From Hospital to Home

Last winter, SCIO launched the Independence Initiative, a unique initiative for inpatients across seven rehab centres in Ontario focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The initiative, made possible by numerous community partners and our presenting sponsor McLeish Orlando, targeted inpatients specifically and focused on one primary goal: the transition from hospital to home.

Presently, there are many barriers in place for people with SCI transitioning from an inpatient rehab stay to home. From inadequate accessible housing to attendant services to a lack of appropriate medical supplies and equipment, the challenges are apparent. That is why the initial objective of the program was focused on providing inpatients with tools and resources that had the potential to facilitate people’s journeys – from door openers to wheelchair cup holders to feeding cuffs, a number of products were distributed to inpatients, highlighting the work of entrepreneurs who are living with SCI themselves. In addition, about a dozen corporations joined forces with SCIO to provide discounts to programs, services and products that support the transition to home.

Transition from hospital to home can be seriously catastrophic if the right services and supports are not available at the right time and right place…

– Peter Athanasopoulos, SCIO’s Director of Public Policy

Further to the Independence Initiative, SCIO provides programs and services to people at the inpatient stage of the rehabilitative process, including service navigation, peer services, employment support and Cortree, a digital platform that includes a wide variety of topics on living with a disability, including wound management, active living, aging with a disability, travel and more.

“Transition from hospital to home can be seriously catastrophic if the right services and supports are not available at the right time and right place,” shares Peter Athanasopoulos, SCIO’s Director of Public Policy, “Transition to home is a huge priority at SCIO. We are extremely grateful to McLeish Orlando, Coloplast Canada, Motion, Raz Design Inc, Motion Composites and Pride Mobility for supporting SCIO to strengthen people with SCI’s journey to recovery after sustaining a life-changing injury.”

It is critical for people with SCI to be connected with our organization as we are equipped to troubleshoot issues that people may encounter upon their return home. We hope this initiative inspires greater collaboration with SCIO and newly injured people as we are the only organization in Ontario that serves people with SCI throughout their lifetime.

The generous support from our sponsors and community members fuels our advocacy efforts to address and resolve systemic barriers that impact the quality of life of our community and the disability community as a whole.