Renne’s New Lease on Life
When Renee moved to CONNECT Hamilton in February 2023, she had lost her will to live, was on a wait list for MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) and believed the remainder of her life would be full of despair.
Fast forward 11 months, and Renee is thriving, excited about the prospect of moving home soon, is planning to return to work, and has a new lease on life.
Renne is an example of how CONNECT and its Life Redesign ModelTM not only impacts the lives of people after brain injury and stroke, but the health care system as a whole.
“If you look at Renne’s story, there is a potential extraordinary system savings because of CONNECT,” says Adam van Sickle, Service Access and Transitions Leader at CONNECT. “Renne is 52 and could easily live another 40 years or more. She is on a trajectory to move home with minimal community supports, if any. Imagine if she had been destined for long-term care and lived out the rest of her days in an institution.”
Renne had a stroke in 2022 following a surgery removing a benign tumour in her brain. The prognosis was she would never walk nor regain her full cognitive function.
She says CONNECT gave her back her life.
Adam says CONNECT’s superpower is saying yes and seeing possibility. CONNECT is about giving individuals the opportunity to redesign their lives and supporting them every step of the way.
Carolyn Gallichan, Physical Coach (physiotherapist) says the Life Redesign Model works because people are heard and seen, which makes them feel valued and included.
Hannah Puckering, Independence Coach (OT) says she believes people thrive at CONNECT because they are given choice.
“When the person can decide how their day will unfold, what their goals are, when they feel motivated to put in the work or not, that is when they start to thrive.”
Hannah says the social component at CONNECT is also vital.
“Family can come and go and can be as involved in the Life Redesign Plan as they want. It’s also amazing when our whole team is focused on the person’s strengths as opposed to their weaknesses. That feels pretty amazing to the individual working to redesign their life.”