Battle For Stroke Survivors

Stroke survivors are at risk of losing their livelihoods and financial security, that's the warning from the Stroke Association.

To mark Action on Stroke Month 2015, the charity surveyed people in the UK who were in employment and had a stroke. The results showed that:

•  third of people (31%) who left their job following a stroke felt unable to remain as their employer did not understand the impact of their stroke.
• Over half (53%) said their employer didn’t understand the impact of their stroke.
• Over a third of stroke survivors (36%) said that their employer did not try to make the changes they needed to return to work. 

Andrea Cail, Director Scotland of the Stroke Association said: “These figures demonstrate the formidable challenge that people face when trying to get back to work after a stroke. People who have had a stroke tell us that getting back into employment helps to re-establish a sense of control and normality. However, a lack of understanding among employers about stroke recovery is putting their livelihoods and financial security at risk. The more that employers can do to improve their understanding about the impact of stroke, the easier it will be for people to rebuild their lives after a stroke.”
 
The charity also surveyed small and medium sized businesses in the UK regarding their attitudes to the impact of stroke on their staff. It found that:

• Just one in 20 (7%) employers recognised thinking difficulties as a symptom of stroke.
• When asked why businesses might be reluctant to employ a stroke survivor, two fifths (42%) said that they would have concerns about the impact of a stroke on an employee’s ability to carry out their role.
• Half (50%) had not heard of the Government’s Access to Work Scheme.

According to the Health and Social Care Information Centre the number of strokes occurring in people of working age (20-64) has risen by a quarter within the past 15 years.
 
Brendan Roach, Senior Disability Consultant at Business Disability Forum, said: “Our experience of working with organisations for over 20 years demonstrates that businesses with an effective and well publicised process for making disability-related workplace adjustments are best placed to meet the challenge of risings rates of stroke. That’s why we’re supporting the Stroke Association’s work to encourage employers to understand the needs of stroke survivors and become ‘disability-smart’.”