Imagine having a busy Tuesday morning. Phone calls, emails to reply to, customers to see and then you get to the mail and notice that you’re nominated for Australia Day Citizen of the year!

That is what happened two weeks ago. I was busy tending to our little carpentry business and Tania sent me a picture of an invitation to be present for the Citizen of the Year of the Central Highlands in Queensland.

It is truly an honor to say the least. I am an Australian Immigrant of 14 years and to be given such recognition in this category is beyond comprehension.

This award to me is a major verification from our local government that Dan’s Fast Run has made a huge impact on our community here in Emerald. Our local Mayor has told me personally that he is now starting to exercise after watching the events unfold from last year.

Dan’s Fast Run is and always will be a story for everyone suffering from stroke. The message is one of ‘Hope, Thanks and Awareness’.

In the future I am looking forward to participating in many different ways to assist the National Stroke Foundation. Their work is ongoing and requires all of us survivors new and old to raise awareness among our communities. Together we can all make a difference.

I believe in miracles and this award is just that. This is one of my proudest accomplishments and will cherish it forever.

Kind regards, Dan

GENERAL practice staff are being urged to encourage their nonclinical employees to take part in free training to promptly identify patients with suspected signs of impending heart attack or stroke.

Reception staff are usually the first to see patients presenting with symptoms of severe chest pain, and an online training tool has been developed to help non-clinical staff identify such patients.

The triage strategy, called BeAWARE of warning signs of heart attack and stroke, is a tool put together by the Heart Foundation and National Stroke Foundation.

Heart Foundation CEO Dr Lyn Roberts said reception staff are the eyes and ears of general practice. “For this reason it is vital reception staff are trained to appropriately identify and deal with patients presenting with the warning signs of heart attack and stroke, so they can make potentially life-saving decisions,” she said.

A Heart Foundation study found 15% of patients who experience severe chest pain attend their GP surgery or call a health professional, rather than call 000.

Research has shown nine out of 10 practice nurses have had patients present with heart attack warning signs rather than calling an ambulance.

On completion of the module, the practice receives a resource kit. To register, visit Heart Foundation online learning

Article originally published in Medical Observer, National 22 Jun 2012

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.

The FAST test identifies up to 89% of strokes and TIA’s and is an easy way to recognise and remember the key signs of stroke, and what to do when they occur.

Using the FAST test involves asking three simple questions:

Face - Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
Arms - Can they lift both arms?
Speech - Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time - Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away.

We are  advertising the FAST message in March, June and October this year, if you would like to help support our efforts, you can hold your own FAST avtivity to help to spread the FAST messsage.

Simply order a  FAST activity pack, the pack contains posters, balloons, wallet cards and flyers to help you.

If you would like to participate in other ways or have any queries, please contact Jasmine Sison at jsison@strokefoundation.com.au or 03 9670 1000.

Note: You can order FAST activity packs all year round.

Only seven per cent of Australian stroke patients eligible for life-saving treatment received it in 2010, a new report on acute stroke care services has revealed.

The National Stroke Foundation Acute Services Clinical Audit, which provides a snapshot of acute stroke care in Australia, also shows that patients who do not get access to a hospital with a stroke unit are far less likely to receive an appropriate level of care and treatment, increasing their chances of death and severe disability.

Launching the report in Melbourne today National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor said one of the reasons for the low incidence of stroke patients receiving clotbusting drugs in Australia was delay in getting to an appropriate hospital.

The clotbusting treatment, known as thrombolysis, must be administered within a few short hours of the onset of stroke symptoms and only one in three people experiencing symptoms of stroke arrived within three hours.

“This report confirms the importance of getting in an ambulance and to a hospital with a stroke unit at the first sign of stroke,” Dr Lalor said.

“Stroke patients who are not treated at a hospital with a stroke unit are less likely to receive the standard of care recommended in the clinical guidelines for stroke and therefore more likely to suffer permanent disability,” Dr Lalor said.

“Once a stroke occurs it is vital that patients get to a hospital and receive treatment immediately,” Dr Lalor said.

“It is imperative that everyone can recognise the signs of stroke so immediate action can be taken to save lives and reduce disability.”

The Acute Services Clinical Audit examined the treatment of over 3000 people with acute stroke during 2010.
Stroke is Australia’s second leading cause of death and a major cause of adult disability. A stroke occurs in Australia every 10 minutes.

But Dr Lalor said stroke was not only preventable but treatable if prompt specialist medical care was given. The National Stroke Foundation promotes the FAST message as a way of identifying the earliest signs of stroke.

FAST stands for Face – Has the person’s mouth drooped? Arms – Can they raise both arms? Speech – Is their speech slurred? Can they understand you? And Time – if any of these symptoms are present call an ambulance (000) immediately.

Dr Lalor said the FAST campaign was known to improve awareness of the onset of stroke and has increased calls to ambulances. She said the FAST message needed improved funding so it could be rolled out in community awareness programs in all states.

