Calls for greater help for stroke victims

Stroke is the third most common cause of death among adults in Scotland. While nearly half the number of people affected will make a good recovery, the same number again can be left with considerable disabilities. Now a leading charity is calling on the Government to help stroke patients whose speech is badly affected.

Around 12,500 Scots will have a stroke this year. Whilst most victims will be over the age of 65, some 20% will be younger than that. It is one of the most common causes of adult death after heart disease and cancer, and can leave many survivors with severe disabilities. One of

Angela McLeod

the hardest to cope with is the loss of speech and communication. Now leading charities as well as The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in Scotland are joining forces to call for more support.

Angela Macleod of The Stroke Association said: "Having a communication disability affects the ability to speak and to understand language, and you can imagine that's got a huge impact on people's lives in terms of being reintegrated into their family and the wider community once they've had a stroke and they're going from the hospital back home. It can affect their ability to get back to work, relationships with friends, and again with family, and also can cause huge amounts of frustration and depression and distress. Which has been shown to happen with people who've got a communication disability".

According 'Lost Without Words', a report by the Stroke Association, a top priority should be an audit to establish just how many people in Scotland are affected. This will enable better patient referral to relevant support services. It's hoped that the current review of the Executive's Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Strategy willl result in vastly imrpoved communication support services.