Graham Simpson praises the work of Stroke Association Scotland to raise awareness and support stroke survivors in Scotland.
They are the UK’s leading charity dedicated to conquering stroke. They deliver stroke services across the UK, campaign for better stroke care, invest in research and fundraise to expand our reach to as many stroke survivors as possible. There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK with 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year. That’s one stroke every five minutes.
They are working in partnership with Active Stirling to develop the Moving Forward After Stroke pilot. This is a new stroke-specific exercise programme available to people living in Forth Valley who have had a stroke. The programme is designed to reduce the risk of secondary stroke and improve physical fitness and function.
Graham Simpson MSP said: “I welcome the work of Stroke Association Scotland to raise awareness and support stroke survivors in Scotland. Even though you are now twice as likely to survive a stroke compared to 20 years ago, stroke is still the third single largest cause of death in the Scotland.
“We know we need to change how people think about stroke and challenge the myths surrounding it. Stroke Association Scotland push for greater awareness of stroke and its warning signs and campaign for better stroke care. There are 124,000 stroke survivors in Scotland and a third of survivor’s experience depression after their stroke. We need to ensure that that Scotland provides sufficient mental health support to survivors.
“Each year there are around 15,000 strokes in Scotland – we need to increase our efforts to reduce this number. I urge all my constituents to know their blood pressure”.