Stroke Awareness Week, 9th - 16th September, 2013

Illustration of an embolic stroke, showing a blockage lodged in a blood vessel (Wikimedia Commons)

A stroke is a medical emergency and rapid access to medical care may mean the difference between life and death. In most cases, a stroke occurs when there is either a disruption to the flow of blood to the brain, (which results in the death of oxygen-depleted brain cells) or when blood vessels burst and the blood  spreads into nearby brain areas (haemorrhage). Warning signs may include: dizziness, unsteadiness or headache; any change in mental abilities; numbness, weakness or paralysis in face, arm or leg on one side of the body; garbled speech or inability to speak; and eye problems, such as double vision. (1)

The Stroke Recovery Association of NSW has played a major role in the support and recovery of  many stroke survivors. The services that they provide include:telephone counselling; stroke information kits; seminars and workshops; newsletters on stroke issues; a library of books, videos and brochures; referrals to other services; and coordination of Stroke Awareness Week.

If you would like to find out more about strokes, login to EBSCOs Consumer Health Complete database or Britannica database with your library card's barcode, or ask staff to help you find such topical books as, Brain injury and stroke : a handbook to recovery by E.A. Freeman (616.8043 FRE) or Stroke : a guide to recovery and prevention by Vladimir Hachinski and Larissa Hachinski (616.81 HAC). To find out more about Stroke Awareness Week 2013, go to the website of The Stroke Recovery Association of NSW.

Reference
The Stroke Recovery Association of NSW. (2013). Retrieved August 22, 2013, from http://www.strokensw.org.au.