The meeting of the Orange County Stroke Support Groups took place on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the American Heart Association offices at 4600 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92617. Below are the meeting minutes. For future meeting information, please contact us.

 

Thanks to the American Heart Association for donating the use of their meeting room!

Meeting minutes:

1. Community Speaker: Associate Director of the Caregiver Resource Center, Jack Light, LCSW,  
   gave an informative presentation about the mission, goals, funding, and operations of the Caregiver Resource Center, which is affiliated with St. Jude.  The Caregiver Resource Center primarily offers support, including respite care, for those caring for individuals over 60 years old, with adult-onset cognitive brain impairment, TBI, or degenerative brain disease. Jack described the services they provide and the criteria they use for determining clients’ eligibility, but also stressed that their information is available to others who fall outside of their specific criteria for funded coverage. Their agency also partners with others in the area, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, to sponsor legal workshops, support groups, counseling, and Powerful Tools to help caregivers develop positive strategies for coping with caregiver responsibilities and stress.
2. The group briefly reviewed the Third Annual Stroke Education Workshop which took place on Saturday, November 17, 2012. The feedback was positive. Members were asked to forward ideas for speakers for the 2013 to the OCSRN organizers.
3. Members were asked to review the updated Resource list on the OCSRN website (www.ocsrn.com ), and how it can better serve our needs. We will need to add the Cal State Long Beach pro bono services that Dr. Jody Cormack Jody Cormack, PT, DPT, MS Ed, NCS, oversees through her Neuro rehab course. We may also include a link to the Brain Rehabilitation and Injury Network (http://www.thebrainsite.org), which appears to be a non-profit organization in Cerritos that provides resources for brain-injured individuals.
4. Our fourth annual Stroke Awareness picnic scheduled on Saturday, May 11, 2013. Amy and Sina attended the meeting to present the OCSRN with a generous check to cover the cost of lunch for the Stroke Awareness Picnic on behalf of their business, Bail Bond. Attendees were reminded to RSVP if they plan to attend, volunteer, or have a vendor table.
5. Discussion:  Several attendees signed up to volunteer to help with Chapman’s upcoming Stroke Boot Camp, which will be held M-F during the last 2 weeks of June. We encourage OCSRN members to participate in this intensive, pro bono community service event!

Suggestions for future OCSRN speakers and topics were discussed, including: alternative medicine/acupuncture for stroke; changes in payment (Medicare and other) that are affecting stroke rehabilitation; depression in stroke; developing formalized partnerships between therapists/rehab centers and adaptive kinesiology programs such as those at OCC and Saddleback and; services provided by the Dale McIntosh Independent Living Center, which is having its DME giveaway April 25, 2013.