Actually the vast majority of stroke patients are failed since only 10% get fully recovered. So write the headlines correctly.
Stroke patients failed by 'postcode lottery rehabilitation' - New Zealand
To add insult to injury, sufferers are not covered by the no-fault state insurance scheme because it is judged a “non-injury disability” – despite the devastating effects.
Stuff recently featured the story of Hamish McKeich who has returned to conducting after months of intensive therapy.
READ MORE:
* 'Amazing people' - stroke victim pays tribute to staff after months spent in Waikato Hospital
* Treatment injuries for misdiagnosed strokes costing $1.5 million per year
Despite partial paralysis on his right, dominant side, the principal conductor in residence is able to guide New Zealand Symphony Orchestra musicians with one hand.
But Stroke Foundation chief executive Jo Lambert says not every patient is so lucky.
This story is featured on Stuff’s The Long Read podcast. Check it out by hitting the play button below, or find it on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
“We have people falling off the edge of a cliff when they come home,” Lambert said. “That’s how they describe it to us. They leave hospital and there is nothing.
“And because the clinical environment is stretched at the moment, the chances of getting an early consult from a physio, occupational therapist in their home or a speech language therapist, they are very hard to get hold of.”
The Stroke Foundation is able to plug the gap and connect people with those services – but Lambert says there is also no nation-wide electronic system in place to transition patients into their care.
Post-clinical care varies from hospital to hospital in a ‘post code lottery’ of services, she said.
“If you're deemed worthy enough, you'll get social services. But for everybody else, it's effectively fend for yourself.”
Lambert spoke of one heartbreaking case in which an elderly man was discharged into the care of his wife, who had Alzheimer's. “Three weeks later, his neighbour rang us up and said, I think you need to come and do something because he's still in the same clothes he was in three weeks ago, and he's wasting away.”
Experts say early intervention is crucial as patients experience a heightened state of neuroplasticity immediately after a stroke, giving a better chance for the brain to rewire itself.
Lambert says it is also inequitable that those who have experience a stroke are not able to access Accident Corporation Compensation services, like rehabilitation and income cover. It was always intended that the scheme be extended to non-accident disability, but the second stage of that implementation was never completed.
Stroke is the country’s leading cause of adult disability, with one occurring every 55 minutes. New Zealand’s population is ageing, and those in Maori, Pacific and Asian communities are also having strokes at a younger ages. The Stroke Foundation is also predicting a 40% increase in stroke rates over the next decade, increasing the economic cost from $1.1 to 1.7 billion a year.
“We would advocate for the opening up of ACC,” she said. “It’s not someone’s fault if they have had a stroke, and it is unfair. One in four of us will be affected in our lifetime and 64,000 people have been impacted by stroke.
“These are big statistics – but people don’t see it, and they associate strokes with old age when in fact people live really good lives after a stroke when they get the right support.”
No comments:
Post a Comment