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Make May Purple for Stroke Awareness Month

According to the Stroke Association, a stroke occurs approximately 152,000 times a year in the UK. That’s one stroke every 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Knowing the warning signs of a stroke is crucial if you are to save the life of a loved one, which is why the Stroke Association is on a mission to improve people’s knowledge of the medical condition.

Make May Purple is the Stroke Association’s annual opportunity to bring communities together to show their support for people who have been affected by stroke. As part of the campaign, people are being encouraged to wear purple and fundraise at work, in school or even at home.

What is a stroke?

A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. In simple terms, it is a brain attack.

The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time.

Face - the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have drooped

Arms - the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift one or both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness

Speech - their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake

Time - it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms

Symptoms in the FAST test identify about nine out of 10 strokes.

What types of stroke are there?

Ischaemic – which covers 85% of cases and is a result of a blood clot stopping blood supply

Haemorrhagic – where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts

There is also a transient ischaemic attack or TIA, which is also known as a mini-stroke. In this instance, the blockage that stops the blood getting to your brain is only temporary and symptoms only last a short amount of time.

Can a stroke be treated?

Stroke can cause long-term problems caused by injury to the brain. Some people need long term rehabilitation before they can get back to normal, others may only experience minor effects, whilst many never recover and have to become dependent on other people.

Stroke can affect walking, talking, speech, balance, coordination, vision, spatial awareness, swallowing, bladder control and bowel control. It can cause a greater range of disabilities than any other condition and takes the lives of one in eight people within 30 days of suffering from one, which is why it is so important for people to recognise the symptoms and call for medical help as soon as possible.

Help available

Nurseplus offers care and support to anyone who has suffered a stroke. Our home carers provide tailored support to individuals to ensure they can maintain the lifestyle they choose, whether on a long-term basis or following hospital treatment.

There are many advice and support groups across the UK, including:

Stroke Association

Headway

Different Strokes

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland

Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke

Posted on May 08, 2018 by Nurseplus