Stroke Community Rehabilitation Centre (SCORE): A community transformation program

Abstract

Stroke is the second most prevalent disease in Malaysia, so promoting awareness of stroke is essential as it is preventable and treatable if action is prompt. Long-term rehabilitation at the community level is also crucial to reducing congestion in acute care hospitals. Hence, establishing an evidence-based community rehabilitation centre would help educate the community and support the welfare of stroke survivors. This article discusses a community-engagement initiative launched by experts from University Malaya Rehabilitation Medicine in partnership with Pusat Pemulihan Kesihatan (PERKIM), a religious and social welfare organisation in Malaysia, to transform an existing non-functional community centre run by PERKIM into the Stroke Community Rehabilitation Centre (SCORE). This was achieved through the provision of expert input into how to improve service provision, knowledge transfer to the community, and implementation of more thematic and creative components to the model of care currently offered. Importantly, under this new model, stroke survivors and the wider community would be considered learners and active participants in their own care, not mere passive recipients of charity. Since its inception in 2016, the number of patients has almost doubled, increasing to over 100. Thus, the Stroke Community Rehabilitation Centre benefits the stroke community by providing resources and education to facilitate recovery at a reduced cost to hospital-based care. With its adherence to the recommended features of the community-based rehabilitation model, as outlined by WHO, the success of SCORE is an exemplary model for future stroke community rehabilitation centres in Malaysia.