Buy a designer’s T-shirt – Help a Slovakian stroke support organisation grow

Buy a designer’s T-shirt – Help a Slovakian stroke support organisation grow

Written by Alžbeta Husarovič, President of Porážka.sk

For this year’s World Stroke Day in Slovakia, a stroke support organisation Porážka.sk and a fashion stylist Andrej Kusalík organised a Charity Fashion Show. The event took place on 24th October 2019 in the Privee Lounge in Motešických Palace, in Bratislava, Slovakia.

A successful Slovakian fashion designer Michael Kováčik created a T-shirt “Unbeaten” in three different outlooks for the Porážka.sk. These T-shirts were presented on a runway by Slovakian models and previous participants of the Miss Slovakia – Barbora Franeková, Magdaléna Šebestová, Eva Rezešová and Simona Brnová Slobodníková.

The main idea of ​​the event was to auction money for the support of the Porážka.sk, with special focus on coveing treatment costs Peter Tatarko, an engineer who survived stroke in May 2018.

The main voice of the evening belonged one of TV moderators JOJ Lucia Wirthová. Apart from these designed T-shirts, the auction included a work of art by the academic painter Daniel Bidelnica and a painting by his wife Maria Bidelnicová as well. In addition to these two artworks also auctioned designer’s piece by Michael Kováčik, based on the auctioneer’s choice.

The evening was very successful and managed to auction around 6.500 EUR. The event was supported by leading bidders, celebrity photographer Petra Ficová, owner of Envy Lounge, Natalia Selveková and two anonymous auctioneers.

During the evening, the T-shirts were sold, bringing an additional sum of 800 EUR to Porážka.sk.

These beautifully designed T-shirts will continue to be sold on OZ Porážka.sk website www.porazka.sk, via Porazka.sk social media and on Zľavomat website, www.zlavomat.sk.

The funding that was generated through all of these activities will mainly be used for the treatment of Peter Tatarko, who overcame the defeat in May 2018. The treatment is expected to last for three intensive weeks. The cost of treatment is 3.500 EUR and Porážka.sk is very glad that it can help people through activities like this.

At the end, we would like to pass our massive thank you to everyone who participated and helped us raise the money. If you want to support our further work, please visit our website www.porazka.sk and purchase one of our beautiful T-shirts, knowing that you will not only get a very fashionable piece of clothing, but also help us continue with our very important work. Your purchase will be used for improvement of the lives of the stroke survivors in Slovakia.

 

 

A piece of the atmosphere at the event

 

 

SAFE received the first donation through Drugstars App

SAFE received the first donation through Drugstars App

Last month we were lucky enough to attend the Eye for Pharma Annual Patient Summit Europe in London. It was here that we also attended the first UK DrugStars patient organization event, where we proudly accepted a cheque for £500. This money was donated by UK patients using the DrugStars app.

DrugStars is an app, that helps you with your medicine. The app can help you remembering to take your medicine, but the truly special thing is that you also can donate money (FOR FREE) to patient organizations like us. So please download the app by this link   https://drugstars.onelink.me/FN6p/83662720

#DrugStars #GivingByTaking #eyeforpharma #Patientsummit

Annual General Assembly 2019

Annual General Assembly 2019

SAFE’s Annual General Assembly will take place at the Sheraton Porto Hotel, R. do Ten. Valadim 146, 4100-476 Porto, Portugal, 29 November 2019. We would be delighted if members were able to attend.

The order of business will be as follows:

08.30-09.00  Registration

09.00-09.05 Opening welcome, Jon Barrick, President SAFE

09.05-10.00  Review of the year and forward view

10.00-11.00  General Assembly

11.00       Close

For further information, please see HERE in the Members’ Section and contact SAFE Secretariat at mail@safestroke.eu

Featured photo: SAFE General Assembly 2018, Berlin, Germany

 

Expert Approaches to Reclaim A Life After Stroke

Expert Approaches to Reclaim A Life After Stroke

Written by Amanda Jerelyn

Recovery after a stroke is very essential for a patient to make his coming back to life easy and simple for himself and his caretakers. Living a normal life after a stroke is hard to think about for many sufferers. People tend to get negative once they come back to their new life and do not accept the changes positively.

