Latest news with #StrokeAssociation
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Dumfries woman whose husband had massive stroke backs charity's volunteers campaign
Sheryl Herring regularly visits hospital patients in her Stroke Association volunteer after husband Bruce was given just a five per cent chance of survival in 2017. A Dumfries woman whose husband had a massive stroke is backing a charity's campaign for more volunteers. Sheryl Herring's husband Bruce was given just a five per cent chance of survival following a stroke in 2017. She found out about the Stroke Association and now regularly visits hospital patients and has started a peer support group to help other families in a similar situation. Sheryl is one of just two volunteers the charity has in Dumfries and Galloway and, ahead of Volunteers' Week starting on Monday, she is calling on other people to get involved. She said: 'It was a revelation to find people going through what I'd been through, and I get a lot of support from Stroke Association community connectors whose job it is to signpost stroke survivors and their families to the services and support the charityprovides. 'I feel my experience puts me in a very good position to provide a sympathetic ear and reassure people they are not alone.' Sheryl, a mum of two, worked in health and social care when Bruce suffered a stroke in 2017 at the age of 49. It left him in a coma and he spent 11 months in hospital, being given just a five per cent chance of survival. When he left, he was in a wheelchair and suffered severe bouts of depression. The couple's world was turned upside down, with Sheryl becoming Bruce's full-time carer, and she started to feel the pressure. She had a breakdown and found the friends she used to rely on peeled away. It was a constant battle to get Bruce the help he needed, so she researched what support was available and discovered the Stroke Association and Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre. Sheryl is now a volunteer for the Stroke Association and visits the stroke ward at DGRI every Monday to tell patients and families about Stroke Association support and what is available in the local area. She also visits Lochamben Community Rehabilitation Unit every fortnight, with her peer support group meeting at Mountainhall in Dumfries on the first Thursday of every month. And she also told Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson about her work and stroke treatment and care in Dumfries and Galloway. The latest available figures show 325 people across the region had a stroke in 2023 and the Stroke Association estimates 60 per cent will be left with some sort of disability, with three-quarters likely to experience mental health issues. The charity is calling for new volunteers to come forward to help provide support, with Sheryl and Newton Stewart-based Stewart Anderson currently their only helpers in Dumfries and Galloway. Associate director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, John Watson, said: 'The number of people having strokes in Scotland is anticipated to rise in the coming years and we've found that more than 50 per cent of Scottish adults have a close personal connection to stroke – whether having had one or seen a close friend or relativeaffected. 'Our volunteers' work is varied and rewarding, with the potential for learning and development opportunities and we would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved.' The Stroke Association provides a raft of resources and support including on its website and by phone. However, support provided by people who have had experience of stroke is a powerful way to help stoke survivors and their families to adjust to the life-changing condition and the charity is particularly keen to hear from people who have had a stroke, or have supported someone who has, and want to use their experience to help others. Helping can benefit volunteers as well as the people they support as they develop new skills and confidence and feel they are giving something back. Anyone wishing to volunteer with the Stroke Association can contact the charity's engagement team in Scotland at engagementteamscotland@
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Photographs by Barnsley stroke patients go on display
Nature photographs captured by people who are recovering after suffering from a stroke have gone on display in patients were taught to use cameras and compose different shots to take pictures of the town's Locke Park across the four initiative, developed by the Creative Minds charity alongside the Barnsley Integrated Community Stroke Team and the Stroke Association charity, has gone on display at the Cooper Carr, 58, who took part in the project, said he was proud of group's work and "got goose bumps" when he saw it on display. Betty Eastwood, 89, whose husband John was one of the photographers who took part in the project, said they had both suffered a said she initially found life "very, very difficult" as she recovered."You're lost, you're on your own, and you don't know where you are," she she said things changed with help from the stroke team."They got us to mix with people, got us to go the cafes - they got us out and about," she said."They did what we really wanted to do, which was go out and meet people, instead of just sitting there and becoming a cabbage."She called being involved with the project a "wonderful experience", and added that her favourite part had been "helping one another". Mr Carr said his family had lived near Locke Park during his childhood and it had been "brilliant" to revisit added that photography had also been one of his childhood hobbies."It probably started at 10 years old, my dad would get a new, better camera and I would get the older one," he said."Then I got a big camera for Christmas. It was awesome, and I was pretty good - not being funny or anything like that." 'Boosting confidence' Kirsty Sidebottom, practitioner at Creative Minds, said the project was "not just about taking photos"."It's been about people learning new skills, boosting confidence, meeting up, being social, and getting some exercise - we walked an awful lot of steps around the park," she Richmond Burns, the life after stroke co-ordinator at the stroke team, said: "When people are recovering, they lose their identity and their confidence."A collective project such as this has brought them all together and they've done something they've maybe never done before."She added she was particularly proud of participant Steve Jackson, who had become blind as a result of his stroke, but had still managed to take part with the help of his wife, Association co-ordinator Donna Stringer said the project represented "finding strength through support"."It's brought people together from different areas of Barnsley and they've made new friends," she the exhibition, the photos will be put on display at the stroke recovery unit at Kendray Hospital. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Dr Ranj on Stroke Recovery
The Stroke Association offers a free UK-wide helpline for anyone affected by stroke, including families and friends. To see what support is available, click here, contact their helpline on 0303 3033 100. If you think that you or someone you know is having a stroke, call 999 immediately.
