The Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team have held a stroke prevention event at Tesco in Bexhill, where the team gave advice to people on preventing strokes and other health conditions.
The team were able to offer advice on stroke prevention with blood pressure readings, dietary, life style advice about smoking, drinking and cholesterol levels. Nearly 100 people took up the opportunity to have their blood pressure taken which identified several high and borderline blood pressures. They were given dietary information and advised to visit their GP.
Marie White from the Stroke Association, Lucy Cheshire Rehab support Worker, Jayne Harris Senior Stroke Nurse and Dee Kent Rehab support worker, all from the Community Stroke Rehab Team, based at the Irvine Unit.
Guy Coughlan, Clinical Lead Physiotherapist for Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team said: “Our team takes primary prevention of stroke very seriously, and it was good to be on hand to offer advice on the importance of modifying stroke risk factors.”
Recent statistics published by the Stroke Association have revealed some shocking evidence. Stroke occurs approximately 152,000 times every year in the UK, that’s one every 3 minutes and 27 seconds. 46,000 people will have a first incidence of TIA (transient ischaemic attack) or ‘mini stroke’ every year. Stroke is the 4th single largest cause of death in the UK and 80% of strokes are preventable. Examples of modifiable risk factors are hypertension, diabetes, high alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, recreational drugs (cocaine and cannabis), hyperlipidaemia, atrial fibrillation and an increased salt intake.