'Having a stroke is not a selfish thing, the whole family gets to join in'

My name is Peter. Welcome to my website.

I had a stroke in July 2005.It changed me dramatically from a fully functioning adult running his own business into what was described to me later as an old and rather simple child. I no longer work for a living and though I have recovered some ability, I still have learning difficulties, aphasia, hemianopia and memory problems.

While recovering I learned about some of the hidden social effects of stroke and how to deal with them, and it is that knowledge I now want to share with other survivors, their families and care-givers. I use the term 'survivor' to include anyone living with and after stroke.

The words and advice in this site are my own. I had great assistance from friends, Ian and Fraser, who helped with editing and layout, and from Ruth, a speech and language therapist, who helped us make the text aphasia-friendly.

I also have to make it clear that my 'ten top tips' do not deal with the medical aspects of stroke recovery, either physical or mental, nor with rehabilitation. There is a lot of good information and advice available elsewhere on these topics and anyway I have no medical qualifications.

What I do feel competent to talk about are the day- to-day difficulties which will have to be faced once the stroke survivor is out of hospital. I can offer practical suggestions, which I call my ten top tips, on how to deal with some of these, based on my own experience and what I have learned from listening to other survivors, families, care-givers, medical and other professionals. These tips work. Please pass them on to others affected by stroke.

Stroke is the biggest single cause of adult disability in UK. I do not want to underplay the problems that lie ahead nor to hold out false hope. Instead I want to emphasise that with the right help, determination and hard work, some improvement in quality of life might be achieved. It will not be easy. It will take a long time and much of the hard work will fall on the survivor’s family and care-givers, especially in the early years.

I've heard it said that 'having a stroke is not a selfish thing, the whole family gets to join in.' And it is true that following a stroke, family life will never be the same again.