The story of Marina Krsmanovic from Serbia is very powerful in terms of reclaiming a life after stroke. Coming back to your life after recovery is a new beginning for you. It is completely achievable if you have a positive mindset. You can reclaim a normal life by following these expert approaches:

Returning to routine

It is barely impossible for some patients to accept the reality that their routine will not be the same anymore. Reclaiming life after stroke involves some drastic routine changes. Survivors should always believe in their goodwill in adopting major changes around them. Accepting your fate is the first step towards success in your new life. A patient who happily adapts to these routine changes will lead a life with fewer worries and more relaxation.

Positive perspective

Setting a positive approach towards everything that happens in your life is the key to happiness. Especially in your condition, positive thinking will only make you bloom. Once you accept your life as it is, things will get easier and better understandable by you. A positive mindset will also let you be your own motivator at times you’re alone.

Vernell Bradshaw is a stroke survivor. His motto is attitude is everything, and quite astonishingly, it is true. He lives his life with willingness and readiness. He also said that he never questioned why he had to go through it, but instead, he accepted it and gained enough strength to move on with his life enthusiastically.

Meditation is a great healer

After a stroke recovery, patients are highly advised by doctors to take care of themselves and make it a priority. Taking care of you means making sure all your needs and wants are being fulfilled. And your needs should firstly include taking out some time for meditation. Doing meditation routinely is an expert approach to live a life normally after a major stroke. Now medication may include doing light walk in the morning, doing yoga outdoors or indoors, or doing breathing exercises.

Physiotherapy benefit a lot

Individuals suffer from many symptoms like loss of memory, losing willpower, and losing the power of control that mainly includes limb control, after a stroke. Physiotherapy comes as very helpful in this particular case.

Physiotherapy mainly means a treatment for recovering patients that consist of physical techniques. It includes light exercises, massages, and treatments by heat to help with internal and external body movement with easiness.

So it is another expert approach to win back your life after stroke and start living it naturally.

Dressing method transformation

After a stroke, simple tasks such as dressing up or bathing become a hassle for survivors. Their frustration is genuine, but the expert approach would be to deal it with mindfulness and give it time.

Changing your way around things might help. For example, you can change clothes easily while sitting on a chair or bed instead of standing up. You can also choose to wear loose clothing so it can be less of a hassle. Putting your affected hand in the shirt’s sleeve first will give you more grips for wearing it properly.

Modify bathing equipment & tools

Now bathing is the second hardest task, but it can be made simpler by following some pro-tips. Always remember that baths are harder to take after a stroke, so you should opt for showers. Replace your usual bathmats with suction-cupped bathmats to avoid slipping. Always keep someone or a bell in your reach to have instant help when in an emergency.

Avoid driving at maximum

Driving after a stroke can’t be easy or normal. In some extreme cases, it is not advised for some patients after recovery by their physiotherapists and doctors. But if you must, then firstly you need to have the authorities informed and have a test ride with them for surety. Then you need to modify your car according to your hand, which is not paralyzed. Safety tip is to have someone ride along with you at all times to ensure you don’t accidentally meet some severe strokes.

Attending group sessions

People after recovery from a stroke become bitter and angry because of isolation and because they can’t do things they used to do before by themselves. It is entirely understandable, and an expert approach would be to attend sittings. Sessions related to life after stroke will brighten-up your spirit. Because you will now feel linked to many others and feel relaxed knowing you’re not suffering alone in this situation. Attending group sessions will rise-up your morale and motivate you towards all the positive things in life to cherish.

Keep challenging yourself

A patient who survives a stroke and comes home after recovery needs the most challenges in their life to keep moving forward. Think of it as you always come first in all the racing marathons and suddenly racing marathons stopped happening, how would you feel? You’ll feel stuck in between. So daily challenges, no matter big or small, keeps your life going on a steady path. So survivors should always keep looking for problems and try their best to overcome them effectively.

These were some useful approaches that you can consider after recovering from a stroke. And life is undoubtedly reclaimable after a stroke. You just have to be willing to live it fully. Living a normal life is not a dream, but it’s a mission for survivors, and you’ll get through with it too.

Author bio:

Amanda Jerelyn is currently working as a health & wellness tutor at King Essay.

