The ability to dress and groom yourself is very important to many people. Here is a range of equipment which can be used by people to facilitate independence in these areas.

Dressing aids

Before considering equipment to assist with dressing, consider the type of clothing to be worn. Some clothes are easier to don or remove, such as a t-shirt or polo shirt without buttons, or pants with an elastic waist rather than a zipper. There are also suppliers that make modifies clothing that may be easier to don or remove. An example is clothes with Velcro fastenings instead of buttons or zippers.

Stocking, sock and pantyhose aids may be helpful for people who have difficulty bending down to reach their feet. The clothing item is pulled over a flexible plastic gutter, and long cotton tapes are used to pull the plastic gutter up, bringing the clothing item with it. Special aids to assist in putting on compression stockings are also available.

A dressing stick is a stick with a hook on one end. It can be used to push off or pull on hard-to-reach items of clothing. Loops sewn onto clothing can make it easier for someone to use a dressing stick, by providing something for the stick to hook on to.

Long-handled shoe horns may assist with putting shoes on by reducing the need to bend.

A button hook can make doing up buttons easier for people who only have the use of one hand, or people who have limited hand function. Button aids are used by passing the aid through the buttonhole to catch the button and then pulling the button back through the hole.

Elastic laces stretch and can remain tied up while putting on/taking off shoes. Spring lace fasteners may also be used to firmly hold the laces together, and can be operated with one hand.

Shoes with velcro fasteners may be easier to fasten for people with limited hand function.

Grooming aids

Long-handled combs or brushes can assist people who have limited arm and shoulder movement.

Mounting equipment, such as hair dryers, can be useful for people with only the use of one hand, coordination difficulties or limited hand function and can be mounted using suction caps.

For people with limited hand function, a universal cuff may be used to enable them to hold items such as brushes and razors. A universal cuff is a Velcro strap which wraps around the hand. The object is placed in a tubing pocket so there is no need to hold it with your fingers.

Electric razors and toothbrushes may be easier for some people to use as they can reduce the amount of hand and arm movement required. Long-handled nail scissors can make reaching the toes easier.

If you have any questions about assistant living equipment call 1300 885 886 Independent Living Centres Advisory Service, they can discuss your needs with you and make suggestions.

StrokeConnect also has posts about equipment if you have upper mobility limitations and need ideas such as a hair-dryer.

Helen a memeber of our Facebook community has posted: Helen Vasicek as posted: incase you have never heard of the Smart Arm i would like to say i was a part of their trials and found it to be very good if used in all stroke hospitals www.uniquest.com.au

For more information www.ilcaustralia.org.au

This article was first published in the Brain Association of Queensland Synapse magazine. www.synapse.org.au

Claire’s question posted on National Stroke Foundation facebook wall:

I had a right parietal ischaemic stroke, mid Oct 2011. I have no deficit, but do have taste changes and pin and needles most of the time in my lower left leg.

I am exhausted most of the time, if I sit down at any time of the day, I fall asleep! Sometimes I drop my children at school and am nodding off driving back home!

Is this normal, 5 months after my small sensory stroke? I am taking Atorvastatin, Perindopril and Assasantin.

I do have major depressive disorder also, but my psychologist and psychiatrist feel I am coping well, considering my diagnosis.

StrokeLine answer:

Fatigue is a common long term problem after stroke affecting up to 16% to 79% of stroke survivors(estimates).

Fatigue post stroke is defined as abnormal fatigue which is characterized by weariness unrelated to previous exertion levels and is usually not resolved by rest.  Normal fatigue, which is a general state of tiredness can be improved with rest. The cause of the fatigue post stroke is uncertain and at present there has been no definitive treatment identified.  (Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2010 – NSF)

At present we recommend ruling out any other cause of fatigue with your doctor, such as a medical condition (such as thyroid conditions, iron levels), medication side effects, or depression as the cause of fatigue.  At present the best advice to cope with fatigue is to try and manage the condition through various strategies.  These strategies may include knowing your limits, planning rest breaks during the day, breaking larger tasks into smaller tasks, prioritising and learning to pace yourself, establishing a good sleep routine, good diet and exercise routine, avoiding sedating drugs and excessive alcohol.  These tips can be found on our factsheet ‘fatigue after stroke’.

More details and tips can also be found on the UK fact sheet ‘tiredness which include keeping a diary and finding practical and emotional support.

It is certainly worthwhile discussing with your doctor to rule out any other cause.  It is not unusual to still be experiencing fatigue months after stroke and for some people, it still may persist years later.

