I have previously had a stroke – where can I find practical or emotional assistance?

The Stroke Association is a national charity that works to help people of all ages who have been affected by having a stroke. Locally they have a base within St Helens Hospital where they can offer information, advice and support as well as help with communication. They also have an activities based fortnightly support group, an allotment project and can offer volunteer home visits.

The Stroke Club is a local social group affiliated with the Stroke Association that meets up on a monthly basis at the United Reformed Church.

The Health Improvement Team provide a ‘Stroke Support’ service, made up of Health Improvement Team staff and community volunteers working in partnership to raise awareness of the preventative measures of stroke and mini-stroke. They work closely with stroke survivors to increase their quality of life and offer them support and motivation to assist them back to recovery e.g. by increasing physical and social activities.

http://www.aclsmedicaltraining.com/nih-stroke-scale/ is another useful site.

The NHS run a campaign called ‘Act FAST’ to raise awareness about recognising people who may have suffered a stroke – click here to view their website and further information about strokes.