Support for Survivors of Stroke (and their families)
Personal Counseling for Stroke Survivors...
Academic and Independent Living Skills
Help on the Job: Vocational Academic Skills and Job Coaching
Academic and Independent Living Skills: Academically, people who have suffered a stroke may have difficulty reading at the same level or rate that they once did, or may have problems doing basic mathematics or writing tasks. In academic settings, they are eligible for accommodations if they can document their difficulties. We can devise a plan for supporting someone who has had a stroke in vocational retraining or academic settings, or an individualized academic program can be set up for a person who simply wants to improve their current skills or confidence. We cannot guarantee that significant gains will be made if the parts of the brain responsible for reading have been substantially affected, but we do promise to be realistic in our goal setting. We will encourage alternatives (e.g., audio-books) and technology (e.g., screen readers and note takers) if we believe that peak (unassisted) performance is already achieved. It is our goal to improve quality of life and help to restore as much premorbid skill as possible.
Independent living skills such as cooking, shopping, cleaning, and budgeting often need to be relearned upon the return home just as the academic, cognitive and physical skills needed to be. We can set up a plan where our instructors meet the client at home, in our offices, at the store or anywhere that is relevant to teaching the necessary skills.
Help on the Job: Vocational Academic Skills and Job Coaching: Vocational academic skills may be below the levels they were before the stroke, and need to be relearned just like everything else. Beginning with a thorough evaluation of the work site and needs on the job, we can help facilitate the return to work by identifying areas that need to be worked on or remediated (e.g., relearning to use the computer, write a business letter, etc.) and then reviewing and teaching deficient or weak skills. If accommodations are appropriate, then we will also teach their use and application. The goal is to get a person back to effectively performing their job functions as quickly as possible, but goals in this area need to remain realistic; up to a year or more following the stroke, both mental and physical fatigue can have a very fast onset.
Ongoing Case Management: Case management services are available that can help with applications for support from agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Case management can be done in a variety of ways and intensities that suit the individual and the family, with the goal being to provide some extra support in dealing with everyone involved. Families need help advocating for their loved one who has had a stroke and they need help navigating through the medical and insurance systems.
