Her mother’s stroke at 48 changed everything for Susan Edwards, inspiring her to become a speech pathologist to help others dealing with the aftermath.
A stroke — sometimes referred to as “a heart attack of the brain” — is a sudden blood-vessel blockage or rupture in the brain that can cause loss of brain function and lead to disabilities.
Each year, Canadians suffer more than 100,000 strokes — about one every five minutes — with about 5,000 of them in B.C.
In the capital region, those who suffer a stroke can get assistance through the Victoria Stroke Recovery Association, which formed in 1979.
The association serves up to 75 people on an ongoing basis, and aims to help them improve their quality of life, to be independent and to get on a path to recovery.
Edwards, who was a speech pathologist with the association for eight years and is now president of the board, says services it offers include an exercise group and a communication group for people with aphasia — loss of speech, affected speech or other communication effects from a stroke.
University of Victoria students, including some who go on to graduate programs in speech pathology and audiology, have been regular volunteers in the group for several years.
Edwards said her mother would have benefited from such a group if it had been available to her, and also would have enjoyed the interaction with others, since she felt quite isolated after her stroke.
Other services offered by the association include bringing in a counsellor to talk about the social and emotional impacts a stroke can have, Edwards said.
Funding is a constant issue for the association, she said. “We’re always fundraising to keep face-to-face stroke recovery happening.”
Thanks to a suggestion from client Bill Cox, the association established a connection with the Victoria Foundation, which has given the group a “very amazing” financial boost, Edwards said, including a $20,000 community grant and matching-grant initiatives with the foundation that have brought in another $17,500.
Edwards also collected about $1,000 in donations to mark her recent 60th birthday.
The association operates in rented space at Knox Presbyterian Church at 2964 Richmond Rd., and includes socializing time in its schedule, as well as the group sessions and activities such as occupational therapy and music therapy.
Anyone who has had a stroke is welcome, Edwards said.
“It doesn’t matter if you had your stroke six weeks ago, six months ago, six years ago,” she said. “One of the myths about stroke recovery is that the best recovery happens in the first six months or a year. People continue to recover from their strokes over their lifetime.”
She said that strokes can happen at any age, but a lot more young people seem to have been affected in recent years.
The youngest member of the association is in his late 40s, Edwards said.
She noted that there some measures people can take to avoid a stroke.
“It’s the same thing you do for all good heath,” she said. “It’s diet, exercise, making sure that you’re having regular checkups for your cholesterol level and blood pressure.”
For more on the association, go to victoriastrokerecovery.org.
Edwards also suggested looking for stroke information at heartandstroke.ca/stroke/risk-and-prevention.
