Call for volunteers to help support Fife’s 750 stroke victims and their families

The latest data was published by the Stroke Association as it used Volunteers Week to call for more people to help provide support to survivors and their families.

The latest statistics show 759 people had a stroke in the region two years ago. As well as physical disability, some 75% also experienced mental health issues.

There is only one Stroke Association volunteer in Fife, but the ambition is to recruit more to work with NHS Fife to support more people.

John Watson, associate director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, said: “The number of people having strokes in Scotland is anticipated to rise in the coming years and we’ve found that more than 50% of Scottish adults have a close personal connection to stroke – whether having had one or seen a close friend or relative affected. “That’s why we are taking steps to increase our support in the NHS Fife area. Our volunteers’ work is varied and rewarding, with the potential for learning and development opportunities and we would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved.” The Stroke Association has received National Lottery Community Fund money to expand its support, and anyone who volunteers will be assisted by a local engagement officer to provide face-to-face support as well as, potentially, telephone support.

And because peer support is a proven powerful way to help survivors and their families to adjust to the life-changing condition, the association is particularly keen to hear from people who have had a stroke, or have supported someone who has, and want to use their experience to help others. For more information, contact the charity’s engagement team in Scotland at [email protected].

One man who has survived a stroke and knows the benefits the support group can bring is Neil Murray from Culross.

He was in his late 40s when he had a massive stroke in 2010. He was first rushed to the old Stirling Hospital before being transferred to the Western Infirmary in Edinburgh for life-saving brain surgery.

His family was told to expect the worst, but he survived and spent several weeks at the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline before being transferred to Cameron Rehabilitation Hospital where he began to contemplate that his life had changed forever.

Neil was a senior project manager working in the construction industry before his career was cut short by the severe physical and mental impact of his stroke.

He said he spent far too long trying to get back to the life he had, until finally accepting that his love of adventure sports such as skiing and scuba diving would have to be curtailed – he will never dive again because of his brain operation. Neil now embraces new challenges and enjoys meeting people.

Neil says: “I found the Stroke Association’s onIine resources hugely beneficial in the early days of my recovery and progressed to being part of the association’s Clackmannanshire Stroke Support Group based in Alloa.

“There isn’t an equivalent group in Fife, but I’d love to see all the things I get involved in there, rolled out in the Kingdom. For example, we recently toured Clackmannanshire health centres to raise awareness of the signs of stroke and the support available to people in Scotland.”

To find out more about the Stroke Association’s work in Scotland, visit www.stroke.org.uk/scotland