To mark the annual Stroke Awareness Month in May, the non-profit RayAsta Foundation has delivered life-enhancing specialized stroke support equipment to four residential care facilities across Dominica, expanding the organization’s long-running work to uplift care standards and rehabilitation outcomes for stroke survivors and senior residents across the island nation.
The four facilities selected to receive the donation cover the full spectrum of long-term care services on the island: Divine Victory Elderly Care Home, the Dominica Infirmary, Molimis Care Home, and Premium Home and Residential Care Services (PHARCS). All four institutions serve vulnerable populations including elderly adults and people living with long-term stroke-related disabilities, chronic mobility restrictions, and other complex health conditions that demand targeted, specialized support infrastructure.
Per official statements from the foundation, the newly donated equipment is designed to help care facility residents gain greater personal autonomy, making it easier for them to complete routine daily activities from personal care to mobility without constant assistance. Beyond upgrading on-site resources for participating care centers, the initiative also aims to amplify public conversation about the unique systemic and daily challenges that stroke survivors and at-risk older adults face across Dominica.
The RayAsta Foundation has emphasized that stroke represents a pressing unaddressed public health crisis in Dominica, with far-reaching impacts that extend beyond individual patients to their families and entire local communities. In response to this gap, the organization maintains a sustained advocacy agenda focused on expanding public knowledge of stroke prevention and care protocols, including guidance on recognizing early stroke symptoms, accessing urgent medical care, and accessing high-quality long-term rehabilitation after a stroke event.
Cecilia St. Hilaire, Chief Executive Officer of the RayAsta Foundation, explained that the combined approach of public education and tangible hands-on support is core to the foundation’s Stroke Awareness Month mission.
“Stroke Awareness Month is not only a time to educate the public, but also an opportunity to provide practical support to those on the frontlines of care,” St. Hilaire noted.
She also took the opportunity to recognize the indispensable daily work of frontline caregivers and healthcare workers who support stroke survivors and elderly residents across the country. “Caregivers and nursing home staff play a vital role in the daily lives of stroke survivors and elderly residents. This donation is one way of showing support for the important work they do, while also helping to improve the quality of care provided to those who need it most,” she added.
Looking ahead, the RayAsta Foundation reaffirmed its long-term commitment to supporting stroke survivors, their family members, professional caregivers, and care institutions across Dominica through ongoing public awareness campaigns, professional training programs, policy advocacy, and consistent community outreach initiatives.