The development of a guide for stroke survivors and their families

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an educational guide for stroke survivors and their families. The suggestion for this project came from the St. John's Stroke Survivors' Group. This is a self-help group composed of stroke survivors and their families who meet to provide mutual support and encouragement. Many of the members of the stroke survivors' group felt frustrated because they did not receive adequate information from health professionals during their stroke recovery. Specifically, this paper describes the content of the guide as well as the process used in its development. The content was formulated by health professionals and stroke survivors. Because of high illiteracy levels in Newfoundland, a literacy expert was employed for preparation of the final product. The guide can be used by nurses as a teaching aid for stroke survivors and their families.