Virginia hospital creates mentor program for stroke patients

GOOCHLAND, Va. (AP) — In a room on the second floor of the Sheltering Arms Institute in Goochland, two women were talking near a window. One was recounting the day she had a stroke and was left on the floor of her home alone for 16 hours.

Kim McCue, who had been at the hospital for about a week, was telling her story to Eleanor Angle, a woman who had had a stroke two years ago and became one of the first patients at Sheltering Arms Institute.

Angle, 53, listened thoughtfully while McCue talked about her stroke and recounted how the last few days of recovery had gone.

“I’m here to be a voice of encouragement and support and to tell you that life after stroke is richer and more meaningful – at least to me,” Angle told McCue. “You’ve got a wonderful journey that will unfold one day at a time.”

The pair was part of the Stroke Peer Program at Sheltering Arms Institute, a joint venture between Sheltering Arms and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Health System. In addition to serving stroke patients at the physical rehabilitation hospital, they have programs for spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and more.

The in-house mentoring program was modeled after successful programs the Institute had implemented with people who had experienced spinal cord injuries and amputations.

“The opportunity for me to be a mentor allows me to pay back to the community at-large and other survivors,” Angle said.

Peer mentors are volunteers that are required to complete a six-hour training course taught by clinicians in psychology and speech-language pathology, according to a release from the hospital. About once or twice a week, the mentors meet one-on-one with patients at the Institute.

“It’s just an incredible organization,” said Sandra Romeo, another patient who met with Angle...