on the HSF web site:
- Your Stroke Journey: A Guide for People Living with Stroke
- Taking Charge of Your Stroke Recovery: A Survivor’s Guide to the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations
- A Family Guide to Pediatric Stroke
- Stroke in Young Adults: A Resource for Patients and Families
Additionally, the majority webcasts are also recorded and archived for later viewing. Archived webcasts can be viewed for up to one year after the event.
The Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network has created an instruction sheet that walks an individual through the steps of accessing either a live or archived web cast.
View Instructions for Accessing Live and Archived Webcasts
The Ontario Stroke Network created draft care plans for stroke survivors living in long-term care homes. These care plans cover 12 areas of a resident’s everyday living and have been developed to be easily incorporated into RAI MDS care plans.
The Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network created a prevention brochure entitled, Reducing Stroke Risk. Eight version of this brochure were created to reflect the variety of multicultural languages that are highly represented in the Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network but which aren’t available through the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The World Stroke Organization SSO committee has compiled a repository of cross-continuum patient education materials that are available in a variety of languages. Links, contact information, and costs to obtain the information is outlined for easy access.
Visit World Health Organization Patient Education Repository Page
The Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network’s Quick Reference Guide for Primary Care Providers was created with the support of regional stroke neurologists and secondary stroke prevention nurses to support the health care provider in primary and secondary prevention of stroke. It includes contact information for the secondary stroke prevention clinics in the region.
Visit OSN Professional Stroke Inventory Page
The Ontario Stroke Network worked closely with Health Quality Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and clinical experts to develop the Quality Based Procedures: Clinical Handbook for Stroke (Acute and Post-Acute).
This resource centre provides health system planners and clinicians with tools and resources to support implementation of Stroke Quality Based Procedures across the care continuum.
The Self-Management initiative is now a centrally-organized program funded by the South West LHIN and managed by the South West CCAC. The toolkit is located on the Self Management web site.
These stroke awareness posters draw upon an emotional content to gain the attention of the viewer and draw them in to learn about the warning signs of stroke. They incorporate the F.A.S.T. awareness campaign to align with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada message. Three versions of the posters are available for download and printing.
Learn more
A variety of videos are available to support the health care provider to implement stroke best practices into everyday clinical care. The videos page showcases ones developed for that purpose and houses videos created by the Southwestern Ontario Stroke Network to support the uptake of stroke best practices in our region.
View Videos Page
Additional Tools & Links
Multiple additional tools and resources targetting prevention, acute care, rehabilitation, and community & long-term care are available on this web site. These can be found on their specific pages.