Date: Friday 10th May 2024  Time: 11:30 AM BST   Are you a stroke survivor or a caregiver for someone who has experienced a stroke? Do you want to understand more about the benefits you may be entitled to? Join us for an informative webinar hosted by Different Strokes Charity with special guest, Debby Hulmes from Citizen’s Advice. About the session: Citizens Advice is known for providing free, impartial, and confidential advice to individuals across the UK. In this webinar, we will explore the various benefits that you may be eligible for based on your circumstances, i ..read more

As March has come and gone, we’re still buzzing from the energy of the March On challenge! For those of you who don’t know, March On isn’t your typical fundraiser; It’s about getting moving and making a difference for those who’ve faced stroke at a younger age. Whether you’re taking baby steps or aiming for a marathon, there’s a place for everyone in this annual challenge. Whether you’re a survivor, a supporter, or a family member, you’re part of something bigger. During March On, participants set their own goals, whether it’s a lap around the living room or hitting 10,000 steps a day. Ev ..read more

Different Strokes is excited to share our new resources tailored for the children of stroke survivors. These resources are here to help kids understand and talk about what happens when someone they love has a stroke. Our “Someone I Love Had a Stroke” resources include three different resources: a beautiful storybook for children aged 3-7, a booklet for kids aged 8-12, and a helpful guide for teens aged 13-18. We’ve been working on these resources for the past eight months, getting feedback from stroke survivors and their partners, professionals, and most importantly, kids who have been thr ..read more

Different Strokes is delighted to have received funding from the Grocers’ Charity and the Drapers’ Charitable Fund for our teen and young adult befriending service. Launched in late 2019, this service provides a safe space for young stroke survivors, aged 16-25, to be able to talk to other young stroke survivors of a similar age, and receive 1:1 support from another young person who has been through similar experiences. Like many of our specific projects, it relies on the generosity of charitable trusts and foundations to ensure that we have appropriate resources to continue with the schem ..read more

We’re thrilled to introduce the launch of the Different Strokes bursary scheme. In 2023, we received extraordinary news that two generous benefactors would be making two of the biggest personal donations to Different Strokes in our history. This is huge news for our small charity. A portion of these funds will be vital to keeping our support services running in 2024, but we felt it was important to pay this kindness forward directly to those within the stroke community. In our 2023 survey, stroke survivors told us what would make the most difference to their recovery. A significant 43% want ..read more

Our focus during Brain Awareness Week, 11-17 March, is on the importance of research in stroke. Each day we will share some insights into new and exciting stroke research projects in Europe.  Today we are highlighting VALIDATE, an EU funded research project that is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve patient outcomes in stroke treatment. In ischemic stroke treatment, timely access to appropriate interventions is paramount. While there are a range of effective therapies, navigating the intricacies of individual patient cases and not accurately considering each individual patien ..read more

During Brain Awareness Week, 11-17 March, we are focusing on the importance of research in stroke. Each day we will share some insights into new and exciting stroke research in Europe.  Today we are focusing on ANGIE, a research project funded by EU which aims to develop micro-robots for targeted drug delivery, to dissolve blood clots in acute stroke treatment. The aim is for this to become an additional type of medical procedure to remove blood clots in ischemic strokes. In these strokes, clots obstruct the blood flow to the brain, causing severe and potentially irreversible damage. De ..read more

During Brain Awareness Week, 11-17 March, we are focusing on the importance of research in stroke. Each day we will share some insights into new and exciting stroke research in Europe.  Today we are focusing on a new project called TRUSTroke which is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve life after stroke for stroke survivors. Currently, the ability to predict potential future complications that may result in further hospital re-admissions post-stroke is limited. In response, TRUSTroke is developing an advanced technology to help healthcare professionals, patients, and caregiver ..read more

Thrombectomy is a treatment for certain types of acute ischaemic stroke that use very small mechanical devices to drastically reduce the effects of an ongoing stroke. The devices are used to break and remove the clot from the blood vessel in the brain. This procedure is carried out by highly skilled neuro-radiologists and requires special hospital facilities. Thrombectomy trials completed prior to TENSION included very limited groups of stroke patients. They showed that if used in stroke patients with small brain clot, thrombectomy significantly reduced the level of severe post-stroke disa ..read more

We are gearing up to hold another round of in-person events later this year, following the success of last year’s ‘Strength in Stroke’ gatherings. These events were a much-needed space for younger stroke survivors to connect, share experiences, and access support services. Different Strokes CEO, Austin Willet says: “We were thrilled by the positive impact of our previous in-person events. Now, we’re eager to hear from our community about their preferences for future events.” We are inviting stroke survivors and their families to participate in a short survey to help shape the upcoming event ..read more