Quick Search

CHARLOTTE, NC-- Presbyterian Hospital, the first primary stroke center in our region, graduated 13 stroke survivors and caregivers into the American Stroke Association's Peer Visitor Program on May 1, 2006. Presbyterian Hospital is the first in the region to launch this program that will help heal stoke patients' spirits and aid them in their rehabilitation and recovery.

The purpose of the Stroke Peer Visitor Program is to pair a stroke patient with a stroke survivor. While the hospital's role is to help heal the body, the peer visitor's role will be to help heal the spirit of a stroke patient.

These 13 survivors completed the intense five-week training program where they learned how to be an inspiration, good listener and friend to stroke patients. The training educated them on the different types of stroke, how it affects the body and the importance of being good listeners. This group will begin meeting with stroke patients in late June.

Recovering from a stroke can be a very lonely and very long process. For those who have not suffered a stroke, it is hard to truly understand how a stroke patient feels.

Healthcare professionals are trained to help a stroke patient medically, but it is hard to empathize emotionally. Positive encouragement, friendship and mentoring plays a big role in the recovery of a stroke patient, which is why Presbyterian Hospital has launched the American Stroke Association's Peer Visitor Program.