Stroke Awareness Month - Spotlight - Amy

“When a person experiences a stroke, it’s often a life altering experience for them and their family.  One minute you’re fine and the next minute you may be faced with not being able to speak or move your arm/leg.”

Amy is a Stroke Care Coordinator who has been with Joseph Brant Hospital for over 20 years. She was inspired to pursue a career in health care after injuring her knee at 15 and receiving physiotherapy. Later, she volunteered in the same clinic and realized that helping people achieve their functional goals was something she wanted to pursue as a career. She began working at Joseph Brant Hospital as a Senior Physiotherapist and she still remembers how friendly and connected the staff at Joseph Brant Hospital were on her first day.

“I had previously worked at a large teaching hospital and I could immediately see the difference of working in this smaller hospital, everyone was so welcoming!”

Amy made the shift to becoming a Stroke Care Coordinator after a vacancy because it looked like an exciting opportunity to engage in something new.

 “Stroke research evolves at a very quick pace so, there’s always so much to learn and implement into practice.”

Joseph Brant Hospital’s Integrated Stroke Unit provides acute care and rehabilitation to patients who have had a stroke. Stroke care is collaborative and inter-professional and a patient’s health care team may consist of Dietitians, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Personal Support, Pharmacists, Physicians, Physiotherapists, Physiotherapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Speech-Language Pathologists.

“Patients are first admitted to an acute stroke bed where they will be monitored, assessed and treated by our specialized interprofessional team. If patients require additional rehabilitation, they will remain on the unit and seamlessly transition to a new program.”

Once discharged, many patients will require additional therapy. Joseph Brant Hospital offers out-patient Speech Language Pathology and Occupational & Physical therapy at the Wellness House Adult Day Program. The Stroke Prevention Clinic is also available for follow-up on medical management and to address any other concerns.

We asked Amy what her day-to-day is like at the hospital.

“Each day is very different and I like that variety! I may be providing orientation for new staff or students, setting up virtual peer support visits with our stroke patients and stroke volunteers, revising a policy and procedure, providing staff with education/resources, analyzing stroke data, etc.”

Thank you Amy for your dedication to providing quality, compassionate care!