Bluebird Care Rother & Hastings is supporting Make May Purple for stroke

Bluebird Care Rother & Hastings is supporting Make May Purple, an annual campaign run by the Stroke Association that takes place in May every year. The Stroke Association is the UK’s leading stroke charity who strongly believe strokes can and should be prevented, however this health challenge does not receive the attention or funding it requires.

Bluebird Care Rother & Hastings is supporting Make May Purple, an annual campaign run by the Stroke Association that takes place in May every year.

The Stroke Association is the UK’s leading stroke charity who strongly believe strokes can and should be prevented, however this health challenge does not receive the attention or funding it requires.

The organisation works directly with stroke survivors and their families, health and social care professionals and scientists and researchers.

During Make May Purple this year, the Stroke Association is encouraging everyone to wear purple during the month to raise funds to help support stroke survivors. This could be at school, work or at home, for one day to the whole month. You could even dye your hair or host a purple party, every effort counts!

Over one million people across the UK are rebuilding their lives’ after having a stroke and supporters of Make May Purple will help the Stroke Association fund vital research into stroke care and treatment.

Communities are encouraged to wear purple, bake purple treats or even set challenges and raise funds using the sponsorship form and share their efforts on social media using the hash tag #MakeMayPurple.

As part of our #MakeMayPurple campaign, we are raising awareness of the difference that you can make by taking action should you suspect that someone has had a stroke.

By following the acronym ‘FAST’ you will be able to recognise the symptoms of a stroke and act as fast as possible. This is because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.

Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped.

Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm.

Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them.

Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

Jess, Care Manager said: Visit the Stroke Association website to find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved.