Today Marks the End of an Important Month for Stroke Awareness

LifeLineScreening - June 1, 2012

Stroke Awareness Month is annually held throughout the month of May. And on 1^st May this year the Stroke Association launched Life After Stroke Campaign, following a report that stroke survivors are being denied the best chance of recovery, typically feeling abandoned on leaving hospital.

National Stroke Awareness Month was established in the US government in 1989. Since then the campaign has continued to grow form strength to strength and is largely co-ordinated by The Stroke Association in the UK, a national charity that has been working to raise awareness of all aspects of the condition ranging from prevention to recovery, and the organisation is active in funding research.

Key messages include how to identify signs of stroke fast, with the Act F.A.S.T. campaign, which can make a real difference to those affected. Preventive measures are also important and healthy living, such as keeping active and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption have a positive impact, where as risk factors such as smoking, can double the risk of suffering a stroke.

There is much more to discover about stroke and currently we do not fully understand the impacts and best road to recovery. Therefore, it is important to be able to offer support and information. This is particularly understandable as there is still much to be learnt about what causes stroke, how it affects people and how to promote effective recovery. There is much more to learn from a medical perspective too and “research funded by the Stroke Association has the ultimate aim of making stroke a preventable and treatable disease, and improving the quality of life for people affected by stroke.” And many may have seen the recent breakthrough development in testing for stroke using a simple drawing test.

There have been a myriad of activities across the UK from an art exhibition to the Bolton Wanderers FC players warming up in new Stroke Association t-shirts ahead of the Bolton Wanderers vs West Brom match. This month also saw the opening of the new Life After Stroke Centre in Bromsgrove, West Midlands and people have raised awareness by getting involved in events such as the Thames Bridge Bike Ride, Edinburgh Marathon Festival, BUPA Great Manchester 10k run and the Great Swim in London, to name but a few.

We’d love to hear how you got involved during Stroke Awareness Month!

For more information on healthy living and to learn more about booking a health screening with Life Line Screening, visit us at www.lifelinescreening.co.uk.

About LifeLineScreening

At Life Line Screening UK, our mission is to make people aware of undetected health problems and encourage them to seek follow-up care with their GP.

Google+

View all posts by LifeLineScreening →

Comments

No Responses to “Today Marks the End of an Important Month for Stroke Awareness”