Arthur lends his voice to campaign to boost stroke services funding

A BALLYDEHOB-based man has highlighted the vital role played by the Irish Heart Foundation in his recovery from a stroke.

In May 2022, Arthur Little (53) was woken in bed at 1am by his wife Lydia.

She thought he was having a nightmare, but soon she and their daughter Róisín realised he was having a stroke.

‘I wasn’t aware I was having a stroke, but luckily my wife and daughter recognised the FAST signs: facial drooping and left side weakness and called an ambulance immediately. I remember trying to move out of the bed and I just couldn’t,’ said Arthur, the former manager of Liss Ard, and the Eldon Hotel in Skibbereen.

After being discharged from hospital, he waited over six weeks without any referrals or therapy.

But once a call was made to the Irish Heart Foundation, the charity, he said, ‘played out of their skin’ to help make up for lost time.

‘For me, the services have been critical in reducing a strong sense of isolation experienced following my bilateral stroke. The Irish Heart Foundation offered essential remote services based around commonly-used apps and internet platforms; most importantly, there is a strong sense of community with the other participants with lots of contact and support.

‘The therapy, support and training given by the Irish Heart Foundation has been instrumental in me returning to work on a part-time basis, they equipped me well to face the challenges of getting back to work.’

Arthur was speaking as a new drive gets underway to bolster State funding for services which heart and stroke patients describe as their ‘lifeline.’

It is estimated that 67,000 people in Cork are living with cardiovascular disease. For many, supports provided by the charity are the only help they receive after a life-changing heart event, heart failure, stroke or other cardiac conditions. The practical, social and emotional support services begin when patients leave hospital and continue for as long as they are needed.

Now local people are being encouraged to ask their local representatives to sign an online pledge on irishheart.ie/advocacy to ensure €1.2m in crucial annual funding is made available.

The Irish Heart Foundation currently receives just 8.6% of this to fund patient support services nationwide, which it says is inadequate to help the current volume of
patients.

The services reduce costs for the State every year by supporting patients to continue living in their homes rather than requiring nursing home care or being readmitted to hospital – but only a fraction of this work is State-funded, says the charity’s director of advocacy and patient support, Chris Macey.

‘Nationally, 80,000 heart and stroke patients are discharged from hospital every year, or one every seven minutes, in many cases to a bleak and uncertain future,’ he said.

‘One in three of all stroke patients returning home are being referred into our services, whilst we are also supporting thousands of heart patients. These people cannot simply return to the lives they led before and desperately need the unique pathway of support services that the Irish Heart Foundation provides. We are doing our utmost with our resources to ensure that people can make the most of life after a stroke or heart diagnosis, but we cannot guarantee continued delivery of these services.’

Mr Macey says stroke patients leaving hospital often feel abandoned – and many heart failure patients end up in a revolving-door system where they need to be re-admitted.

‘Our range of services, described by patients as a lifeline, reduce the need for admission to hospitals and nursing homes. A heart disease diagnosis or stroke often leads to post traumatic stress disorder. But the counselling we provide is the only psychological support available to many patients. People are denied basic services and it is
appalling.’