Well - Spring 2011 - (Page 10)

PATIENT TO PATIENT: Quick, Specialized treatment W Someone Who really understands ith any illneSS, family and friends can be loving and compassionate, but they can never truly understand what a patient is thinking and feeling unless they also have experienced the same illness. That is the idea behind the Stroke Peer Mentor Volunteer Program at UNC Health Care. By listening to patients and family members talk about their concerns and questions, peer mentors help them to make sense of what they are experiencing and what they may be able to expect in the upcoming months and years. The Stroke Peer Mentor program was established in 2006. Stroke survivor Joy Phillips Murphy advocated for the development of the program, working with neuropsychologist Karla Thompson, PhD, and was the first peer mentor. “Serving as a stroke peer mentor has given me the unique opportunity to share Joy phillips Murphy my experiences as a 28-year stroke survivor,” says Joy. “I have done my best to convey the message of hope to the stroke survivors and their families with whom I have mentored over the years.” Philip Austin is another survivor who completed his rehabilitation at UNC after his stroke in 2005. “Having the chance to help other people day in and day out has been more rewarding to me than I could ever communicate,” says Philip, who began volunteering less than philip austin a year after he was treated at UNC Health Care and now volunteers five days a week with the rehabilitation center. “I know what it’s like to push the reset button on your life and how scary that can be,” says Philip, “but I’m here to tell others that you can make it through with hard work, time and positivity.” The program has proved to be very successful and has expanded beyond stroke to include patients with other types of brain injuries and conditions. Karen’s stroke was not typical, in that she didn’t have any of the major risk factors associated with the disease, although studies suggest that women who experience visual migraines have higher rates of ischemic strokes. It is also known that chocolate is a common trigger for migraines, but it is not known if this played a role in Karen’s situation. She was also fortunate to have only had what are known as mini strokes. Had she had a more serious type of stroke, waiting to get treatment could have had devastating effects. One of the most effective treatments for certain types of stroke is a clotbusting drug called tPA, which must be administered within the first few hours of the onset of symptoms. Regardless of what type of stroke a patient has, getting treated at a hospital with physicians and medical staff members who are specifically trained in stroke care provides the best outcome, both in the short term and the long term. UNC Health Care takes a multidisciplinary approach to stroke treatment that includes everyone who sees the patient when he or she arrives in the Emergency Department to the neurologist and follow-up rehabilitation specialists. “Being able to get treatment at the UNC Stroke Center made me realize how lucky I was,” says Karen, recognizing the importance of having access to state-of-the-art imaging and testing. Getting the Message out “In the days and months following my diagnosis, I became acutely aware of how little we know about stroke and what a need there was for more public recognition and education,” says Karen. Part of the problem with communicating the prevalence and devastation of stroke is that every case is different.While many people experience numbness on one side of the body and have to undergo extensive speech, occupational and physical therapy—some people, like Karen, experience no obvious symptoms and have no residual effects. “The degree of disability has no bearing on the age of the patient or the size of the stroke,” says Dr. Felix. “It has everything to do with the location of the stroke.The good news is that we see many patients who have no perceptible abnormalities unless you looked at a brain scan.” Karen uses her experience to help raise stroke awareness and is now a member of the Justus-Warren Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Task Force and chair of the Stroke Advisory Council. She is working toward assisting multiple agencies to develop a stroke system of care, so that those who need quick treatment—such as the clot-busting drug tPA—have access to those resources. “I have been stroke-free for seven years,” says Karen,“and I believe the outstanding care I received at UNC Health Care put me on the path toward stopping any future events. All people should have access to services that can save them from stroke. That is my personal mission.” photos: Kaitlin rogers for tamara lacKey photography 10 Spring 2011 Well

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Well - Spring 2011

Well - Spring 2011
Contents
UNC Health Care News
Community
Little Patients Require Special Care
2010 Community Benefit Summary
My Story
Lessons Learned
Nutrition
Calendar

Well - Spring 2011