Image via: brambleberry.com

The National Stroke Foundation, The George Institute, AWASH and C-PAN are working together in partnership to deliver important messages about reducing salt and the prevention of stroke.

AWASH Key Findings Report March 2012

Processed foods available in Australian supermarkets supply 75% of dietary salt. Although some manufacturers have reduced salt levels in foods there are wide variations in the salt content of comparable foods. Interpreting the food label to understand salt content is difficult for many consumers which makes identifying healthier choices hard.

We examined the effect on a typical daily diet of switching from higher to lower salt products in six categories of processed foods: breads, cereals, sauces and spreads, meat products, convenience foods and dairy. We used the recently launched FoodSwitch app to identify the lower salt alternates.

Key findings

Switching to healthier, lower salt equivalent products can save 5g of salt each day A diet with 5g less salt would reduce the risk of stroke by almost a quarter.

Savings start with breakfast where almost one half of a gram of salt could be saved by switching to a healthier option:

Kellogg’s Just Right Barley & Berry Flavour was 94% less salty than Kellogg’s Special K Forest Berries.

For a morning snack of crisp-bread and peanut butter failing to make the smart choice will result in four times more salt Coles Crunchy Peanut Butter No Added Salt had 96% less salt per serve than Kraft Crunchy Peanut Butter.

Switching to the healthier option of Ryvita Multigrain Wholegrain Rye Crispbread from an Arnott’s Sao Biscuit, meant 67% less salt.

Healthier ingredients for a homemade lunch comprising one sandwich wrap with a ham, cheese and pickle filling could save 1.4g of salt. Most of this was achieved by choosing the right ham and bread product Switching to Don Shaved Light Leg Ham from Primo Premium Shaved Leg Ham saved 0.6g of salt. Wattle Valley Soft Wraps Wholegrain was over half a gram saltier compared to Freedom Foods Norganic Multigrain Wraps

There was a three-fold difference in the salt content of the fruit filled bars for an afternoon snack Weight Watchers Raspberry Pie Bar had 0.1g salt/serve compared to Coles Fruit Filled Bar (Apple & Cinnamon) (0.3g salt/serve).

The biggest saving of the day was the pasta dinner where 2.4g of salt was saved by switching to a lower salt dish Lean Cuisine Steam Beef and Mushrooms with Pasta Steams in Minutes (1.4g salt/serve) has hugely less salt than Pastabilities Ravioli Beef with Caramelised Onion and Red Wine in Cracked Black Pepper (3.8g salt/serve).

See Video of findings here thanks to ninemsn.

BACKGROUND

Reducing salt intake, with the aim of lowering blood pressure and preventing heart disease and stroke, has been identified as one of the most cost effective options for improving public health. Following the recent United Nations High Level Meeting on preventing chronic disease, salt reduction, alongside tobacco control, was highlighted as a global health priority.

Each year World Action on Salt and Health coordinates World Salt Awareness Week to increase understanding of the harmful effects of salt on health. The theme for this year’s Salt Awareness Week(26th March – 1st April 2012) is Reducing salt: preventing stroke. A stroke occurs when part of the blood supply to the brain is cut off, reducing the amount of oxygen that can get to the brain and its effect is to suddenly and seriously reduce brain function causing a stroke.

There are two main types of stroke - ischaemic stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel which stops blood getting to the brain, and haemorrhagic stroke caused by a blood vessel burst and leakage of blood into the brain. Stroke is the second biggest cause of death after coronary heart disease and a leading cause of disability. In Australia there are an estimated 60,000 strokes per year with 30% of those affected dying within the first twelve months and only 10% making a full recovery.1 Stroke is estimated to cost Australia $2.14 billion / year.

The risk of stroke increases with age, and with an ageing population it is almost certain the incidence rate will increase unless action is taken.1 There are risk factors that can be targeted to reduce stroke, but the most important one is reducing blood pressure. Excess dietary salt consumption is one of the main causes of high blood pressure.

The Suggested Dietary Target (SDT)2 for salt intake is 4 grams / day and the maximum recommended intake is 6 grams /day. Most Australians eat between 8 and 10 grams / day with major adverse consequences for their health. Reducing salt intake by 5 grams / day (taking a level teaspoon of salt out of your diet) will reduce the risk of stroke by about a quarter. This would translate into thousands of strokes prevented in Australia every year.

The Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) Drop the Salt! campaign was launched in May 2007 with three objectives - to reduce the salt content in foods, to change consumer behavior and to improve labelling of salt on products. Engagement with Federal and State Governments and the food industry is ongoing.

Most recently AWASH has launched the FoodSwitch app to help consumers make healthier food choices. Developed in partnership with Bupa Australia, FoodSwitch combines nutritional profiling from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and traffic light labelling criteria developed by the UK Food Standards Agency. The aim of FoodSwitch is to make choosing healthy foods easy to identify at a glance by presenting nutritional information in an interpretive traffic light format. Using FoodSwitch this report highlights how dietary salt can be reduced by 5 grams a day through switching to healthier foods of the same type.

I read a lot and have many discussions with stoke survivors and carers about life after stroke. As a high functioning stroke survivor I’m particularly interested in the experiences of those swimming in the main stream.

For me I had to make decisions quite soon after my stroke as to whether I was trying to rehabilitate to returning to work, returning to caring for my children, returning to driving and returning to life in my former capacity or whether we were selling our house and life was changing quite dramatically for the whole family. Call me crazy, but the decision I took was that I was going to be ‘an even better me’.

At the time of my stroke I was parenting children aged two and three and working three days/week. Whist I was intellectually motivated by broader issues, if I’m being honest, life was predominantly inwardly focused.

Almost three years on, I’m back at work in my pre-stroke capacity, actively parenting my kids now aged four and six, to give them every possible advantage, volunteering in two roles for the National Stroke Foundation, promoting the work of the Melbourne Brain Centre, chairing the parents club at my son’s school and helping to get a parent run arts collective for children in my local community up and running.

But whilst the outward impression is of a person who is doing well and doing great things, it comes at a cost. Some days I’m not on top of managing 24/7 post stroke pain and struggle to get up in the morning. Often at work I feel like my performance at work is not optimal. Some days I fall asleep before dinner is served and am out for the count before my children are in bed. Many days I get to the end of the day and have lost sensation and functionality in the stroke affected parts of my body. I shout at my children and argue with my husband more than I ever did before, but I’m getting better at not doing this as much over time.

Noise and activity make my brain short circuit and send me to sleep. Everything I need my mind or body to do requires active thought. An overcrowded train journey knocks me for six for the next two days. A school pick up has me reaching for a glass of wine. A day with my four year old daughter who talks non-stop renders me useless in the household duties department. I can’t manage telephone banking if there’s any interruptions and if I use an ATM whist with the children I’ve been known to leave the teller machine without the money. Very often every day I just want to scream ‘be quiet!’.

So what do I take away from this experience? Many sources of advice suggest regular rests and pacing yourself. This advice is not for the all-or-nothing personality types like me. Having come very close to death at the age of 44 I now have a much sharper focus on the fact that you never know how long this life is. I hope that at my funeral (a long time into the future) I’ll be remembered for the close relationships I have with family and friends and what I did to make life more meaningful, ethical, creative and fun for others. I suspect a number of people will observe that I did everything with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm!

But in the meantime, if there’s a stroke survivor amongst your network of family or friends - cut them some slack. Even if it seems like someone is looking great and doing really well, the real life experience is probably not mirroring that outward impression.

My husband commented tonight on what a phenomenal person Jim Stynes was. I’m a very long way from phenomenal, so I’d better busy.

Karen Bayly is a member of the National Stroke Foundation consumer council.

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.

Salt consumption in adults and children and a food industry perspective on salt targets are just some of the topics on the agenda at a seminar in Melbourne to mark the start of World Salt Awareness Week on 26 March.

Deakin University’s Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN) with the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH), and the National Stroke Foundation is holding a free public seminar.

Salt reduction and stroke prevention is the theme for this year’s World Salt Awareness Week because salt is the major factor that raises blood pressure and high blood pressure is the single biggest modifiable risk factor for stroke. Evidence also suggests that a high salt intake has a direct, independent effect on stroke, indicating that salt is responsible for many incidences of stroke.

Professor Caryl Nowson from Deakin University is an expert in the role of dietary minerals and electrolytes in the control of blood pressure. She holds the chair of professor of Nutrition and Ageing at Deakin University and was the founding chairperson of AWASH.

