Stroke Support Association

• SUPPORT GROUPS: SSA holds support groups for stroke survivors and caregivers/family members on Tuesday mornings in Long Beach. We now also offer support groups via Zoom on Wednesday mornings for those members whose condition or situation makes attending in-person groups impossible. Trained volunteers, who are professionals in the field of mental health and/or stroke, function as facilitators, guiding discussions related to understanding stroke and optimizing life after stroke. During each 12-week cycle, SSA arranges for an outside health specialist to lead an educational presentation, workshop, or panel discussion (all open to the community). Our past presentations have covered such topics as fall prevention, exercise after stroke, the benefits of volunteering, advance directives, and aphasia/apraxia of speech. Stroke prevention information is provided throughout the sessions, serving to reduce risk factors and provide knowledge for improving physical and emotional health for both the survivor and family/caregiver. Our support groups provide a place to socialize as well as to be seen and heard: no one understands a stroke better than another stroke survivor; only another caregiver can fully understand how upturned life becomes when taking on the primary caretaker role. There is a palpable sense of recognition and relief at a newcomer's first meeting. Group members rely on one another for advice, the celebration of individual recovery gains, and the encouragement to keep going.

• HOSPITAL VISITORS PROGRAM: Through this program, qualified stroke survivors from our support groups visit new stroke patients in the hospital. The volunteers offer valuable insight into life after stroke by sharing information, support, encouragement, and resources, a service that busy hospital personnel have little time to provide. Visits are made on a weekly basis. We have heard many times from stroke survivors and family members that this visit in the hospital from another stroke survivor gave them their first glimmer of hope that recovery is possible and that life after stroke can be meaningful and enjoyable. Currently we visit Long Beach Medical Center, and hope to expand to St. Mary's Medical Center. (Although the pandemic has called a halt to the program, we will resume soon.)

• SPECIAL NEEDS FUND: SSA maintains a special needs fund, which is reserved for current and active support group members who have a one-time, identified financial need that they are unable to meet on their own. Group members have used these funds in various ways: to build a wheelchair ramp at home, to purchase leg and arm braces as well as devices to assist in driving, and for stroke-related workshops and books. The fund also covers social outings at restaurants (three per year, at the end of each 12-week session), our Annual Picnic (August), and our Annual Holiday Party (December), for those who could otherwise not attend.

• COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION: SSA provides stroke-related information and resources at community events and health fairs (such as Weingart Community Center, LBMC Heart & Stroke Seminar, and monthly at Bixby Knolls' First Fridays). The community can find educational material and resources via SSA's easy-to-navigate website. Public speakers or panels consisting of stroke survivors and caregivers are also available to present to outside groups and classes upon request. We currently have partnerships with Long Beach Medical Center and Disabled Resources Center (Long Beach).

Testimonials

"The doctors kept me alive. But the group has kept me living."
-Tim P, Stroke Survivor

"We share our lives, our pains and joys, and connect to our common humanity. It is a great balm to show up to the group each week and know I can support others and that they can also support me."
-Roz L, Caregiver

"This organization has been providing support to the Long Beach area for over 40 years. I have seen many patients join the support groups and continue to recover. It is one of the most wonderful things I'm involved in!"
--Angie West, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, SCRN, ANVP
Program Director Neuroscience/Stroke, Long Beach Medical Center;
Support Group Facilitator and Board Member, Stroke Support Association