Stroke patients in the Chatham, Windsor and Sarnia areas could soon see more enhanced care at home following a hospital stay.
The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network is looking at expanding a pilot project done in Windsor to get mild and moderate stroke patients back home quicker and to save money.
Barb Frayne, LHIN director of operations for home and community care, says if the expansion is approved, stroke patients will get walking and speech therapy at home up to four times a week while reducing the need for long term care beds during their rehabilitation.
"Certainly patients find it convenient to receive the therapy in the home and it provides us the opportunity to enhance the services that we have historically been able to provide," says Frayne.
The current pilot project has helped nearly 50 patients in Windsor-Essex so far and ends October 31.
Frayne says access to the new and improved home therapy will be available within 24 hours of a patient being discharged from the hospital, if the pilot is rolled out across the LHIN.
"We look forward to the opportunity to evaluate our pilot project and the patients and staff have had great feedback for us. So, we look forward to looking at how we can move that forward," Frayne says.
Frayne says the pilot project was done through St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the feedback has been very positive.
"We've had positive feedback both from staff and our patients at home have been very pleased to have these services provided," says Frayne.