Professor Nowson, who will be speaking at the seminar, said excessive salt consumption was a critically important public health issue.

“The maximum daily amount of salt recommended for health by the National Health and Medical Research Council is just four grams of salt each day,” Professor Nowson said.

“Consumption levels in recent studies suggest daily average intake is about nine grams – more than double that amount.”

National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor said reducing average salt intake by just one gram per day worldwide could prevent thousands of deaths from stroke every year. “Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Australia and a major cause of adult disability,” Dr Lalor said.

“By raising awareness of the dangers of high salt consumption we hope to reduce the incidence of stroke.

“It’s very important that everyone learns how to cut their salt intake and how to read food packaging so you can make healthier food choices.”

Professor Nowson will be joined at the seminar with speakers from the National Stroke Foundation, Deakin University and the Australian Food and Grocery Council.

An important social marketing campaign has dramatically improved stroke awareness in Victoria, with over 800,000 additional people able to identify the signs of stroke since the campaign began.

The National Stroke Foundation’s simple and life-saving FAST test – asking the public to call an ambulance if they see anyone experiencing facial weakness, arm weakness or speech difficulties – is an awareness campaign that has been significantly supported by the Victorian Government since 2007.

A new survey, launched in Melbourne today (21st March) has shown awareness of one or more of the key signs of stroke included in the FAST test has dramatically increased in Victoria in the last five years.

Each year since 2007, a sample cross-section of Victorian adults aged over 40 has been randomly telephoned for a structured, seven-minute interview about signs of stroke.

These knowledge surveys show that an increasing number of Victorians recognise the signs of stroke - which is good news for the community, National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor said.

“When you see the signs of stroke – call an ambulance – the life you save may not be your own,” she said.

But the survey found that despite the increased awareness many people do not call an ambulance immediately.

“There are many other signs of stroke but facial weakness, arm weakness and speech difficulties occur in around nine out of 10 strokes,” Dr Lalor said.

Melbourne stroke survivor Maureen Lesjak credits her husband’s fast thinking to her recovery from a major stroke.

“My husband recognised the signs of stroke and I was able to get medical help within half an hour,” Ms Lesjak said.

Dr Lalor said the only response to suspected stroke was to call an ambulance immediately.

“Thinking FAST and calling an ambulance if stroke is suspected is critical because early treatment can mean the difference between death or severe disability and a good recovery from stroke,” Dr Lalor said.

“Strokes can occur to anyone of any age and at any time but every Victorian has the power to save a life by thinking FAST and acting FAST when they recognise the signs of stroke.”

Every 10 minutes in Australia, someone suffers a stroke, Australia’s second biggest killer after heart disease and a leading cause of disability.

The National Stroke Foundation’s FAST test contains simple steps to quickly establish if someone around you is having a stroke and understand the urgency of calling triple zero (000).

FAST is an easy way to remember and recognise the signs of stroke:

Face – Has the person’s mouth drooped?
Arms – Can they lift both arms?
Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time – Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 now

“While this important campaign has raised stroke awareness, we still have a long way to go and we encourage everyone to keep promoting stroke awareness,” Dr Lalor said.

Myth: Stroke and heart attack are the same.

Reality: Stroke occurs in and affects the brain. This confusion may have come about because both of these health problems involve the circulatory system and can be caused by blood clots. They are only similar in that both require emergency treatment. Think of stroke as a brain attack.

Myth: Stroke is unpreventable. People have no control over it.

Reality: Early detection and effective control of stroke risk factors can greatly reduce the chances of having a stroke.

Myth: Stroke hits without warning.

Reality: Many strokes are preceded by brief episodes of stroke symptoms, also known as Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIAs). These are temporary interruptions of the blood supply to an area of the brain.

Myth: Stroke only happens to older people.

Reality: Around a third of stroke patients are under age 65. Taking steps to prevent stroke should begin early in life and continue over your lifespan. A stroke that happens after age 65 is the likely result of a longterm process that started with untreated medical conditions, lifestyle choices and health habits formed in young adulthood. Stroke can also occur in children.

Myth: During stroke, brain cells die immediately, causing instant brain damage.

