Stroke Community Navigation has recently become an integral part of the stroke care system in Ontario putting into action a number of Stroke Best Practice Guidelines, notably supporting stroke clients through transitions and facilitation of community reintegration.  Navigators are trained, culturally sensitive, health professionals providing holistic case management to help improve the quality of life. Community Stroke Navigators help to ease the adjustment to post-stroke life for survivors and their families. 

Navigators increase capacity and performance of the health care system by improving access to much needed services and resources for patients and families.  Navigators work to eliminate barriers, provide education, and facilitate connections to services such as transportation, in-home nursing, personal care, adaptive equipment, home modifications, community engagement, as well as physical, occupational and/or mental health therapies at different times along the stroke care continuum as needed.
 This collaborative presentation aims to provide an overview of the development of three Stroke Community Navigation programs across the province of Ontario with a focus on the successes and challenges navigators face working as part of different models of care such as hospital versus community based approaches and urban versus rural service provision. There will also be discussion on how these programs collaborate with one another as part of a larger national group.

COMMUNITY STROKE NAVIGATION DIFFERENT APPROACHES ACROSS ONTARIO, CANADA