Department of Health - Reducing Brain Damage: Faster access to
better stroke care
Patient Stories
[Back to report - 'Reducing
Brain Damage: Faster access to better stroke care']
These stories are about the experience of living with stroke and
aphasia and how people move forward with life after stroke. We hope
they will inspire service providers to respond creatively to the
challenge of improving services, opportunities and lives. The
stories are a collaborative project between Connect, the National Audit Office
and Pilgrim Projects, created
in support of the National Audit Office Reducing Brain Damage: Faster access to better
stroke care report (HC 452 2005-2006) and the Joining forces to deliver improved stroke care
book.
Please see the technical
note below before downloading. To download the following
files right click on the link and choose "Save target
as..."
Not to be broadcast
Duck (5 MB)- After a stroke in
her early 20s, Debbie is left with aphasia – and only recognises
one word. 20 years later, she runs conversation groups and has
gained immeasurably in confidence.
The first time (5.1 MB) Sonia’s
stroke left her feeling imprisoned, unable to venture from her
house because she could not communicate. Her first bus journey
proved to be the turning point, and she realises that she can do
anything she puts her mind to, with the help of a few thoughtful
strategies.
Helping others helps me (4 MB)-
Ken decides to put his background in training to good effect after
his stroke: he now trains professionals working with people who
have aphasia.
A brighter world waiting (6.3
KB)- Following her stroke, Rizia takes up meditation, then
gardening, and discovers a brighter future beyond stroke.
New beginnings (8.2 KB)-
Emmanuel worked as an engineer in the Nigerian Dept of Trade and
Industry before his stroke left him with aphasia. However, his love
of gardening leads him to transform an unused piece of ground into
a garden that is a haven of peace in the centre of London.
Hold on to your hat! (6.8 MB)-
For two years following his stroke, Alan didn’t know that he had
aphasia. After that, he is determined to recover as much of his
life as possible, and works with a variety of organisations to help
others suffering from aphasia, ending up at Connect.
All the colours of the rainbow
(5.2 MB)- Jane is a civil service lawyer before her stroke leaves
her with aphasia. Her love of music comes into its own as she now
leads music appreciation groups in which the music is as varied and
as vibrant as the colours of the rainbow.
One size doesn't fit all (5.1
MB)- People with aphasia benefit from individual speech therapy,
which isn’t always easy to come by.
Imagine (5.5 MB)- A stroke
leaves Derek’s intelligent, vivacious, active wife unable to feed
or look after herself, unable to communicate or even acknowledge
Derek. He imagines a world where such a thing would not
happen...
Fast, appropriate responses
(5.9 MB)- Frustration at the lack of action and the indifference of
some staff in an NHS hospital leads a young stroke victim to
request his own discharge after two days so that he can pursue a
private MRI scan and treatment via his GP.
A vision of the future (4.1
MB)- The timely, appropriate treatment received by one stroke
patient exemplifies the better future envisaged in the story
'Imagine'.
The full text of the stories can be viewed separately -
Transcript of Stroke Stories.
Technical Note
The above files are in mp4 format. Please check that your
computer can play mp4 files before downloading them.
The latest versions of
QuickTime and
RealPlayer
support the mp4 file format. Windows Media Player does not
currently support the playback of the mp4 file format. These
third-party products are manufactured by companies that are
independent of the NAO. The NAO makes no warranty, implied or
otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these
products.