Reality: Brain cells don’t die all at once during stroke. Cells in the infarct (the area directly affected by the blood vessel blockage or breakage) begin dying within minutes to a few hours. However, brain cells in the infarct aren’t the only ones in danger. Through a process called secondary injury, dying brain cells set off a “chain reaction” of electrical and chemical events. These events endanger, and can kill, brain cells in the surrounding area. As a result, the stroke survivor may experience more severe disability. These damage processes can potentially be treated if patients present to hospital within three hours of stroke onset.

Myth: Stroke is not a medical emergency.

Reality: An emergency response to stroke is critical. At the hospital, doctors will confirm the diagnosis of stroke and perform tests - including a CT scan - to determine the size, location, and cause. This is important because medical and surgical treatment options will vary depending on whether the stroke resulted from a blocked artery or a haemorrhage. Some medications must be given within the first three hours of the stroke. If the stroke symptoms prove to be a TIA, doctors can determine the underlying cause and work with you to prevent a potentially fatal or disabling stroke

Thank you to all the people that answered the survey about what topics you would like to see more of through our social media channels.  Here is a break down and some comments that were made.  If you want to add anything please post a comment.

The most asked for topics were: survivor stories, rehab information, diet, coping after stroke and what to expect and stroke support group information and ideas.

Life after a stroke
Survivor stories
Diet
Coping after stroke/what to expect
Carer info
Stroke Support group info and ideas
Community access
Well being stories/pieces
Chicken soup for stroke survivors
Tips to refocus when down
Regional support info
Isolation issues
Give stroke a voice
Recovery
Mental health
Advocacy
Aids to assist including digital

Medical/Health info
Rehab info
Research
Neuroplasticity
Allied health info
Spasticity
2 way convo with HP’s/how to talk to HP’s
Medical updates
Fibromuscular dysplasia

Prevention
Risk factors
Blood pressure
Cholesterol

Here are some of the comments from our community.

“I like the brain teasers”.

“I have enjoyed and appreciated having NSF info on facebook. it means I can check it out daily, helps put my mind in gear, and know I am not alone”.

“a bit funky”.

I’d like more details of before and after.

Patients and caregivers being able to get answers is extremely important. Social media allows those who are limited in their ability to get out to still interact and pursue resources for assistance and healing.

Mayo Clinic

Article via Mayo Clinic.

Editor’s Note: Mark Ryan, M.D., is a member of the External Advisory Board for the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media.
“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.”  — Bertolt Brecht

In two prior posts, I have discussed the issue of professionalism and social media.  I have also taken issue with medical organizations’ extant social media guidelines.  In some of these posts’ comments, it has been noted that there is no corresponding guideline or document that expressly discusses appropriate, positive use of social media in health care communications.

As a result, I am taking the liberty of making some suggestions as to what I think are important guiding principles for effective physician use of social media.  This will include some cautions that I feel are especially useful, but I would also like to explain how and why I think physicians can use social media in positive and useful ways.

Part of this task includes defining physician professionalism.  There are various definitions, but they share the common themes of respect for patients’ autonomy, individualism, and privacy; response to and concern for societal needs; embodiment of humanistic values of altruism, empathy, compassion, honesty, and integrity; focus on the scientific basis of medical knowledge; accountability to peers; and commitment to professional development and competence.

With those guiding principles, here are my suggestions for how physicians can effectively use social media:

1.    Do not discuss patient’s illnesses, medical conditions, or personal information online.  Unless you have a patient’s express permission to share their information, then do not discuss anything about them online.  The simple fact is that even if we believe we have made information anonymous, it is hard to do so completely.  If a patient has given you their permission, make that clear in the post.  Otherwise, do not discuss real patients’ information via social media.  Rather than choosing to discuss a specific recent case that you might have seen, it would be better to offer a broader perspective or discussion on the issues at hand.  This is especially true in a smaller community, where even broad descriptions of patients and clinical situations might allow patients to be identified.

2.    Use social media to share information that promote quality health care and up-to-date medical information.  There is a wealth of information available on Twitter, for example, that provides current information regarding medical research and treatments.  The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control (among many, many others including individual medical specialty organizations and journals) all have accounts that provide regular updates with a focus on basic science and clinical care.  By following these accounts and sharing relevant and actionable information, we promote its dissemination.

