Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Stroke?
A stroke happens when blood stops flowing to any part of your brain, damaging brain cells. The effects of a stroke depend on the part of the brain that was damaged and the amount of damage done (Heart & Stroke). (https://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke)
What is Aphasia?
It’s a language disorder that affects your ability to communicate. It’s most often caused by strokes in the left side of the brain that control speech and language.
People with aphasia may struggle with communicating in daily activities at home, socially or at work. They may also feel isolated.
Aphasia doesn’t affect intelligence. Stroke survivors remain mentally alert, even though their speech may be jumbled, fragmented or hard to understand (American Stroke Association, stroke.org)
Click here to visit our Reintegration to the Community subpage to learn about aphasia supports.
What is the difference between OT and PT?
A physiotherapist will focus on treating a client’s injury and working to improve his/her ability to perform movement of the human body. Meanwhile, an occupational therapist will help the injured person improve their ability to perform activities of daily living independently following a period of physical impairment.
For example, a stroke patient may experience loss of arm function or paralysis in parts of their body. In order to fully recover, they may need a physiotherapist to rebuild the strength and motion in that body part. At the same time, they may need help from an occupational therapist to regain functional use of the body part, such as re-learning to write. An occupational therapist can also make changes to the patients living environment or provide special tools to make activities easier for the patient while receiving treatment (Closing the Gap).
Why do I need a clot-busting drug?
A clot-busting drug may be given to patients with an ischemic stroke – a stroke caused by a clot in a blood vessel in the brain. It helps to break down the clot so that blood flow can be restored to the brain.
Can my care partner participate in my recovery? Are there resources for caregivers on this website?
Yes! Care partners play an essential role in a stroke survivors. We hope that the resources we have provided will be useful for both stroke survivors and care partners. For resources that are specifically geared towards care partners, see the bottom of each webpage or click here to visit the Care Partner Wellness Resource section.
I am scared, alone, and/or can’t read/write/see. Who will take care of me?
Having a stroke is a life-changing moment. We encourage stroke survivors to reach out to their friends, family, and/or health care providers as it is of the utmost importance to be surrounded by a support system during recovery. On this website, we have resources to help stroke survivors to connect with fellow stroke survivors and to learn about life post-stroke.
Stroke Recovery Canada offers a phoneline to connect stroke survivors to individuals who have also had a stroke: 1-888-540-6666. Telehealth Ontario provides 24/7 non-emergency medical advice to individuals recovering at home: 1-866-797-0000. For other resources, we encourage you to browse our stage-specific subpages. The Reintegration in particular has many resources for support groups and social supports: click here to visit.