Each September, our NICHS Stroke Awareness Week aims to alert people to the risks of having a stroke and to the issues that are important to people who have already been affected.

Stroke is the third biggest killer in Northern Ireland and is the single biggest cause of disability. This year, 4,000 local people will suffer a stroke. One third will die, one third will make a recovery with no significant lasting effects and one third will be left with long–term disability.

Better Support for Stroke Carers

In 2009 we called for more training and support to be given to “a forgotten army” of carers looking after a family member who had suffered a stroke.  Research funded by NICHS at the University of Ulster has found that most people are unprepared for the huge impact of the condition and simply do not have the range of skills needed.

We organised a range of events to support carers of stroke, with information sessions in hospitals and a stroke carers’ day out at the Hilton Hotel in Templepatrick.

Stroke Rehabilitation

In 2010 we highlighted the need for effective stroke rehabilitation. Since stroke is the largest single cause of long term disability in Northern Ireland, better rehabilitation would improve the recovery and the quality of life of stroke survivors.  

At NICHS we fund research on stroke rehabilitation and use innovative rehabilitation methods, such as art and music therapy, in our stroke groups across Northern Ireland.
One research project, to which we have awarded £45,000 in funding, is investigating a ground breaking new technique to help stroke survivors regain the use of disabled limbs. Previous studies have indicated that the brain has the capacity to “rewire” itself to cope with damage.
The researchers, at Queen’s University, are hoping to show that non–invasive stimulation of the brain, coupled with contractions of the muscles of the unimpaired arm, will assist the recovery of movement in the affected limb. The project has the potential to transform the recovery of stroke survivors and others who have suffered brain damage.

Tina Gault from Bangor has become an accomplished artist after being enrolled in our stroke scheme in North Down & Ards. Although Tina has still not recovered her speech nine years after her stroke, she believes that art has changed her life and restored some of the hope that her stroke destroyed.

We have also pioneered a successful project in music therapy in Bessbrook, Co Armagh, with stroke survivors from the area, and we have a programme of horse riding for young stroke survivors which – aside from boosting confidence – helps improve muscle tone and restore balance.