Stroke Foundations Rolls Out Free Training To Raise Awareness Of The Signs Of Stroke

The Stroke Foundation of New Zealand has developed free training for community organisations as well as a free toolkit for workplaces, to help educate people on how to identify a stroke and take action to reduce harm.

Funded by Te Hiringa Hauora and the Ministry of Health, the Foundation has developed face-to-face and online training modules to be rolled out to community-based organisations about the F.A.S.T. signs of a stroke, so that they, in turn, can spread the word and educate the communities they work with.

A self-guided toolkit promoting how to identify a stroke has also been produced, that workplaces can add to their existing Health & Safety programme.

Spreading the message about the F.A.S.T. acronym is essential to reduce the impact of stroke because the simple message successfully identifies around 80% of strokes (2003). When it comes to reducing the effects of stroke, every second counts.

F stands for face drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulty and T for taking action. If any of the three signs of stroke or a combination of them are noticed, then 111 should be dialled immediately.

By empowering workplaces and community workers to identify and share the signs of stroke, the objectives of the Stroke Foundation, Te Hiringa Hauora and the Ministry of Health are to educate far and wide, to improve stroke awareness and reduce disabilities and deaths stemming from this devastating disease.

Stroke is New Zealand's leading cause of adult disability and the second-biggest single cause of death, claiming 2,000 lives every year (2018).

Using training to reduce health inequities

There will be a particular focus on promoting the workplace toolkit and training programmes to large employers and community-centric organisations that actively engage with and support Māori and Pacific communities.

In our Māori and Pacific communities, strokes occur 10 – 15 years younger than for other members of the population. This means that for Māori and Pacific people, if they survive their stroke, they live longer with the effects of stroke on their lives, and there is likely to be a greater impact on their whanau. This is a statistic that we are dedicated to reversing.

"We want to put the power back in the hands of our communities, arming them with the right information that could save the life of a loved one or a colleague, especially in our Māori and Pacific communities," says Jo Lambert, Stroke Foundation's Chief Executive.

"We are excited to support others to make a difference in their communities, working in collaboration across Aotearoa to spread the F.A.S.T. message widely. With Health and Safety practices now a priority in every workplace, we believe our new F.A.S.T. training and toolkits will complement employers’ existing health and wellbeing initiatives, with the potential to save lives and improve the health outcomes of their employees and whanau,” Lambert concluded.

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