Image Via: themagnetos.com

This article was first printed in Synapse Bridge Magazine Vol-5. Official journal of The Brain Injury Association of Queensland.

Everyone has problems from time to time. Some are minor while others are of major concern. However, for someone who has suffered a brain injury, even the otherwise minor problem magnifies to enormous proportions if compensatory strategies are not used to control the situation.

Since I have been adjusting to my life to compensate for my brain injury for many years now, I  make use of my compensatory strategies on a regular basis to deal with cognitive problems. Cognitive rehabilitation makes living with brain injury tolerable and enables a more satisfying life.

Larry and I usually ride together if we are going to grab a bite to eat. Due to my lack of peripheral vision, which makes driving a challenge. Larry usually does the driving. On this day, he had been doing some electrical work around the house and was tired, so I offered to pick up lunch at Sonic. He agreed and I was on my way with the list of what to order (another strategy).

When it was time to leave Sonic, my car wouldn’t start. Anyone who is familiar with brain injury is not surprised that my first reaction was panic. “oh no- Why is this happening to me? What do I do now?”

Then I took a deep breath and asked myself to pull a strategy out of the tool chest. After determining which strategies fit the situation and which to use first, I reached for my phone to call Larry to let him know what happened. He was soon on the way to the rescue with jumper cables. In the meantime, I retrieved my owner’s manual from the glove box just in case it was not just the battery (planning ahead). Rather that becoming emotional, I was trying to figure out how to best solve the problem. That’s a big change from when I had no strategy to remain calm and develop a plan.

The car did not start with a jump so we had to leave it there overnight while we figured out what needed to be done. I informed the manager of the plan to temporarily leave my car there. He was very understanding and told me he would make sure it was not towed away before we returned.

The next morning, after reading the manual and doing some research on the internet, we replace a fuse and my car started after another jump. I drove it home and pulled into the driveway just prior to very cold rain.

Though it was not pleasant to deal with, there’s always a silver lining to an unfortunate situation.  Here’s a few things we are grateful for:

1. We were not together and have two vehicles, so I could call Larry for help.
2. I had compensatory strategies that helped me remain calm and able to think.
3. I had my cell phone with me.
4. I was not far from home.
5. I was parked in a place where jumper cables could reach.
6. I was able to explain things to the manager who was understanding of my dilemma.
7. We were able to work together to find and correct the problem which was not too costly.
8. We made it back home prior to bad weather.

Be as prepared as possible for the unexpected and always plan ahead for any trip. You never know what challenge you may face when least expected. Compensatory strategies help compensate for what was lost as a result of the brain injury.
Beth has been posting to her blog since 2008 after acquiring an anoxic brain injury. You can visit her inspiring blog.

If you want to talk to someone about developing your own coping strategies your Occupational Therapist is a good place to start.

Download a Thinking and perception fact sheet .

There are many adjustments that need to be made to life after stroke and not all of them by the person who has had the stroke. Stroke happens in an instant – and so too, does becoming a stroke carer. Taking on the role of carer can bring with it a great many emotional, time and financial pressures. Sometimes the end of the year – with holidays, parties and family visiting – can add to carer stress. We’d like to remind carers to take some time out for themselves and to ask for support when things are feeling too difficult.

Vivienne Harkness understands the jolt to reality that comes with a new life as a carer. When her husband, Peter Harkness, suffered a severe stroke at 7.01pm on May 30 this year Peter, Vivienne and their family began a journey that continues today.

“The stroke was hard on Peter and continues to be very difficult,” Vivienne says.

“But as carer I have experienced some changes to my life that I could never have anticipated.”

As her own means of coping as well as handling the dozens of phone calls she would have to make at this stressful time, Vivienne wrote an email to all friends and family letting them know what had happened. For the next few months Vivienne kept up her correspondence as Peter went through rehabilitation and finally came home. It was a very practical form of therapy, she says.

Vivienne’s first-hand experience of life as a carer gave her a close-up glimpse of the day-to-day challenges of life after stroke.

“Carers need a great deal of support,” Vivienne says. “It is a taxing job and one that you are not prepared for as you can never prepare for stroke.”

“You can’t understand the life of a stroke carer until you become one,” she says.

