​At All About Home Care, we're keen to help support the local community on all issues affecting the elderly. One of those issues is stroke; with 59% of victims being over the age of 69, it's a disease we want to help spread awareness of. 

This May, Stroke Association are encouraging people to wear purple for stroke awareness month and to raise money for services and support offered to people after suffering a stroke.

Stroke – the facts

There are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK every year – around one every five minutes

There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK

Stroke is the fourth biggest killer in the UK

Nearly two-thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability

A third of stroke survivors experience depression 

What is stroke?

A stroke is a serious condition caused by blood supply to part of the brain being cut off. This is dangerous because, like all parts of the body, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients carried by the blood to function. Without this blood supply, nerve cells in the brain begin to die at a rate of about 1.9 million cells per minute. That's why it's so important to act FAST when stroke occurs. 

Act FAST

FAST is a useful acronym to promote awareness of stroke and to help people know what to do when a stroke occurs. 

Face: The person's face may have dropped on one side or be unable to smile.

Arms: Can the person lift their arms or do they struggle? Their arms may flop by their sides because of weakness or numbness.

Speech: Is the person's speech slurred? They may not be able to talk or understand what you're saying to them.

Time: Now is the time to act, don't hesitate – phone an ambulance if you see any of these signs or symptoms as soon as possible. 

Stroke awareness month

Stroke awareness month is a movement created by Stroke Association  which encourages anybody and everybody to Make May Purple for stroke. They encourage you to dress up in purple and donate £1 to the Stroke Association; the money will go towards services that help to rebuild people's lives after suffering a stroke. Getting back to your old self can be an incredibly long and difficult journey, and so doing what you can to help goes a long way.

There are some fun ideas of things we can do to show support:

Have a purple day in the office at work – anybody who comes into work in purple donates some money towards the cause, and anybody who comes in their normal clothes pays a fine!

Put money together in a pot to sponsor the boss to come to work in purple fancy dress

Have a purple day at school, with each student paying £1 to come in purple non-uniform

Host a purple party or evening with your friends – drink purple drinks and eat purple food!

Host a purple bake sale or garden party 

Local stroke services

The West Kent Stroke Recovery Service is a service run by the Stroke Association which provides high-quality, practical information and support to people following a stroke, including stroke survivors, their family members, carers or friends. They run regular events and activities including social groups, art classes, choir sessions and a book club. For details check their events page here. 

Different Strokes, which supports younger stroke survivors reclaim their lives through active peer support and independent recovery, has a West Kent group set up by Lisa Beaumont, who suffered a life-changing brain haemorrhage at just 44.

How we support stroke survivors

Strokes can change lives – but it is also possibly to live your life well following a stroke. Acting FAST helps, as does the right support. Our expert carers are specially trained in helping stroke survivors enjoy the best possible quality of life. We also work closely with other experts, such as Neuro Rehabilitation Kent, neurological physiotherapists who specialise in the problems that occur following damage or disease in the nervous system. Working together, we help our clients achieve the best possible outcome.

If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke, we'd be happy to discuss how our expert carers can help you live your life well. And we'll be wearing purple to do our bit to raise more awareness of strokes and stroke prevention.

To find out more or to discuss your care needs or those of someone you love in the​

Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks areas
call 01732 447 055 or 01892 575 499