A new Ballarat Stroke Support Centre will support hundreds of local residents who suffer a stroke each year, and their families, to reconnect with the community and find their "new normal".
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There are more than 1300 people of all ages living with the after-effects of stroke across Ballarat, a number that will only increase in to the future as it is estimated just under 400 people a year suffer strokes in Ballarat.
The new Ballarat Stroke Support Centre, which operates from the shared Runway Ballarat space in Ballarat Central, offers peer support and support for carers of people with stroke alongside skill development, strength-based physical activities, vocational pre-training and other practical support to help stroke survivors re-engage with the community and rebuild their lives.
"There's a great support system for people over 65 who have a stroke because they come under the aged care system, and great support for people aged 18 and under but there has been a huge gap for post-clinical care and support for people aged 18 to 65 and that's where we are hoping we can fill that gap because a lot of stroke survivors out there are quite young," said centre coordinator Alison Stevenson.
Ms Stevenson said a person's whole life could be turned upside down depending on the severity of a stroke. "Often in young people there's loss of relationship, loss of job or career and we've heard stories of people who have lost their job, couldn't pay their mortgage and so lost their house."
Stroke victims also often suffer extreme anxiety about whether they will suffer another stroke.
"Many suffer severe anxiety, depression and isolation and we notice a vast majority tend to isolate themselves from the community," Ms Stevenson said.
"Our job is to try to drag them back out to the community and help them find a new normal. Life will never be normal as they have known it, but we need to help them find a new normal."
The Ballarat Stroke Support Centre has been open since April and supported around 50 people since then, with many stroke survivors not aware of the new service.
But this week, during National Stroke Week, Ms Stevenson and the centre's vocational consultant Kristy Herbert have been manning shopping centre stalls along with stroke survivors, to let the community know the support is there if they need.
Life will never be normal as they have known it, but we need to help them find a new normal.
- Alison Stevenson
They have also been to retirement villages, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and medical centres to promote the new service and leave information for people who might need it.
"We just need to raise awareness for people who have had a stroke and haven't known where to turn, that they can join our service," Ms Herbert said.
The incidence of stroke is expected to continue growing in coming years as the population ages and lifestyle factors impact health.
"We eat less healthy, exercise less, have more stress and hypertension, smoking is a huge risk factor as are genetics and stroke can happen any time from before birth through any age," Ms Stevenson said.
But stroke doesn't just impact one person, it impacts the entire family.
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"The tragedy of having a stroke is it not only affects the actual person but is quite traumatic for the whole family. For example, if a man has a stroke in his 40s and loses his job, then his wife has to either find employment that maybe she wasn't doing before, or there's the financial stress of it all as well as caring for a husband and family.
"There's a huge change in dynamics for families and we can help give them a voice, they can maybe express their frustration in a safe place, and find support with other carers in the same boat.
"It's a huge challenge for carers who have to deal with the stroke, trying to hold families and financials together - it's exhausting mentally, emotionally and physically."
Stroke Foundation chief executive Sharon McGowan said a recent survey by the organisation revealed 40 per cent of Australians did not recognise the signs of stroke, and therefore may not call an ambulance quickly enough to get medical care. "Think F.A.S.T. and ask these 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 - Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away," she said.
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