Stroke support group meeting

A PUBLIC meeting has been organised in Kerry over the coming days in an attempt to establish the county’s first support group for people affected by stroke.

The meeting – organised by primary care teams in Tralee, Castleisland and Farranfore – is due to take place this Thursday 7.30pm in the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee.

Among the issues expected to be addressed are services in Kerry for stroke sufferers and their families; the availability of support groups; and what developments people affected by the issue would like to see in the region.

According to HSE figures, a total of 10,000 people suffer from strokes in Ireland every year, with one in four dying from the condition.

The cardiovascular disease, which can occur in any age group and either sex, is caused by blockages in the artery supplying blood to the brain. It causes more deaths in Ireland than breast cancer, prostate cancer and bowel cancer combined.

Explaining the need for the new support group, Kate McCarthy, speech and language therapist with the HSE’s community services in Kerry, said it was vital people affected by the condition are given the help they need.

“Those who have a stroke, depending on the cause and severity of it, will require different means and levels of support, drawing upon the services of medical experts, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and nursing staff.

“Coupled with this, non-medical interventions must also be considered such as family support, counselling, workplace re-integration and financial aid,” she said.

As a result of a stroke, survivors often require different levels of support to cope with their condition.

HSE figures suggest that four out of five of thoseaffected suffer paralysis on one side of their body.

Other physical issues include loss of vision, difficulty with speech, swallowing, loss of concentration, bladder problems and emotional changes.