Following his stroke Andrew Marr said he had been “forced to smile less.” He is not alone. 150,000 people have a stroke each year in the UK and many of them smile much less. Their “brain attack” can leave them suffering physical disabilities, communication difficulties and clinical depression. While huge strides have been made in stroke awareness, diagnosis and initial treatment, medical professionals recognise that the focus must now be on effective methods of rehabilitation. Stroke is the number one cause of long term disability in England. Research has shown that active interventions help to reduce this period of disability.
Unlike a heart attack, a brain attack (stroke) can affect a patient’s cognitive skills, personality and ability to communicate. The way we interact with each other and make sense of the world is by telling stories, the story of our journey to work, the story of our holiday, the story of our history. Stroke survivors often lose their ability to share stories, leaving them isolated, and that is where we come in.
Since 2000 InterAct has used the telling of stories, and the conversations that develop around this activity to get through to those who have suffered a stroke, to lift their mood (depression is a common side effect of stroke), to stimulate memory and brain plasticity, and to rebuild confidence in a non judgemental, non clinical environment.
Patients and staff alike attest to the success of our work in restoring their stories, and helping on the difficult route to recovery. Prof Tony Rudd, the lead stroke clinician for NHS England, and now one of our patrons, say of our service –
“'The InterAct service at St Thomas' over the last 15 years has had a huge impact on many of my patients. I have seen people who have been severely disabled by their strokes, who have often spent many weeks in hospital, confined to a bed or chair, often with problems communicating looking more cheerful and starting to become much more engaged with their treatment after visits from the InterAct actors. The skill they have in communication, their obvious humanity and sensitivity in dealing with the patients is really remarkable. I hope that in due course the benefits of the InterAct service become recognised as being an essential component of a stroke service'
The grant we have received from The Pixel Fund will enable us to continue our work with stroke survivors in the Friends Ward of Kings’ Collge Hospital, London for another 12 months. An actor will visit the ward three times a week and work the the patients on a one to one basis, tailoring the reading and conversations as much as posible to the interests and comprehension levels of each patient. The effects are often astonishing, and patients and staff alike attest to the value of the work in the rehabilitation process.
“I think it’s wonderful – makes you realise you’ve still got your marbles!”
'When I first came in you made me feel normal and took my mind elsewhere'.
“It’s wonderful that you do this. You read with such expression….That really brought memories flooding back”
“The doctors look at my symptoms and I feel their concern. My family look at what I’ve become and I feel their concern. But when you look at me as you read your stories and we talk; you see the me that I’ve always been because you look beyond my sickness, and that makes me feel better”