Have You Had A TIA? - 500,000 Available In Canada In 2011

Hi to all of my PEI Stroke Recovery readers,

Have you had a TIA? (Transient Ischemic Attack)

You don't know or you are just not sure what a TIA is. Well a TIA is commonly referred to a mini stroke. Canadian Statistics  tell us that some 50,000 people experience a stroke in Canada every single year. However, new information released in 2010 indicates that that number may very well represent one tenth of the actual number of Canadians that suffer stroke each year. Why?

According to this new information 450,000 Canadians suffer a stroke but they may never know that it happened.
These events are not to be laughed off as being something minor. They more often are a warning that something is wrong and having such an event could mean that if ignored something more serious like a stroke may well happen in the future.

On Prince Edward Island we now have our Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic open at the Prince County Hospital. We are seeing more Islanders being helped to recognize that they may very well have suffered a TIA, are at risk of a secondary stroke and are in need of secondary stroke education and support. This unit has been set up as a pilot to work out the kinks before the service is rolled out across the Island in 2012.

You don't have to attend the clinic to learn more about what a TIA is, if you are at risk and what to do if you or someone near you begins showing the signs of having one.

Click here to read the Canadian Heart and Stroke brochure " You've Had A TIA"  right here online.

This is important information that could save your live or the life of someone you love.

Whether you have in fact had a TIA or you may be at risk of having one I encourage you to invest a few minutes of your time to read this brochure. Those few minutes that you take RIGHT NOW could be the best investment that you could ever make. Especially if YOU are one of the 500,000 Canadians that will suffer a stroke or a TIA in Canada this year.

Watch this video to learn more:



If you are reading this post and live in a country outside Canada, you can apply like figures to that country.  For Example in the United States the numbers would look something like this.

Population:                 300,000,000
Strokes:                            500,000
unreported TIA's            4,500,000
Total strokes and TIA's  5,000,000

I will post again soon,

Gary

Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic Pilot Open At PCH

Welcome to all our stroke recovery and at risk readers,

Here is the long awaited news that one more piece of the Organized Stroke Care Model for P.E.I. is now in place. The details are included in the following government press release dated November 25, 2010.


November 25, 2010
For immediate release
Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot up and running at Prince County Hospital

Health PEI
The first phase of the Organized Stroke Care Model for Prince Edward Island is now complete with the launch of the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot at Prince County Hospital (PCH), says Health and Wellness Minister Carolyn Bertram.
“Government remains committed to implementing a provincial Organized Stroke Care model to help improve the lives of Islanders who are either at risk of suffering a stroke or who have suffered a stroke,” said Minster Bertram. “It is important that we continue work in partnership with Health PEI to promote a timely and coordinated provincial approach to prevention, early assessment and comprehensive care by interdisciplinary health care teams across the continuum of care. The establishment of the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot at Prince County Hospital is a key part of that approach and will lay the foundation for future clinics across the Island.”
Secondary stroke prevention is focussed on patients who have already experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a non-disabling stroke, and those who are at high risk of stroke.
“The Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot provides out-patient follow-up care for acute TIA patients and post-acute stroke patients,” said Dr. Doug Carmody, Internist at PCH and medical lead for the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot. “This pilot offers a patient-centred approach to specifically address risk factors for stroke including assistance with lifestyle management and assessment by a coordinated clinical staff with specialized training in TIA and stroke management.”
People who suffer a stroke or a TIA are at high risk of recurrent strokes and other vascular events. Quick identification of risk factors and appropriate treatment is critical to prevent further strokes and the possibility of even greater damage and disability. A TIA is an important warning sign that a person is at increased risk of a full-blown stroke.
Major risk factors for stroke include age, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. 83 per cent of Islanders have at least one of these major risk factors and 45 per cent have at least two.
The Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic pilot will initially receive referrals for patients who have been identified as having a known or suspected acute TIA or stroke and who live within the Prince County catchment area. The purpose of the pilot is to evaluate and plan for the appropriate resource requirements prior to expanding the Secondary Stroke Prevention service provincially.
The establishment of the pilot at PCH completes the first phase of the three-phased Organized Stroke Care Model for Prince Edward Island. Government has invested $2.1 million into phase one which includes the Secondary Stroke Prevention Pilot Clinic at PCH, as well as creating and filling a Provincial Stroke Care Coordinator position and instituting an acute in-patient stroke unit and in-patient stroke rehabilitation unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Phase two, includes the establishment of district-level ambulatory stroke rehabilitation services, a provincial roll-out of secondary stroke prevention services, and provincial stroke rehabilitation assessment clinic. Phase three includes the establishment of community re-integration services. Phases two and three will be implemented over the next two years.
Health PEI is responsible for coordinating and delivering Organized Stroke Care services.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. In PEI, there are approximately 350 strokes annually – this equals about one stroke every day.
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Media Contact: Amanda Hamel
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