Scottish Sun
20-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Common medication taken by millions of Brits linked to triple risk of deadly stroke
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE combined pill has been linked to triple the risk of sudden stroke in young women, a new study has revealed. It's already well established that the pill, taken by over 3 million women in the UK, can increase the risk of blood clots and heart issues. 1 The combined pill could triple the risk of sudden stroke in young women Credit: Getty Now, scientists based in Turkey have also linked it to a higher chance of cryptogenic ischaemic stroke (CIS) - a type of brain bleed with no clear cause. The new findings were presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference in Helsinki, Finland today (May 20). Researchers from Istanbul University looked at 268 women aged 18 to 49 who had sudden, unexplained strokes, and compared them to 268 women of the same age who hadn't had a stroke. Among those who had strokes, 66 were using the combined contraceptive pill compared to just 38 in the control group. After accounting for factors like smoking, high blood pressure, migraines and obesity, they found women on the pill were three times more likely to suffer a cryptogenic stroke. The combined pill contains oestrogen and progestogen - and it's the oestrogen that's been linked to a higher risk of blood clots, which can lead to strokes. However, strokes in younger people are rare, and the overall risk from using the pill is very low, according to the Stroke Association. It's important to always speak to your doctor and pharmacist when thinking of coming off a medication. Earlier this year, a Danish study suggested the combined pill increases the risk of stroke two-fold. But in this study, experts have found a link to cryptogenic strokes, specifically. The 2 forms of contraceptive 'most likely to trigger deadly heart attack and stroke' revealed 'Our findings confirm earlier evidence linking oral contraceptives to stroke risk,' said Dr Mine Sezgin, lead author of the study. 'What's particularly notable is that the association remains strong even when accounting for other known risk factors, which suggests there may be additional mechanisms involved – possibly genetic or biological.' The experts said more studies are needed to firmly establish the link. But they also urged doctors to be careful when prescribing combined oral contraceptives to women with existing stroke risks or a history of ischaemic stroke. 'Our findings should prompt more careful evaluation of stroke risk in young women, particularly those with additional risk factors,' Dr Sezgin, said.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Common medication taken by millions of Brits linked to triple risk of deadly stroke
THE combined pill has been linked to triple the risk of sudden stroke in young women, a new study has revealed. It's already well established that the pill, taken by over 3 million women in the UK, can increase the risk of blood clots and heart issues. Now, scientists based in Turkey have also linked it to a higher chance of cryptogenic ischaemic stroke (CIS) - a type of brain bleed with no clear cause. The new findings were presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference in Helsinki, Finland today (May 20). Researchers from Istanbul University looked at 268 women aged 18 to 49 who had sudden, unexplained strokes, and compared them to 268 women of the same age who hadn't had a stroke. Among those who had strokes, 66 were using the combined contraceptive pill compared to just 38 in the control group. After accounting for factors like smoking, high blood pressure, migraines and obesity, they found women on the pill were three times more likely to suffer a cryptogenic stroke. The combined pill contains oestrogen and progestogen - and it's the oestrogen that's been linked to a higher risk of blood clots, which can lead to strokes. However, strokes in younger people are rare, and the overall risk from using the pill is very low, according to the Stroke Association. It's important to always speak to your doctor and pharmacist when thinking of coming off a medication. Earlier this year, a Danish study suggested the combined pill increases the risk of stroke two-fold. But in this study, experts have found a link to cryptogenic strokes, specifically. The 2 forms of contraceptive 'most likely to trigger deadly heart attack and stroke' revealed 'Our findings confirm earlier evidence linking oral contraceptives to stroke risk,' said Dr Mine Sezgin, lead author of the study. 'What's particularly notable is that the association remains strong even when accounting for other known risk factors, which suggests there may be additional mechanisms involved – possibly genetic or biological.' The experts said more studies are needed to firmly establish the link. But they also urged doctors to be careful when prescribing combined oral contraceptives to women with existing stroke risks or a history of ischaemic stroke. 'Our findings should prompt more careful evaluation of stroke risk in young women, particularly those with additional risk factors,' Dr Sezgin, said. How to choose the best method of contraception THERE are numerous contraception options available on the NHS and privately, and finding the right one for you can take time. Things to consider when deciding what contraception to use include how often you need to use it. Some methods, like the coil, are long acting, while others you need to take every day or use every time you have sex, like the pill and condoms. Hormonal methods of contraception can also sometimes leave users with side effects like headaches, feeling sick, mood swings, weight gain, sore breasts and acne. These types can carry a very small risk of health issues like blood clots and breast cancer too, meaning hormonal methods won't be suitable for everybody. On top of this, some types will be more effective than others. The implant and coil are deemed to be 99 per cent effective at preventing pregnancy, as is the pill and patch if used correctly. But condoms can sometimes break and methods like natural family planning - tracking when you're most fertile and avoiding sex at those times - tend to be less effective. Speak to your GP about which of the following might suit you best: Combined pill (contains progestogen and oestrogen) Mini pill (contains progestogen only) Copper coil or intrauterine device (inserted into the womb and doesn't contain hormones) Hormonal coil or intrauterine system (inserted into the womb and releases progestogen) Implant (inserted under the skin on your arm and releases progestogen) Injection (progestogen) Patch (worn on the skin and releases progestogen and oestrogen) Vaginal ring (put in the vagina and releases progestogen and oestrogen) Condoms (worn on the penis) Internal condoms (put in the vagina before sex) Female sterilisation (permanently stops eggs meeting sperm) Vasectomy or male steralisation (permanently stops sperm being ejaculated) Diaphragm or cap (put inside the vagina before sex to stop sperm getting into the womb) Natural family planning (includes tracking your menstrual cycle to avoid sex when you are most fertile) Morning after pill (to be used in emergency situations three to five days after sex) Source: NHS
