From cardiologists to stroke survivors, diverse voices gathered in Somerset West on Saturday (25 October) to tackle one of South Africa’s leading causes of disability.
The Helderberg Stroke Support Group (HSSG) hosted its Stroke Awareness Summit in anticipation of World Stroke Day (29 October) in partnership with Busamed Paardevlei Private Hospital. The event took place at the hospital’s new mental wellness facility, Thrive.
HSSG has built a network of support for stroke-affected individuals in the region over the past 40 years, focusing on prevention, education and rehabilitation programmes.
“The goal of the summit was to improve stroke care for stroke survivors not only in the basin but in the entire Western Cape,”
says Claudia Andrews, chief executive officer of HSSG.
To achieve this vision, the summit featured presentations from across the healthcare spectrum.
Busamed’s cardiologist Dr Mark Abelson opened the day, speaking about acute strokes. He was followed by Dr Sharon Truter, a neuropsychologist and counselling psychologist at Neuro-Network in Paardevlei with over 25 years of experience, who provided insights into what a stroke does to the brain.
Speech therapist Shirley van Os from Somerset West addressed therapeutic techniques to assist with swallowing, aphasia (the inability or impaired ability to understand or produce speech) and dysarthria (a motor speech disorder resulting from weakened speech muscles after a stroke).
The medical presentations were complemented by personal insight when stroke survivor Ester Patience provided a powerful personal account, sharing her experience of recovery and rehabilitation.
Stories like Patience’s underscore the importance of community-based support. Physiotherapist Gakeemah Inglis-Jassiem spoke about HSSG’s community rehabilitation groups, which provide weekly support to stroke survivors in the basin and Grabouw. These groups supply much-needed rehabilitation for many underprivileged community members.
Marian Engelbrecht, HSSG chairperson and Somerset West occupational therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience, addressed returning to driving after a stroke and its benefits.
“Stroke is something that doesn’t just affect the person, it affects the whole community. It is a long-term process of recovery and support is needed throughout the whole process,”
says Engelbrecht.
Biokineticist Zhané Mngqolo concluded the event by addressing how patients can move beyond their limitations through movement and support.
The successful event drew over 80 attendees and included goodie bags from Sanlam, courtesy of financial advisor Rey Anthony’s company Zen BlueStar.
“It was even more special with World Stroke Awareness Day coming up that we were able to have over 80 people in this room today,” says Andrews.
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