“The treatment of stroke patients remains inadequate, with processes known to save lives from death and disability not used in enough cases.”

The audit found although there were improvements in various processes of care since 2007, many gaps remained.

“Right now in Australia people who have a stroke do not have any guarantee that they will be able to receive the level of care that is available, and that should be available, to every individual,” Dr Lalor said.

The National Stroke Foundation says the most significant shortfalls in Australian strokeservices include:

Only seven per cent of patients with ischaemic stroke were thrombolysed with the clot busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). When successful in clearing the blood clot, this treatment is known to increase the chance of a better outcome following stroke by 30 per cent.

Too few people with stroke are arriving at hospital quickly - prompt assessment and treatment on a stroke unit in hospital saves lives – better funding is needed for broad community awareness campaigns.

People who do not make it to a stroke unit are less likely to get appropriate care and are more likely to suffer permanent disability than stroke patients treated on a stroke unit.

“The audit shows there is an urgent need for federal and state governments to devote greater resources to stroke care to reduce the impact of Australia’s second biggest killer,” said Dr Lalor.

Download Audit Report 2011

Last year famous musician and conductor Tommy Tycho suffered a stroke.

Following a fall at home, Tommy was admitted to hospital where a scan revealed he had suffered a massive aneurysm.

He was then taken to the operating theatre where the doctor inserted a drain into his head and saved his life.

Before his stroke, Tommy was highly successful in his career. His credits include thousands of orchestrations, composing and arranging over 1,500 pieces of music for movies and television, including the Medal Ceremony music for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, to name only a few.

Suffering from a stroke has temporarily put an end to his highly successful career.

Throughout his recovery he has had many breakthroughs, including the recovery of speech from a whisper to normal volume, being able to eat solid food and drink proper liquid, being able to sit up in my wheelchair, but most important of all he has started to write music again and play the piano.

After three months of rehab he was moved to a nursing home as he has paralysis on his left side and needs 24 hour care.

This is perhaps the biggest effect of the stroke on Tommy’s life as he is now living without his wife Eve, after 59 years of a wonderful marriage.

Tommy credits the exceptional work of staff at his nursing home, support of his therapists and his determination to his successful road to recovery.

He aims to one day become totally mobile and stand once again on the podium in front of his orchestra and conduct a two hour concert.

Tommy’s story is a powerful demonstration of what is possible in recovery after a stroke.

The National Stroke Foundation works tirelessly to ensure all people affected by stroke have the best outcomes possible.

This festive season we thank you for your support for this important work during a very difficult year and any donation you can make to the NSF Christmas Appeal is greatly appreciated.

You are an important person helping us achieve our life saving goals.

To make a contribution, please visit the donate page on our website.

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to have a stroke? Why do we keep saying it is important to learn the signs of stroke through the FAST test? We hope this video will help you to visualise a scenario where someone is having a stroke and what you should do. Please watch it and send it on to friends and family. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Here at the NSF we are so thrilled that the FAST message is getting out there. After all the hard work spreading the FAST message during National Stroke Week last week, it is heart warming to hear the stories of people who have had better recovery outcomes after their strokes because they recognised the signs and acted FAST.

Our tea room walls are now full of articles about FAST that appeared in papers across the country for National Stroke Week. Each individual story acts as a reminder for why we do the work we do; to stop stroke, save lives and end suffering.

Knowing the signs of stroke empowers you to save the life of someone having a stroke. Click here to forward the FAST wallet card to friends.

National Stroke Week 2012 runs from September 10 - 16.

1 in 6 people will have a stroke – behind these numbers are real lives. Strokes can happen to anyone so it is important to know your stroke risk. We are encouraging all Australians to remember this statistic and understand the six steps to work towards preventing stroke. For more National Stroke Week 2012 For more about FAST the signs of stroke click here.

National Stroke Week has hit the nation this week - with our new FAST campaign hitting your screens, airwaves and even taking to the streets! We kicked off the week with launches in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania.

Celebrating the FAST message at the WA launch in Perth

We need to get everybody to learn the signs of stroke and be able to perform the FAST test. Would you know what a stroke looks like? Look out for the feature skit from the VIC launch to be posted soon!

The FAST Challenge was held in Launceston today, where staff of the Launceston General Hospital and Launceston Aquatic helped people understand that by acting FAST they can also save lives.

If you are in Perth, make sure you head down to the Murray St. Mall to visit our FAST stall this Friday all day.

The team here at the NSF has been really busy and super keen to get the message across to the public - Think FAST Act FAST! Staff members colonised the main Melbourne train stations during morning rush hours this week handing out FAST wallet cards to commuters. It was a fantastic sight to see so many people looking down at their cards at the new FAST images and learning the signs of stroke amidst their early morning rush. We hope that arming people with this knowledge will help them to save lives.

FAST wallet card

Have a look at our new FAST campaign TV advertisement on our YouTube channel or Facebook page. We have had really positive feedback so far, with people saying that the images clearly deliver the FAST message. What do you think?