Here are some general tips for looking after yourself so you have enough energy to care for someone else:

No one plans on becoming a carer. If you are a carer it is important that you don’t feel alone – especially if you don’t have family members to give help and support.
Although there will be changes in your life it is important to remember your own needs. You should continue to do the things that you did before your life was affected by stroke, making sure to keep the person who has had the stroke involved in, or at least aware of what is happening.
Carers often manage the health care and medications of the person they care for. You may also have a lot to do with health care professionals as part of your caring role. Think of yourself as being part of the team working with the stroke survivor to make the best recovery possible.
Do not be afraid to ask your general practitioner or your stroke team for guidance and support. There is also a list of carer support agencies at Strokefoundation.com.au

Image Via sneathstrilchuk.com

This article is from The Brain Injury Association of Queensland. Although written for ABI (Aquired Brain Injury) it relates to those who have experienced a stroke.

The true emotional cost of a brain injury often only emerges many months later.

Adjustment is the ability to adapt to change. When we choose to change something in our lifestyle, the adjustments we make to allow that change are usually viewed in a fairly positive light. Changes that are forced upon an individual, however, are often perceived as losses usually due to a sense of loss of control of one’s life.

Following Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), people may experience many changes or losses of previous abilities which may vary from mild to severe in their nature. People may experience changes in their personality, changes of a physical, emotional, behavioural, or cognitive nature, and changes to how or where they live their lives. For example, a person who has always driven a car may now need to use public transport. Even though they remain independent with transportation without the use of a car this change may be perceived as a loss because they can no longer drive their own car independently.

Adjustment to loss will not only affect the individual with the brain injury but also those who are close to them, such as partners, family, and friends. Those close to the person with a brain injury may also experience a loss of a friend, loss of independence and freedom, or loss of intimacy. Some may lose marriages, jobs, houses, income and their social network.

Adjustment to loss generally involves a grieving process. Grieving is an individual and mostly private experience, and at times may seem very lonely. Individuals who have a brain injury, as well as those close to them, may not appear to have experienced loss at all. In fact they are often told they “are lucky to be alive”. Sometimes these types of comments make the person experiencing loss feel all the more alone.

There are many emotions involved in the adjustment and grieving process. These can include shock, disbelief, denial, anger, resentment, guilt, despair, helplessness, hopelessness, depression, sadness and acceptance. Not everyone will experience all of these emotions, nor do they occur in any predictable way. The way a person experiences these feelings and their sense of loss is associated with how the individual perceives themselves and the world around them.

Strategies for managing personal loss

• Be willing to share your personal thoughts on these issues with someone close who you and trust and feel comfortable with.
• Write a story or journal about your own loss and how it fits in with your world view. Explore your life expectations and goals.
• Explore other ways to achieve your goals through problem solving. You may need to develop compensatory strategies to help you achieve your goals. You may need to enlist the help of specialised services.
• Identify your fears and, if you feel comfortable, start to explore them one by one.
• Identify coping strategies that work for you. Remember, what makes someone else feel better won’t necessarily make you feel better.
• Seek counseling from a neuropsychologist or a psychologist or counsellor with brain injury expertise.
• Seek support from organisations that specialise in brain injury.

Strategies for families, friends and carers to help others through the process of loss

• Listen to the person experiencing the loss.
• Reflect on what the person is saying to you without projecting your own feelings onto them.
• Identify and legitimise all of the feelings. Try to identify all the feelings the person is experiencing by putting a label on them, for example regret, sadness and hopelessness. If you can, help the person recognise why they have these feelings -for example simple things like “It’s understandable that you are feeling frustrated, you would like to be able to drive.”
• Interpret ‘normal’ behaviour, for example: “It seems normal to feel sad about losing your skills to drive.”
• Allow for individual differences.
• Allow time for the person to grieve.
• Help the person to problem solve themselves. For example “So you are feeling useless because you are unable to play soccer with your son, how can you feel useful in other ways?” Such as playing other games.
• Avoid platitudes like “You are lucky to be alive” and “How do you feel.”
• Don’t feel bad about expressing your own needs. The more clearly you can define them the better you can work out ways to fulfill them.
• Look after your own needs for fun, peace and quiet, for company and for a life of your own. It will make you a better carer, friend, family member or partner.
• Seek support from an organistion that specialize in Acquired Brain Injury.

Acknowledgment:
This article is copied with permission from Synapse; Reconnecting lives – bridge magazine Voc 3. Official journal of The Brain Injury Association of Queensland.

If you have any questions or need support please call StrokeLine 1800 STROKE (1800 787 653)

Recent research provides some new tips on whipping your memory back into shape.

