Would You Say It To My Face? The Stroke Association

Main Category: Stroke
Article Date: 27 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Eighty per cent of the online public prefer to talk than email, text or Facebook and this will be our favourite way of communicating this Christmas says the Aphasia Alliance and The Stroke Association.

Over 120 million texts and an estimated 3 billion emails[i] get sent every day in the UK and almost half of the nation now uses social network sites such as Bebo, Myspace and Facebook[ii]. Yet despite the advances of the communication age, avid internet users still regard a face-to-face chat as most important.

A joint survey commissioned by the Aphasia Alliance and The Stroke Association (conducted by YouGov) has revealed that 80% of the GB online population think the ability to talk is more important to them than any other communication method. Although communication difficulty is one of the most prevalent long term consequences of having a stroke only around a third (31%) of the population identified it as the most common from a list of disabilities.

Over 250,000 people across the UK are living with a communication disability, the most common of which is called aphasia. Stroke survivors of all ages living with aphasia may be unable to say 'Merry Christmas' to their friends and family. The survey has shown that 43% of people would favour a face-to-face conversation to stay in touch with friends and family at Christmas demonstrating how difficult the festive season can be for those people living with aphasia.

The Stroke Association has produced a YouTube video to help raise awareness of aphasia and to encourage people to get involved with the Lost Without Words campaign, which highlights the needs of stroke survivors living with a communication disability. The video features broadcaster John Humphrys, television presenter Dr David Bull and sportsman and motivational speaker Kriss Akabusi MBE discussing the impact being unable to speak would have on their lives and how they would wish someone 'Merry Christmas' at this time of year.

Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association said:

"The survey and YouTube video demonstrates the importance the public and celebrities place on speech, especially at Christmas time. We all need to communicate, whether it's through speaking, a hand gesture or the blink of an eye. The ability to interact with others is crucial, and helps avoid socially excluding people at a time of year that is a cause for celebration for many."

Stroke related communication disability such as aphasia has a significant impact on people's lives, yet currently only around 13%[iii] of stroke survivors with a long-term disability have access to the help they need.

References

[i]http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/theview/email/index.html
[ii] http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1801
[iii] Lost Without Words Campaign Report© The Stroke Association May 2008

Notes

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2037 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14 - 17 November 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

The The Stroke Association video featuring John Humphrys, Dr David Bull and Kriss Akabusi MBE will be on YouTube and The Stroke Association website from Monday 15 December 2008

The Aphasia Alliance

Aphasia is a communication disability which occurs when the communication centres of the brain are damaged. It is usually caused by stroke, but can also be caused by brain haemorrhage, head injury, tumours or other illnesses and infections such as meningitis.

More information on aphasia can be found on the website - http://www.aphasiaalliance.org

We estimate 50,000 new people develop aphasia a year across the UK, this is over 130 people a day or 1 person every 11 minutes.

The members of the Aphasia Alliance are ;

- British Aphasiology Society
- Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland
- Connect - the communication disability network
- Different Strokes
- Dyscover
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
- Speakability
- Speakeasy
- The Stroke Association
- The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia

The Stroke Association

The Stroke Association is the only UK charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. The charity funds research into prevention treatment, better methods of rehabilitation and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its community services which include communications support, family and carer support, information services, welfare grants, publications and leaflets. The Stroke Association also campaigns, educates and informs to increase knowledge of stroke at all levels of society acting as a voice for everyone affected by stroke.

A stroke is a brain attack which causes brain damage. A stroke can be diagnosed by using FAST - Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems, Test all three. If any of these symptoms are present call an ambulance straight away.

The Stroke Association