Sep 30, 2016
The formation of SAFE in 2004 was the first step in a journey of consolidation, expansion and a quest for sustainability, all of which are necessary requirements to enable influencing and campaigning over the sustained periods of time needed to effect real improvement and change.
This is a constant struggle, some SSO’s have ceased to exist, but overall there are now more than 30 SSO’s in Europe, and over a dozen now employ paid staff, supported by volunteers, many of whom are stroke survivors or family members. One of the youngest SSOs in SAFE, yet very active and enthusiastic about the cause is the SSO from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We spoke with Maja Bozinovska, neurologist and the President of the “Здружение за борба против мозочен удар” about their SSO’s membership at SAFE, what does it mean for their organisation, but also what is the work they do and challenges they meet every day. (more…)
Sep 29, 2016
As more people survive stroke, the burden of care and support is great and increasing. However, the implementation of guidelines, interventions and organized stroke care varies across Europe, contributing to variations of outcomes for stroke survivors.
The challenges are to go back to designing more effective ways of preventing stroke, said Prof. Charles Wolfe from King’s College London, the lead researcher of the Burden of Stroke Report.
King’s College London has been commissioned by the Stroke Association in the UK, on behalf of the Stroke Alliance for Europe, SAFE, to undertake a project on the burden of stroke and how patients’ needs are met by health care provision in Europe. (more…)
Sep 27, 2016
New devices called stent retrievers, which effectively reverse strokes, have revolutionized the treatment of certain stroke patients, says sciencedaily.com citing an article in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.
“Stent retrievers are a major advance in acute ischemic stroke care and will have significant impact on the evolution of stroke systems of care,” according to the article by Loyola Medicine neurologists Rick Gill, MD and Michael J. Schneck, MD. Dr. Gill is the outgoing chief resident and Dr. Schneck is a professor in the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. (more…)
Sep 25, 2016
September 23rd, 2016, is a day that can be in the history of the fight against stroke in Portugal: The 1st associative entity was founded, and is officially legalized, nationwide, led by survivors of stroke, although including families, health professionals, caregivers and friends who embrace this cause. The name of this newly founded stroke support organisation is the PT.AVC – Union of Survivors, Family and friends, also known as “Portugal AVC“. (more…)
Sep 21, 2016
The author of the article: Richard Smith, Chair of Patients Know Best and icddr,b (formerly International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) and former editor of the BMJ.
Article published on: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/
Cardiovascular disease accounts for just over a quarter of deaths (27 per cent) in Britain and costs the economy £15 billion a year, £11 billion of which are the costs of health care. Each year 41,000 people die prematurely (under 75) from cardiovascular disease. We know how to prevent half, and possibly three-quarters, of these deaths, but at the moment we are failing to do so. (more…)
Sep 20, 2016
A virtual reality world called EVA Park can improve the communication of those who have impaired speech and language following a stroke, according to research by academics at City University London.
The study, which is published in PLOS ONE, is the first exploration of multi-user virtual reality in aphasia therapy and shows the potential for technology to play an important role in improving the everyday lives of people with the condition. (more…)
