Services for stroke survivors under 65 ‘fall short’

Stroke survivors are being abandoned once they leave hospital with many suffering anxiety, depression and unemployment long after they have been discharged.

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) says the outlook is particularly bleak for younger stroke survivors, who find services are tailored for older and retired people rather than those who need to get back to work.

A survey of 500 working-age stroke survivors found that while 88% of them were in employment before their stroke, only 36% got back to work afterwards and 70% had suffered a significant fall in income since their stroke.