Her professional writing services include nursing dissertation through which she gained much popularity in her field and she occasionally contributes content to Guide2Write. Amanda writes with full contribution and enthusiasm, which makes her stand out from the rest.

Stroke Survivors’ needs in the UK: The marginalisation of stroke survivors is an ongoing problem

Stroke Survivors’ needs in the UK: The marginalisation of stroke survivors is an ongoing problem

Austin Willett, Chief Executive Officer, Different Strokes

“Stroke is still thought of us something that only happens to elderly people.  Yet more than 25% of strokes happen to people who are of working age and younger, and in the specific 35-54 age range, strokes are increasing by approximately 2% per year.  Despite this, when stroke is portrayed in the media it is almost always in the context of an older person suffering a stroke, and this further entrenches the view that it is something that is not experienced by younger people. At Different Strokes we have helped to tackle this misconception, and a recent Stroke Association television advert also featured a number of young stroke survivors.  ” said Austin Willett, Chief Executive Officer at Different Strokes, a stroke support organisation from the UK.

SAFE: What is one issue related to the life after stroke in your country that you think needs special attention?

AW: Clearly though there is still a very long way to go, demonstrated by the results of a survey which we commissioned this year.  In this survey, 84% of people thought that only 1 in 50 strokes happened to people under the age of 65, while it is actually more than 1 in 4.

The marginalisation of stroke survivors is an ongoing problem.  Stroke is especially isolating for working age people; often with young families to support and relying on employment but suddenly unable to work.  Ensuring that there is much greater recognition of younger stroke is, for us and the people we support, the most important issue.

SAFE: What would be the solution, i.e. what is your organisation’s position regarding this issue?
AW: There are no easy answers to this, and because stroke affects everyone differently there is not a solution that will work for all stroke survivors.  But broadly speaking, we would like to see:

  • Much greater understanding of the prevalence of stroke in younger people. Where there is ignorance about this issue, this can lead to misdiagnosis.  Too often is a stroke among this age group classified as a ‘brain bleed’ or something other than stroke. This can lead to people waiting for extended periods of time before receiving appropriate stroke rehabilitation, or not receiving any at all.
  • Rehabilitation which focuses more on the specific needs of younger stroke survivors. Younger stroke survivors must learn to accept newfound physical, emotional and cognitive limitations, as well as changes to virtually every aspect of life – wellbeing, perceived quality of life, communication, mobility, employment, independence, social life and relationships.  Rehabilitation needs to reflect this, and not merely be focused on the basic functions of self-care which permit a stroke survivor to return home.
  • Recognition that ongoing recovery of stroke is a long-term, and sometimes lifetime, process. Too often we have heard stroke survivors being told that they have plateaued to explain why their post-stroke rehabilitation has been discontinued, and a further myth about stroke is that after 6 months post-stroke ongoing recovery will cease.  But post-stroke recovery trajectories vary and shift over time, and at Different Strokes we see stroke survivors of working age return to work and rediscover skills and interests which buck their disabilities long after their stroke.

 

SAFE: Please tell us more about your organisation.
AW:
Different Strokes is a registered charity which supports younger stroke survivors and their families, primarily of working age (18-65).  This group has historically been overlooked, receiving limited rehabilitation and struggling to find the emotional support combined with the practical help required to help reclaim their lives.  Different Strokes was founded in 1996 to address this, and over the last 23 years has made huge steps in raising awareness of young stroke.

Amongst the services we provide are a network of peer support and exercise groups, an online support group, a telephone information line, printed materials, and age appropriate resources for children whose Mum or Dad has had a stroke.

We also seek to raise awareness of issues that specifically effect younger stroke survivors and will work collaboratively with third parties where it is in our mutual interests to do so.

The ethos of Different Strokes is one of ‘survivors supporting survivors’, with peer support running through all that we do.  Half of our staff and trustees are stroke survivors, as are the vast majority of volunteers who run local groups and support us in other ways.

We receive no funds from central or local government, so have to raise all our funds from individual donations, fundraising events, legacies, grants from trusts and foundations, corporate support, and self-generated income such as through our online shop.

*Image source: https://differentstrokes.co.uk/stroke-information/information-pack/

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