The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Stroke mum backs bid for better treatment
‘Right to Rehab’ campaign launched as charity says too many sufferers left struggling to cope with recovery
A determined Perthshire mum fighting back to fitness after suffering a devastating stroke at the age of 40 is at the forefront of a campaign for better access to treatment across Scotland.
Debbie Matthew’s world changed two years ago when she suffered a stroke at home.
It left her paralysed down the right side of her body, unable to walk and struggling to speak. She spent five days in a high dependency unit and six weeks in a stroke rehabilitation unit at Perth Royal Infirmary where she underwent intense physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
She was initially wheelchair-bound and feels, without the specialist care she received, she would still be unable to walk.
Debbie, 42, of Comrie, has given her backing to a campaign run by health charity Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland which warns opportunities are being missed to support people to rebuild their lives following a potentially devastating diagnosis.
The warning comes in its One in Five report which lays bare the reality of what life is like for the estimated one in five people in Scotland living with the effects of chest, heart and stroke conditions.
The charity is calling for the Scottish Government to commit to supporting a package of measures that would deliver a universal and equal Right to Rehab.
This would include ending the variation in access to NHS rehabilitation services and joining them up with community groups that make sure the benefits of rehab are continued; investment in allied health professionals to match demand and a commitment all people who need it should have access to a specialist nurse for as long as it takes to reach their recovery goals.
Debbie said: “I had my stroke when I had just turned 40. It came completely out of the blue, with no warning.
“I used to do a couple of exercise classes a week, I looked after my weight, I was a healthy eater and was not obese or diabetic.
“After the stroke I couldn’t move my fingers, arms or toes, go to the bathroom or shower on my own, the whole right hand side of my body was affected. “It was horrendous.” Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said too many people were left struggling to cope with the impact of their chest, heart or stroke condition which was “unacceptable” in modern Scotland.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Our strategy for tackling strokes and heart disease is delivering important improvements, with mortality rates reducing by around 40% for both stroke and coronary heart disease over the last 10 years.
“Pulmonary rehabilitation is already a key recommendation in our national clinical guidelines.”