Impaired memory is an extremely common problem after a brain injury. Treatment and rehabilitation traditionally focused on preventing further damage, and teaching personally effective coping strategies such as writing down appointments and tasks or taping a list of medications to the front of the fridge. New research suggests the brain is sufficiently plastic that memory can also be trained.

Train your brain

Brain training does boost brain power. Doing those crosswords, Sudoku, logic puzzles or games really helps. A long-term 2006 study (Long-term Effects of cognitive Training on Everyday Functional Outcomes for Older Adults) used 10 training sessions, each lasting 60-75 minutes, conducted over a five week period. After five years there was sufficient improvement to counteract the expected degree of decline in cognitive performance.

There is one catch to this study: The results were specific to the training. Learning physiologists often use the phrase “expertise is task-specific” to describe this. If you want to improve your cognitive abilities, train the abilities you want to improve. So if you want to improve your memory, train your memory.

Be healthy and well fed

If you are tired, hungry, dehydrated or don’t have enough vitamins and essential minerals in your diet, you can’t be expected to put in your best performance.

The latest research indicates that moderate iron deficiency, not severe enough to result in obvious anaemia, can change cognitive and behavioural functioning. A study ( Iron treatment normalizes cognitive functioning in young women ) looked at young women of reproductive age, comparing the cognitive performance of women who were iron deficient to the cognitive performance of women who were iron sufficient.

Iron sufficient women performed better on cognitive tasks, completing them faster than the women with iron deficiency anemia. After treatment with iron supplements, both cognitive performance and speed in completing cognitive tasks improved significantly.

This study demonstrates two very important facts: being healthy and having a good diet can significantly affect your cognitive abilities and, therefore, quality of life. You don’t have be displaying health problems from lack of iron or other minerals to feel its effects.

If you haven’t had a good check-up for a while, maybe now is the time. Make sure you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Supplements can be expensive, and it’s actually possible to overdose on some vitamins. A good diet should mean there is no need for supplements.

Learn by rote

Yes, rote-learning - the memorisation of entire passages, poems or plays – not only is occasionally necessary for everyday life but helps improve your overall memory performance. Researchers at the University College Dublin (Rote-learning improves memory in older adults) discovered that rote learning memory exercises cause identifiable changes in the brain chemistry and result in improved memory performance.

Volunteers undertook six weeks of intensive rote-learning training followed six weeks of rest. At the end of the six weeks rest there was a clear improvement in verbal and episodic memory, as well as physical changes to the hippocampus (small regions in each hemisphere of the brain which are key to both memory and spatial awareness).

This study is exciting, not only because rote learning plays such an important role in everyday tasks, but because it is something that anybody can do – anywhere and anytime.

Memorise a passage of your favourite songs, memorise passages in the newspaper - it’s all good training for your brain.

Learn in small steps

It’s called distributed practice, and it’s very good news for people who have difficulty with cognitive fatigue or with concentration because it’s more effective than trying to do everything at once.

Neurologist Dr R.L. Kaplan, writing on the Smart-Kit website (www.smart-kit.com), reports that there is an overwhelming amount of research indicating that breaking learning up into small steps will not only be much more effective in the long run, but can even halve the total amount of time you need to spend studying. Ideally, the breaks in between can spread over several days, giving the brain plenty of time to recharge.

When combined with the rote-learning mentioned above, this insight can make it significantly easier to memorise instructions, phone numbers or the exercises your occupational therapist gave you.

However, don’t spread your learning sessions out too much: leave it too long between sessions and you may forget what you have learnt.

Revise early

When you learn something new, you don’t gradually forget that information. New information actually gets lost very quickly, with the amount of forgetting tapering off over time.

Dr Kaplan reports that this fact has been known for at least 150 years, and that most research since then has only supported the first studies and improved our understanding of the speed of memory loss.

Unfortunately, that speed is “very quickly”. If you learn something new, you will have forgotten most of it within a couple of hours, making it important that your next practice, study or learning session happens quickly, and not tomorrow.

This fact may help to explain why distributed practice is so effective – spreading out your learning means that frequent study sessions on the one day catches your brain before you’ve forgotten most of what you’re trying to learn.

Conclusion

Putting all this research together leaves us with the positive conclusion that yes, you can make a difference. You can train your brain if you have a brain injury, a degenerative disease or no neurological injuries or conditions at all. Train your memory with recall practice, have short practice sessions spread one or two hours apart, and back it all up with a healthy diet.

