A report detailing outcomes for stroke patients in Windsor-Essex suggests home visits are having a positive impact on patients' well-being and recovery.
The report for Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare by their Research and Evaluation Team suggests patients are leaving the hospital sooner, engaging more with work and social activities, and experiencing a better quality of life.
Patients returned home an average of seven days sooner, knowing the Rehab Outreach Team would follow their progress at home. Engagement in activities outside of their homes increased by 30 per cent, while their quality of life improved 14 per cent.
"We set out to better meet the needs of our stroke patients and their families," said CEO Janice Kaffer. "In 2016, we shifted resources to allow for intensive follow-up services supporting stroke patients after discharge from our inpatient program, right in their homes."
Staff have made more than 12,000 home visits. Of those, 10,864 have been to see stroke patients.
The report went on to show home visits have been especially helpful for patients who live outside Windsor.
One of the program's first patients, Stewart Wolfe, lives in Kingsville. He suffered his stroke in the summer of 2016 and relied on rehabilitation for cognitive and physical impairments.
"Kingsville is a long way from Windsor. After having his stroke, even getting in and out of the car was a challenge," said his wife, Carolyn Wolfe. "I couldn't imagine having to travel to Windsor twice a week for rehabilitation during that time. As his primary caregiver, it was such a relief that he was getting the services he needed in the comfort of his home."
Windsor-Essex has among the highest rates of acute hospitalizations because of stroke. Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare provides post-acute inpatient rehab for about 35 per cent of those patients each year.