3.    Address those societal needs that you think are most important, or that motivate you.  Social media use will undoubtedly be an added responsibility during your free time, and so using it to focus on issues that are relevant to you makes it easier to sustain the effort.  For example, I am a strong believer in the need to enhance our primary care workforce via family medicine and I support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010.  As a result, my Twitter feed focuses on these topics.  I share updates about how the PPACA will enhance patients’ access to health care and reform health insurance company practices, about the importance of family medicine (and primary care) and the need to reform our system to support and train more family physicians, etc.  Each of us will be motivated by our specific interests, but we should use social media as tool to call for necessary change to benefit society as a whole.

4.    Recognize that you represent your profession, and help others recognize that they do, too.  When someone views your social media posts, they will likely see the post through the lens of your profession.  If they see my posts, it might not be seen as “Mark Ryan thinks such-and-such” but rather “Dr. Mark Ryan thinks such-and-such.”  It might then be tempting to presume that others in the same profession feel the same.  So, take care not to post updates that would violate the definition of professionalism identified above.  If you see someone else posting updates that seem unprofessional, I think it is appropriate to connect with them and discuss this issue–not in a punitive way, but rather to help promote the proper use of social media tools.

5.    Promote the humanistic values identified as congruent with medical professionalism.  Be honest, forthright, helpful, and compassionate.  Offer help, answer questions, and suggest resources when you are able to do so.  Be open to contact from others, and participate in discussions when time allows.

6.    I do not think it is necessary to separate personal and professional content online.  My social media presence is a reflection of who I am, and expresses my beliefs and my priorities.  These are what make me the person and the physician that I am, that define the societal needs that I seek to address, and determine my perspective on any number of issues.  To be personal, my social media presence must reflect my beliefs.  However, I do use a disclaimer to note that my opinions are mine alone (not those of my employer), and I understand that there are those who will disagree with me.  Social media is an opt-in phenomenon: if someone wants to read my opinions, they will have to come find my accounts…and they can choose to ignore me and any of my posts.

7.    I do not think we must keep our social media content locked behind tight privacy restrictions.  My accounts’ privacy settings depend on my anticipated use: I keep my Twitter and Tumbr accounts public because I intend for the information to be public.  I keep my Facebook account private because I do not intend to use it for public information, but rather to keep up with friends and family.

8.    Do not practice medicine via social media.  It seems self-evident, but it is worth making clear.  I do not provide any individual, specific medial care or medical advice via social media.  The most I have done is to provide links to already-available online resources for people to review and to help them make their own decisions as to how to proceed with any given medical issue.  I do not knowingly interact with any patients on Twitter but, if I did, I would interact with them the same way I interact with anyone in a public setting.  I do not friend patients on Facebook because of how I choose to use Facebook.

9.    Presume that everything said online can be found if someone looks hard enough, and is going to be available forever.  This might be an exaggeration, but it provides guidance when thinking about what information should be shared.  I assume that nothing is actually private, and so I do not post any information (even via direct messages) that I would be bothered if it were made public.  For the same reason, I choose not to use any anonymous accounts: I assume that someone out there could identify me if they tried hard enough.  This helps me edit what I put online and what stays in my head.

I hope that this post accomplishes its goal: to provide some suggestions and guidelines on how to use social media effectively and professionally as a physician.  Social media is not simply a way to reflect what is happening around us, but rather a way to play an active role in changing society for the better.

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 .

Image via newcastlestar.com.au

See Allisons 2011 TED talk. ‘Make stroke sexy’.

Congratulations to long-term National Stroke Foundation supporter Allison Hammett from Stockton in NSW who was recently awarded the NSW Government’s Community Service Award for her long-standing service to the community sector.

Ms Hammett is a stroke survivor who has over 30 years of experience in the community sector and in senior management roles, as well as various project management and community development roles.

Since her stroke Ms Hammett has devoted a great deal of time and energy working in the community to support stroke prevention and has developed and implemented large-scale behavioural change programs for the NSW Hunter Region. She has held various roles in community organisations, local committees and government ministerial taskforces.

She is currently a consultant to the community sector and chair of Octapod, a Hunter arts and cultural organisation.
National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor said Ms Hammett exemplifies the many people who contributed their time and skill to help raise stroke awareness in the community.

“We applaud Allison and her contribution towards reducing the incidence of stroke,” Dr Lalor said.