Different Strokes is a registered charity providing a unique, free service to younger stroke survivors throughout the United Kingdom. Our services and the number of stroke survivors benefiting from them have grown dramatically since we were formed in 1996. We are run by stroke survivors for stroke survivors, for active self help and mutual support.
Stroke is the single largest cause of disability in the United Kingdom. 10, 000 people under the age of 55 suffer a stroke every year - 1,000 of these are under the age of 30.
Recovery and rehabilitation from stroke present particular challenges for the younger survivor. One day fit and well, the next moment disabled. The stroke survivor must come to terms with physical and emotional changes as well as significant lifestyle adjustments - mobility, job, income, dependence, relationships - everything changes.
With 75% of strokes affecting those aged over 65, current provision inevitably focuses attention on the older stroke survivor. The specific and complex needs of the younger and the more active stroke survivor have not received the full attention that they deserve.
Before Different Strokes, there was no single organisation able to provide the comprehensive support service that younger survivors need.
Different Strokes helps stroke survivors of working age to optimise their recovery, take control of their own lives and regain as much independence as possible by offering 'rehabilitative services', information and advice.
Different Strokes currently does this by:
Different Strokes is run by younger stroke survivors for younger stroke survivors.
Different Strokes also provides an important voice for younger stroke survivors to Government, service providers and funders, fighting for better standards and improved understanding.
Different Strokes was established in 1996 by a small group of younger stroke survivors who recognised and had experienced the then woeful lack of support, and shortage of relevant information. More than anything, we had felt the need for immediate, practical and relevant help following stroke and determined to address the shortfall in provision for younger stroke survivors of the future.
We are a registered charity and the majority of our trustees are stroke survivors. The current staff and volunteers are all stroke survivors or the family of survivors.
We have grown rapidly since our start in July 1996 and now have over 11,000 members on our mailing list.
There are now 45 Different Strokes exercise groups throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Research has shown that gentle exercise to music improves balance and coordination as well as raising the general level of fitness. We have trained some stroke survivors to become professionally qualified exercise teachers. New groups continue to open and group coordinators are actively involved in the national management of the charity.
The Different Strokes telephone helpline, or 'StrokeLine' receives, on average, 75 enquiries each week ranging from questions about benefits, counselling and tips on improving rehabilitation to simply providing a listening ear. To talk with someone who has been through similar experiences is an opportunity that we know stroke survivors value highly; often the helpline provides this first point of contact with a fellow stroke survivor. As stroke survivors ourselves, we understand the need.
The 'Different Strokes Counselling Network' run in conjunction with StrokeLine puts those who need it in touch with a qualified, individually vetted counsellor.
One of the most common problems facing the recovering stroke survivor is early access to the right information. Some of the most practical issues - benefits, employment questions, advice about sex after a stroke - are tackled with sensitivity and humour in the Different Strokes information pack. We distribute around 50 packs every week.
Some 450 children under the age of 16 suffer a stroke every year. A special Children's Infopack is provided to help families and where appropriate to inform the child directly. Parents are put in touch with each other and encouraged to exchange 'coping strategies'.
This work has been supported by BBC Children In Need and by the Roald Dahl Foundation.
Different Strokes membership has grown to more than 11,000. The majority of these are younger stroke survivors. For them, their families and the health professionals who also form our membership, the regular Different Strokes newsletter is an important and always welcome communication tool.
The newsletter is written and edited by stroke survivors. It offers useful information, informed opinion and real-life stories of people's experiences of stroke. It deals with the issues most relevant to stroke survivors. Our interactive website supports the newsletter and offers the opportunity for 'on-line' discussions with stroke survivors, health professionals or those who simply want to chat. It is another source of great solace to the hitherto isolated younger survivor.
The issue of returning to work after a stroke is a priority for many younger stroke survivors. In 1999, Different Strokes was awarded a research grant by the National Lotteries Charities Board towards a collaborative research project with the Department of Human Communication Science at the University College London. Studying the challenges of retuning to work, Different Strokes ' members have played a central role in this research which was completed in 2002
It has shaped our advice and support, with regular referrals made to specialist agencies and personal advisers as well as our support for the Government's New Deal for the Disabled scheme.
As a result of this research we now have three leaflets available to help stroke survivors, their family and friends, and employers. These are available to download or by calling the Strokeline.
Different Strokes provides an important voice for younger stroke survivors to Government and service providers, fighting for better standards and services, and improved understanding. We have collaborated with both the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Paediatricians in producing guidelines for stroke, and with NHS Direct; we are members of the Stroke Research Network; sit on the advisory group for DIPEx (Database of Individual Patient Experience), and the Aphasia Alliance; and recently presented a workshop on patient involvement at the national Department of Health Stroke Strategy Day.
Our recent report ‘A Bleeding Shame’, on the need for rapid access to scanning for people suspected of having a stroke, was discussed by the All Party Group on Stroke following which several parliamentarians requested and received individual briefings.
The World Health Organisation commended the Different Strokes' approach using our provision as a 'model' for similar provision throughout Europe.