Stroke is the biggest cause of adult disability. There are more than nine million people living with stroke in Europe and number of stroke survivors is predicted to increase as our population ages1.
A stroke shatters lives. Stroke survivors are cast adrift, left to find their own way, through maybe decades of cognitive, communication, relationship, financial complications and changes, affecting work, physical and mental health. After rehabilitation, support is poorly defined, often fragmented or non-existent, and cultural expectations can dramatically impact quality of life and any success of ongoing recovery.
Research, policy development and resources are primarily focussed prevention and intervention at the point of stroke up to discharge from medical care.
Research into all aspects of life after stroke needs to become a priority. These include: pain management, depression, secondary prevention effectiveness, vocational and stigma issues, as well as the ongoing matters of daily living, mobility, communication, cognition and the absence of ongoing review and support.
This sentiment was articulated in the Stroke Action Plan for Europe 2018 – 2030.
Few opportunities exist regarding conferences, workshops, and shared networking events for advocates and researchers in this neglected but vital area of care. To address this issue, SAFE launched the European Life After Stroke Forum in 2019. The aim is to create an opportunity at least once a year for those who wish to operate in this life after stroke area, whether researchers, scientists, medical professionals, health policymakers, advocacy, or support groups, stroke survivors and their carers to come together and share and network.
In addition, the forum will put a human face on the consequences of stroke, and on the consequences of not addressing prevention and treatment in the first place.
Click here to read Professor Avril Drummond’s article ‘Life after stroke – what’s the problem?’ in the CNS Journal
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