Peers Fostering Hope Supported by the Dr Peers Fostering Hope Supported by the Dr. Ed & Bobby Yielding Fund for Stroke Recovery Learning about peer support

Intentions for today Get to know each other Deepen understanding of the purpose of the training Provide clarity around peer visitation Discuss the characteristics of an effective peer Clarify your roles & responsibilities as peers Review the March of Dimes and organization application process

Ground Rules R – Responsible for learning O – Open to different ideas P – Participation E – Experimenting with thoughts, applying what you learn S – Sensitivity to all - civil, respectful, confidentiality Before we get started, it is important to highlight that we need to all respect one another (this includes listening when someone else is speaking) Everyone is responsible for their own learning People need to be open and respectful of different thoughts and ideas that are brought forward Participate when you feel comfortable Confidentiality – the experiences, thoughts and emotions that are shared in the session need to be kept within the group.

Introductions Share your name and one thing that you have accomplished since your stroke that you are most proud of? If you are a caregiver, share your name and one thing you are most proud of in your role as a caregiver.

What is Peers Fostering Hope? One to one, in-person hospital visitation program. Peers are caregivers and persons with stroke who are well into their recovery and are trained in visiting those who have just had a stroke and their caregivers while they are still resident in hospital. Peer support will help with recovery by providing hope, encouragement, and emotional support

Why Peer Support It addresses an important part of health care that we know is often missing or not addressed as well as it could be Through interviews, persons with stroke told us: They would like peer support earlier in their recovery process They want to feel a sense of hope They need help navigating the healthcare system The Toronto Stroke Networks conducted interviews in 2010 with persons with stroke and they told us that They would like peer support earlier in their recovery process They want to feel a sense of hope They need help navigating the healthcare system

Objectives of this training Clarify your role, responsibilities and boundaries Inform you on the processes of the peer visiting in a hospital setting Enhance your awareness, confidence and skills in communicating and supporting persons with stroke and caregivers Increase your knowledge and understanding of different types and aspects of stroke Enrich your personal development in peer support.

Topics covered Learning about peer support How to make the most of your visit Stroke and its effects: Physical Cognitive Communication Emotional Effective conversations Ending the visit Re-engaging into the community

Your hopes for the training   Pair or trio conversations Given the objectives of the training, what are your greatest hopes for this training? You can do this in pairs or trios or go round table. Allow about 5 minutes for this exercise and have people report back to the larger group.

Hopes for training You may want to capture peoples answers on this page. Here are some examples of what people have said in previous sessions: How to be professional – knowing that we can’t fix everything. Learning the stages of adjustment and the relationship with the peer. Listening Learning to deal with problem situations such as someone who has aphasia, who is depressed, deal with someone else’s anger. Gain knowledge Not being silent but need to listen! Boundaries, learn how to interrupt ‘nicely’ Learn limitations Finding fight Ways to find out the meaning of impact Give back, learn more patience “being legal” How to be comfortable with silence What are some tips

Overview of Peer Support

What is Peer Support? LISTENING to a person’s feelings and needs following a stroke Providing emotional support Sharing knowledge, experiences and hopes Listening is capitalized before it is by far the most important component of effective peer support

Purpose of peer visiting Helps bridge the gap between hospital and community life Provides a sense of hope and possibility Hope is best delivered by listening Your presence alone with be a source of inspiration and hope Your interaction can profoundly affect the course of recovery and the possibility for their lives What are some other benefits?

Goals of Peer Support To exchange ideas and coping strategies To share experiences and information To give and receive emotional support and a sense of hope To help people express feelings and know their feelings are normal Donna

Goals of Peer Support To help people understand how they can adjust after a stroke To help people realize they are not alone To show, by example, that life is worth living To show a path to recovery and reconnecting with family and community

Characteristics of an effective peer What are the most important qualities of being a good peer? Ask people to share their thoughts (popcorn style)

Characteristics of a Peer LISTENS Provides hope and optimism Supports Inspires Knows the balance between helping self and others Acknowledges Enables self-expression and awareness Reassures Respects privacy, wishes, values, rights & beliefs Other characteristics include (these are in their manual) Pleasant Insightful Dependable Flexible Attentive Sincere Confidential Interested Responsive Selfless Patient Caring Sensitive Non-judgemental Non-directive

What do you see your role as a peer being? Ask the group to say what they see their role as being. The following are some answers from peers in a previous session: A friend that gets it I hope it inspires me to think about my own recovery Sharing my experience Give them a little bit of hope You are not alone, I’ve been there. Help them along For them to see an example of someone who’s been there Provide information to empower them so they are not at a loss

Your role as a peer Provide hope, inspiration and optimism. Help build trust, openness and empathy. Accept people as they are. Respect their privacy, wishes, values, rights and beliefs Listen, clarify and help identify choices for making decisions. Encourage others to express their feelings. Be patient and understanding. You can go through what hasn’t been mentioned by the group.

Your role as a peer Gives reassurance and encouragement for positive actions. Be attentive, caring and sensitive to the feelings of others. Be dependable. Keep information confidential. Realize that not all problems can be ‘fixed’ and not all people want to be helped. Know the balance between helping self and others and is continuously learning to be increasingly self-aware.

Confidentiality & Non-disclosure You must agree to maintain confidentiality What to do when someone may be suicidal? What do you do when you suspect abuse (be it physical, emotional, financial)? This slide usually generates a lot of conversation. Let them know that some of this is covered in the emotional effects of stroke. You must agree to maintain confidentiality Includes not disclosing personal information Exceptions to this when someone declares to harm themselves or someone else. Suspected abuse When someone expresses suicidal ideation it is important that you listen. You are obligated to let the person with stroke know that you have to report these feelings to staff so that the right person can intervene. Tell a staff member immediately after your visit with that individual.

Your experience with peer support Hearing a few stories - Tell us about a time when someone supported you in your recovery/caregiving journey, that truly made a positive difference for you. What specifically did they do that made the most difference? What difference did it make? Depending on the amount of time that is left you may want to also ask the following question: How does this link to the role and characteristics just described?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkDbEttauo Newcastle england You Tube Video It emphasizes the importance of receiving a certain level of education prior to going into the hospital and doing visits.

Closing What is your greatest strength that you bring to the role of peer? AND/OR What are you most looking forward to about the peers fostering hope training?