Member Article

Charity volunteer performs potentially life-saving health check

Norbury Stroke Association volunteer urges public to have regular health checks after both his mother and father-in-law died of stroke

Over 20 residents were offered free blood pressure checks at a drop-in event in Wimbledon this week - as statistics show almost 2,500 people in the area are survivors of stroke.

The Know Your Blood Pressure day was hosted by Vision Express at its store on The Broadway. The Wimbledon drop-in is the latest in a series of UK-wide events held by the national retailer, as part of an award-winning partnership with the Stroke Association. They aim to highlight hypertension – also known as high blood pressure, as a contributing factor in around half of all strokes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

National statistics highlight that within the NHS Merton CCG, 2,415 people are stroke survivors, a figure that represents 1.11% of the local population.

During the event, Stroke Association volunteer, John Thorpe, who has four years of experience volunteering at Know Your Blood Pressure events, was on hand to perform the potentially life-saving health check.

The 64-year-old from Norbury says: “I wanted to get involved with the Stroke Association because I have a family history of the condition. My mother died of stroke, as did my father-in-law.

“Of course, when we do these tests, we always want people to be ok so it’s great that we had no high readings at this event, but you just never know. That’s why it’s so important that people have regular checks.

9.5 million people, or one in seven, in the UK are diagnosed with high blood pressure. For every 10 people diagnosed, seven remain undiagnosed and untreated – accounting for more than 5.5 million people in England alone. Although there are a greater number of stroke related deaths in women (23,000 in the UK in 2015[5]) men are at higher risk of having a stroke at a younger age.

George Burroughs, Community and Events Fundraising Manager for the Stroke Association, says: “A simple and painless test could prevent a devastating stroke. Too few people are aware just how serious stroke is – it is the UK’s fourth biggest killer.

“It’s vital that everyone knows what their blood pressure level should be and has regular checks.”

Did you know?

• There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK
• The average age of stroke has decreased in recent years. People are now most likely to have a stroke over the age of 55.
• Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer and twice as many men than prostate and testicular cancer combined, each year
• Up to 60% of people will experience visual problems following a stroke, yet one in three are unaware that sight loss could be a problem or that treatment and support is available
• For every stroke avoided the NHS saves £23,000, not including the vast social care costs and the effect on the economy from people needing to stop work

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vision Express .