Just using the principles of distributed practice and early revision will improve your ability to learn new information or skills. Add in constant rote-learning practice and you can improve your ability to retain information presented in any form.

Acknowledgment:
This article is copied with permission from Synapse; Reconnecting lives – bridge magazine Voc 3. Official journal of The Brain Injury Association of Queensland.

If you have any questions or need support please call StrokeLine 1800 STROKE (1800 787 653)

Managing stress when it feels like the whole world is on your shoulders

Carers have an important and demanding role, and at times stress can feel like a continual part of this. A certain level of stress is normal and even functional in life, however too much can impact in well-being.

Common signs of stress

•    Tightness in the chest.
•    Gastro-intestinal problems.
•    Irritability.
•    Butterflies in the stomach.

Strategies to manage stress

Strategies can make all the difference in moving through these periods of strain. Coping is a process of managing taxing circumstances that contribute to stress. To cope, people use different approaches, including:

• Internal methods to help reduce the tension and negative mindset associated with stress.
• Physical strategies to help the body relax
• Problem-orientated strategies, to directly solve or manage the problem.

You may or may not be aware of the strategies you use, so it is worth taking the time to have a look in your own toolkit. Taking the time to think about the strategies you use may reveal some patterns in your responses to stress and whether these coping methods are helpful.

Questions to ask yourself

How do you respond when faced with stressful circumstances?
Do the strategies you use reduce the physical signs of stress?

Research indicates that the strategies we use to deal with stress are associated with the way we adjust emotionally. What works for the one person may be of no use to another, so experiment with all the strategies you can and stick to the ones that work for you.

The good, the bad and the ugly

Examples of specific coping strategies (whether helpful or unhelpful) include:

• Avoidance
• Creating a plan
• Knowledge seeking
• Using alcohol or other drugs for relief
• Learning new ways to cope
• Sharing your experiences in a support group
• Soothing self-talk

Some coping strategies are more effective than others. Some may even cause continued or elevated stress, which can lead to depression and anxiety. Examples of unhelpful strategies are procrastinating, ruminating and worrying. Some people feel worrying helps them to manage the situation, but worrying is often an unhelpful strategy causing a person to get stuck in a relentless cycle of stressful thoughts with no solutions. Procrastination, distancing or avoidance also do little to provide positive adjustments to stress, and can prolong stressful problems, add to a negative mindset, and even lead to problems with anxiety and depression.

Knowledge-seeking, planning and directly tackling solvable problems are all positive strategies. However, they are most suited to stressful situations that are already controllable through our actions. When the situation is beyond our control, we need strategies that focus on creating more helpful thinking patterns, such as realistic and rational thinking, and the use of humour. Sometimes it is about using the most appropriate strategies in the right circumstances. In situations you have little control over use of emotional-focuses coping (use of self-talk to calm yourself, positive thinking, and humour) can be more effective. How you perceive the situation is very important, as in the old example of seeing a glass half full or half empty.

Some positive coping tools

• Schedule and prioritise talks to help with control and looking toward final outcome.
• Learn all about brain injury to develop realistic expectations on your situation.
• Source information on community services that that can provide support and resources.
• Join support groups and go on outings with other carers.
• Have regular talks with a good listener.
• Reward yourself or have events to look forward to once tasks are completed.
• Get family members and friends to help you out with duties/tasks to reduce the burden.
• Establish a list of your priorities.
• Learn to recognise and challenge irrational thoughts (eg  “What’s the use? I give up!”)
• Encourage and assist the person with the brain injury to be as independent and self-reliant as realistically possible.
• Exercise.
• Keep a diary.

After more resources or info?

Visit www.carersaustralia.com.au or call them on 1800 242 636 to find details for the cares organisation in your state, for information support and details on support groups.

Acknowledgment:
This article is copied with permission from Synapse; Reconnecting lives – bridge magazine Voc 3. Official journal of The Brain Injury Association of Queensland.

If you have any questions or need support please call StrokeLine 1800 STROKE (1800 787 653)

This email is from Pete. With permisson, we have included Pete’s email and video as he should tell his story in his own words.

