Then they are measuring it wrong or asking the wrong question.'How close are you to 100% recovery? And has your doctor laid out a pathway to get there?' It should be 90% since only 10% will get to full recovery.
Half of Northern Ireland stroke survivors feel abandoned afterwards
Almost half of stroke
survivors in Northern Ireland feel abandoned when they leave hospital
and are unable to make a full recovery due to a lack of rehabilitation, a
new report says.
A stroke or ‘brain attack’ is the third biggest killer in Northern
Ireland and the leading cause of adult disability.
The report, ‘Struggling to recover, life after stroke in NI’, was
developed in partnership with the Stroke Association and Dr Niamh
Kennedy a neuroscientist at Ulster University with a specific interest
in stroke recovery.
The research found that stroke survivors in Northern Ireland receive
approximately one-third of the recommended 45 minutes of physiotherapy,
occupational therapy and speech therapy per day.
A key finding was that 45% of stroke survivors feel abandoned when they
leave hospital.
One survivor, Rosemary Brown, suffered a stroke in 2017. While she was
grateful for the great care she received in hospital, she said he felt
lost when she was sent home.
“I didn’t know where to turn and felt a bit abandoned for a few weeks.”
She added: “My brain had just had the biggest shock of its life and I
was feeling shell shocked.
“When I was sent home from hospital I was given a few leaflets but I
don’t think my brain could really process that information at the time.
It was just all too much.”
Continued from page one
Ms Brown added: “Stroke survivors need quick access to physiotherapy and
speech therapy which can help them make the best recovery possible.
“Referring people from the health service to services that can help
should be as seamless as possible. It should happen automatically so
people can get the support they need, instead of waiting too long for
help.”
Ahead of the upcoming public consultation on reforming hospital stroke
services, the Stroke Association is calling for the creation of an
appropriately funded regional stroke pathway to reduce the postcode
lottery of stroke care and help all stroke survivors to make the best
recovery they can.
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Ursula Ferguson, head of stroke support at the Stroke Association, said
rehabilitation and long-term support for stroke survivors has “long been
identified as the Cinderella of stroke services”.
“We cannot enter another decade of unmet need and chronic underfunding
of community-based stroke care. Everyone affected by stroke in Northern
Ireland has the right to make the best possible recovery,” she said.
“No stroke survivor should be abandoned.”
The conclusions of the new report were based on research drawn from 305
stroke survivors, 75 of their carers, and 101 professionals who work in
stroke services.
The report was also based on findings from 142 individuals from the
charity’s voluntary stroke support groups. The figure relates to
separate unpublished research which was carried out by Trevor Gill
Associates on behalf of the Stroke Association in April 2018.
The unpublished survey, ‘Self expressed needs of NI stroke survivors and
carers’, revealed many of the same findings as the latest report,
particularly regarding gaps in emotional support, help to get back to
work and support for carers. The findings were used to apply for funding
for more support.
The proportion of first-time strokes suffered by 40 to 69-year-olds rose
from 33% to 38% in England from 2007 to 2016.
The Act FAST campaign calls on people to phone 999 if they spot signs of
stroke in the face, arms or in speech.
Every year around 4,000 people in NI have a stroke or mini-stroke, and
there are around 1,000 stroke related deaths. There are more than 37,000
stroke survivors in NI.
• 33% of survivors have communication problems
• 54% of survivors say they often or always feel anxious and worried
• 50% often or always feel depressed or have a low mood
• 67% do not feel their physical needs are well met after hospital
• 85% of carers do not feel prepared for their loved one coming home from hospital
• 98% of carers say they find it sometimes difficult to cope
• 28% of carers know who to contact if they need more help
• 25% of strokes happen to people under 65 A stroke can affect memory and thinking, vision, speech, swallowing, arm and leg strength and balance, bowel and bladder control, pins and needles, muscle and joint pain, numb skin.
• 33% of survivors have communication problems
• 54% of survivors say they often or always feel anxious and worried
• 50% often or always feel depressed or have a low mood
• 67% do not feel their physical needs are well met after hospital
• 85% of carers do not feel prepared for their loved one coming home from hospital
• 98% of carers say they find it sometimes difficult to cope
• 28% of carers know who to contact if they need more help
• 25% of strokes happen to people under 65 A stroke can affect memory and thinking, vision, speech, swallowing, arm and leg strength and balance, bowel and bladder control, pins and needles, muscle and joint pain, numb skin.
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