Stroke survivor ‘pays it forward’ by helping other stroke patients Todd Crouchman, 48, feels lucky to be alive after suffering a stroke in January 2016. He spent six months recovering at Quinte Health Care – first in the ICU and Quinte 5, then in Rehab, where he regained his speech and mobility. In appreciation of the exceptional care he received at QHC, Todd is now helping stroke survivors on the Sills 3 Inpatient Rehab unit. “Going Stroke survivors Todd Crouchman and Beverley McKerracher bond over their through what I went through, how health experiences during a weekly stroke support group on BGH Sills 3. do I give back?” asks Todd. “The nurses and therapists were amazing. If I can make another patient’s stay easier to get through, I’m happy.” Each Thursday, Todd visits a few patients in their rooms and in the dining area on the Rehab unit. He also participates in a support group for stroke patients. “It’s easy for me to talk to the patients because I already know exactly what they’re going through. It’s also therapeutic for me,” said Todd who admits he gets choked up sometimes reliving his own experience. Todd and the patients discuss many topics – anything from how they felt when they first realized they’d had a stroke, to rehab struggles, to feelings of lost independence and depression. He reassures patients that it will get easier. “It all just takes time. The more you work at it with rehab, the better it gets. All the struggles going on internally, you learn to deal with. I look at what I’ve achieved and realize how lucky I am. You just have to remember, at the end of the day, you’re still alive.” Beverley McKerracher, a support group participant, appreciates having someone to talk to who’s been through a similar situation. “All the people you visit who have had strokes, you have no idea what it’s actually like until it happens to you.” Melissa Roblin, Stroke Resource Nurse, and Kathleen Rochester, Occupational Therapist, were running the stroke support group for a few months before Todd joined but say patients are more engaged now that they can speak to someone who has recovered. “It felt scripted before, like we were trying to pull information from patients,” said Melissa. “Now there is more discussion and they’re talking about what they want rather than what we bring up. To see someone who has recovered is powerful for them.” The support group is also a great resource to family members of patients, who are also welcome to join. “It takes a village,” said Todd. “I have so much support it’s impossible for me to fail. I owe the hospital so much. I love everything about this floor. They’re not my nurses, they’re my friends.”
Page 6