“I will start this email with my background… At nineteen I joined the army, at 21 I got diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, It took one year to be clear and then decided Australia would be a good new start, I spent four years working on my house thinking that I would have a brilliant life, then one day I woke up in Charlie Gardener Hospital only to see on the wall was a picture of a wheelchair and a care plan, I could not move any muscles only my head, I spent two days looking around the room, to make my eyes move left and right, I was so scared. I am now presently at shenton park on a rehabilitation programme, I can now move my left arm and stand for 2 minutes un aided, I can talk, but I have to wear a swimmers nose clip, as the air escapes through my nose, I don’t know how to help others but I will keep in touch with my progress. I don’t know how I will do, but everyday I work my hardest, down to my last breath to talk to my darling Jade, who has never given up even when the doctors said I will never move, I hope they think twice about telling families the horrible news, when they don’t know the brain is so powerful, If the will is strong, I just hope I come out of this soon, because I need my life back, I was so fit, now I cant do one sit up, where I used to do 50. Sometimes I feel like my life is like forest gump “what next”. I hope this gives you an idea of who I am and if I can help theirs I will send a video of me at my stage I am at now.

Yours sincerely

Not locked in Pete”

See Pete’ and Jades Video

Mr David Brownbill

Helen Glare did not know anything of the National Stroke Foundation until she was asked to give a donation in lieu until after her aunt died many years ago.

When her beloved mother Katrine, who Helen describes as “adored – she was my best friend”, also died of a stroke in1998, reliving the devastating experience of stroke led her to become a regular donor and volunteer with the NSF.

Sometime in the evening after Helen’s regular visit to her mother, Katrine suffered a severe stroke.

She was found the next morning. Helen feels that if her mother had the opportunity to get help quickly, she may have survived.

Helen has recently made provision in her will, in honour ofher mother, to leave a bequest to the NSF, boosting her contribution to what she describes as “a very important organisation doing great work.”

Helen says she is proud to be a donor and to contribute to a better life for future generations of Australians. By leaving a bequest to the NSF, Helen joined the David Brownbill Society.

As a member of this group she enjoys regular lunches and afternoon teas with a variety of interesting guest speakers.

“I believe stroke as a condition is chronically overlooked,”Helen says. “Something like breast cancer has so much support and gets so much publicity … I would like to see more support and publicity for stroke as it kills more people.”

Helen has worked as a volunteer for the NSF as a Strokesafe ambassador – educating community groups about stroke, how to prevent it and the FAST message.

Helen says she is passionate about making sure as many people as possible know that a stroke is preventable and acting fast can save a life or reduce disability.

A proud mother and grandmother, Helen, who lives at Laranear Geelong in Victoria, was a theatre nurse before she retired and so saw stroke in her work.

“What happens to the families afterwards is so devastating,” Helen says. “I’m determined to do my best to improve outcomes for everyone by supporting the NSF.”

Donors who leave a bequest to the NSF as part of their will may choose to leave a percentage of their estate or a specific dollar amount. If you would like more information about leaving a bequest or attending a David Brownbill Society function in your area, please call our donor liaison team on1300 194 196 or email bequest@strokefoundation.com.au

Summit 4 Stroke (February 2012)
Cycle 4 Stroke (March 2012)

The National Stroke Foundation has just launched two new amazing Inspired Adventures to raise money for stroke and experience a trip of a lifetime. Climb the world’s highest freestanding mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro or cycle your way around beautiful Vietnam and Cambodia
- all for a worthy cause!

Imagine waking up touching the clouds with the vast Tanzanian plains beneath you and the smells of the rainforest intoxicating your senses. You’ll climb past fields of maize and potatoes, pine forests and ice fields, glaciers and caves.

You can challenge yourself acclimatising to the altitude as you come closer and closer to reaching the top of the magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2012.

The second Inspired Adventure is in March – cycling one of the world’s most beautiful routes through Vietnam and Cambodia. Have you ever started off the day shopping at a floating market in the river, cycled across sand and dirt roads in rugged Cambodia, or walked along rice paddies and small fishing villages?

The Cycle 4 Stroke Challenge will take you into the heart of Vietnam and Cambodia, as you learn about its evolving Khmer history, French colonialism, and uniquely Southeast Asian culture. You’ll see some of the best-known structures on the planet at the famous world heritage Angkor Wat near some of the most commonly forgotten peoples and histories.

Join us on the adventure of a lifetime as you raise money for the National Stroke Foundation’s mission to provide better support and treatment to stroke survivors.

Simply go to www.strokefoundation.com.au/nsfchallenges to find out how you can help make a difference while experiencing a life
changing challenge.

Each Inspired Adventure includes a physical activity for at  least seven days eg. a trek or a cycle. Your challenge is to train, fundraise and prepare for this physical activity!