The Stroke Association receives £50K grant from the Oddfellows

The Stroke Association has been awarded a grant of over £50,000 by the Oddfellows in a two-year partnership that will fund research into communication problems after stroke. The grant is the first that The Stroke Association has received from the society.

The Oddfellows is a non-profit making society that was established in 1810 and has 100,000 members nationwide. The society’s regional branches focus on providing its members social networks, care and support, and financial benefits. Members are also enthusiastic fundraisers for local and national charities.

The grant has been awarded from the society’s HA Andrews Memorial Fund, which has donated over £400,000 to medical research since its creation in 1971, and is funding medical research at the University of Nottingham on behalf of The Stroke Association. The Stroke Association currently invests £2 million a year on medical research to further understanding into the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of stroke and provide evidence for the improvement of current care.

Many people are left with some persistent communication problems after stroke such as aphasia, where they have difficulty in using and understanding language. The research will examine brain activity that occurs in stroke survivors with aphasia as they try to retrieve words. Clearer understanding of this process will help develop better treatment and rehabilitation techniques for the disorder.

Andrew Porter, Chairman of the Oddfellows, said "The Oddfellows have a long history of supporting medical research into a variety of conditions for the benefit of everyone. Our latest grant to The Stroke Association reaffirms our commitment to helping others, as it will benefit the 130,000 people from all walks of life who have a stroke each year. We are hopeful that it will also help dedicated medical staff find a solution to this dreadful and debilitating condition."

Dr Joanne Knight, Associate Director of Research and Development at The Stroke Association commented:

“Having communication difficulties is a common and distressing consequence of stroke. Such a substantial donation by the Oddfellows towards research into aphasia will make an invaluable contribution to this field of stroke medicine. A greater understanding of this disorder will help develop more effective treatment and rehabilitation methods for the 250,000 people in the UK with aphasia.”

Notes to editor

1. For more information, please contact a member of the Media Team at The Stroke Association on 020 7566 0328 or e-mail press@stroke.org.uk. There is a also a Stroke Information helpline: 0845 30 33 100.

2. Each year over 130,000 people in England and Wales have a stroke. Of all people who suffer from a stroke, about a third are likely to die within the first 10 days, about a third are likely to make a recovery within one month and about a third are likely to be left disabled and needing rehabilitation. Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. A quarter of a million people are living with long-term disability as a result of stroke in the UK. At any time there are around 250,000 people in the UK who have aphasia and many of these people will be under retirement age.

3. The Stroke Association is the only national charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. It funds research into prevention, treatment and better methods of rehabilitation and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its community services. These include dysphasia support, family support, information services, welfare grants, publications and leaflets. We also campaign, educate and inform to increase knowledge of stroke at all levels of society and we act as a voice for everyone affected by stroke.

4. A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Some strokes are caused by bleeding in or around the brain from a burst blood vessel. When the blood supply is disrupted, parts of the brain become damaged or destroyed. Some strokes are fatal whist others can cause permanent or temporary paralysis to one side of the body and loss of the ability to speak, read or write. Recovery may be slow and can vary from person to person.

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