Life After Stroke Awards 2015
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Stroke Association’s newsletter for Stroke Clubs and Voluntary Groups ClubIssue 40: Summer 2015 TogetherSouth Central Life After Stroke In this issue: Awards 2015 Soft food range Page 2 On 25 June a host of celebrities gathered in London for the Stroke Association's glittering Life After Stroke Awards: an UKSA 2015 event dedicated to recognising the remarkable achievements of Page 3 stroke survivors across the UK. Christopher Biggins who FAST wallet cards opened the event said: Eleven amazing winners were Page 4 “I’m no stranger to these honoured at the ceremony, Awards yet every year I’m including Merseyside Life After Stroke Group who was blown away by the stories of AOSM success sheer courage and recognised in the Stroke Group determination in the face of category. Page 5 such adversity. The Stroke Association is a charity that is Merseyside Life After Stroke creating a community for Group is a Stroke Association Voluntary Group which meets on stroke survivors, their families Your regional news a weekly basis for creative arts and their carers. I’m proud to and peer support and on a Page 7 stand in front you and declare monthly basis for stroke that I’m part of that survivors of working age. community. Together, we can conquer stroke.” Calendar of events See all of this year’s winners at Over 500 stroke survivors, stroke.org.uk/lasa. Nominations and contact details carers, volunteers and health for 2016 Life After Stroke Page 8 professionals were nominated Awards open in November. for the Awards which are sponsored by TONI&GUY Charitable Foundation. Together we can conquer stroke National News Easy to use mobile phones Do you need a mobile phone that is easy to use "We practiced and after 17 years of not using a and without all the complications of a smart phone Tony made his first phone call to me. So phone? good for him and so good for me.” Tony had a stroke 17 years ago. Although he had The OwnFone is small, light and wearable and tried various smart phones over the years they comes with a matching safety lanyard. You can were all too complicated to use. Tony’s wife saw choose up to 12 contact buttons as either the OwnFone mobile phone on the Stroke names or images. To make a call simply press on Association web site. a contact button. Each OwnFone comes with its own UK mobile number so it receives calls too. “I have purchased several mobile phones without success. Tony could not make them The phone is delivered to you pre-programmed, work, until I got the OwnFone. He can wear it with its own charger and ready to use from the round his neck and he can see who to call. " box. Handset starts from £40.00 for a 2 button phone. This comes with 1 year’s warranty and a 14 day’s returns policy. There is an air time plan to suit everyone. Please call 0800 669 6699 or visit: https:// stroke.myownfone.com Wiltshire's Farm Foods Softer Foods range Swallowing problems (known as Dysphagia) is a very common side effect of stroke, with around 40% of stroke survivors suffering from the With over 70 options to condition at some point. choose from, ranging from Puréed Beef & Wiltshire Farm Foods provide a delicious and Gravy to Soft Chicken appetising Softer Foods range, safe for those Curry, there’s with swallowing difficulties to enjoy, without any something for every of the fuss of home pureeing. taste! The meals couldn’t be easier to prepare; ready to eat from frozen after popping them into the With free delivery from friendly delivery drivers, microwave or oven, they save all the stress of customers can rest assured that they will be preparing, blending and serving meals. getting delicious, regular meals to help during recovery from stroke. The Softer Foods range is available in 3 different textures to suit your needs, allowing you to enjoy For more information or to order or request a a variety of visually appealing, satisfying meals. brochure please visit softerfoods.co.uk or call 0800 066 3366. 2 Issue 40: Summer 2015 National News UK Stroke Assembly 2015 "It's not what you can't do; it's what you can do. If you can't do something today, try again tomorrow." Inspirational stroke survivors lead talks in The aim of the UK Stroke Assembly held on 9-10 Nottingham at the UK Stroke Assembly 2015. June is to give a voice to those affected by stroke and a method for stroke survivors, carers The UK Stroke Assembly opened with an and their families to interact with decision impressive line-up of stroke survivors sharing makers. their stroke stories and inspiring others to move forward after stroke. Within minutes Janet Rockliffe, Andrew Love, Andy McCann and Alpha Kabeja moved an audience of over 220 people by emphasising the importance of acceptance, overcoming difficulties and looking towards the future. Other talks and workshops at the event focused on understanding medication, living with Aphasia and building the stroke community. It was recognised by the professionals that learning and improvements in stroke care is a two way process; with people affected by stroke being experts in stroke as much as the professionals themselves. The strong energy at the event meant those present had the opportunity to have their say on future campaigns, identifying areas where limited All from different backgrounds and experiences, resources should be focused and ensuring the the speakers bought together those affected by patient voice is heard in the NHS and future stroke and empowered them to take action on research. stroke. Noting that all those present were linked by one word -stroke- but collectively they can make a difference and ‘together we can conquer stroke’. Alpha Kabeja (left) moved the audience to tears as he overcame his own disabilities to recall how he suffered a stroke at just 29 as a result of a road traffic accident. He is now training to become a para Olympian For more information about the UK Stroke through reviving his love Assembly go to www.strokeassembly.org.uk or of sailing. call 01527 903 930. Issue 40: Summer 2015 3 National News In this edition of Club Together, we have a You never know when stroke may strike. great story to share with you. One woman's Spotting the signs of a stroke early, and quick thinking saved her husband's life. Meet immediately calling 999 gets people the life- Terry and Phillip. saving treatment they need. And it's not just about saving lives; quick treatment also means a The day of Phillip's stroke started like any other, better recovery. he worked an early shift and headed home. But when he got there in the afternoon, he felt more tired than usual. Thinking nothing of it, he had a cup of tea and a shower, then went to sleep. When Phillip woke up, he wasn’t acting normally. His speech was slurred, his face drooped and he had problems with his sight. It’s lucky that Terry had seen the FAST campaign on Facebook a few days before. She recognised that Phillip had some of the symptoms of stroke. Thanks to you sharing the FAST message on Facebook, Twitter and email, she knew to call 999 immediately. These brand new FAST Forward wallet cards come in pairs; one for you and one for a friend. Order a few for your club or group. Or even better, order a bigger batch and share them with Terry’s knowledge of FAST and quick thinking a GP surgery, café, library or community centre. meant Phillip was rushed to hospital, and got That way people can pick them up and share with the emergency treatment he needed. Acting their friends. FAST meant Philip had the best chance of recovery. The more people who know to act FAST the better. You can order FAST Forward wallet cards Remembering the need to act FAST means you from our warehouse by calling 01604 687 724. could give someone the best chance of recovery. Forwarding the FAST message to a friend could make them a lifesaver. Like Terry. Help us celebrate the work of stroke clubs and groups and join us at the 10th UK Stroke Club Conference on 9-10 October 2015 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham. Invites will be sent out to the main contacts of all stroke clubs and groups in early July. Space is limited so book your place early so you don't miss out! 4 Issue 40: Summer 2015 National News A purple success Action on Stroke Month 2015 was a resounding We’ve also been asking for your best purple success, and we’d like to say a big thank you to photos, so please do send us your snaps of you everyone who took part and helped us to Make (or your friends, family or pets) Making May May Purple for Stroke! Purple for Stroke. Our favourite photo will take pride of place as the cover image of next year’s Action on Stroke Magazine. Email your photos to [email protected] – we can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to! There were purple hats, wigs and cakes galore, and everyone from primary schools to entire stroke clubs and offices got involved. As well as having fun with purple props, there was a serious side to Action on Stroke Month. Our news story, which was broadcast on the BBC, ITV and in all of the national newspapers, highlighted the difficulties stroke survivors can face when We held over 400 Know Your Blood Pressure returning to work.