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Stroke survivors, health professionals and researchers come together to provide you with practical advice to enable you on your journey to reclaim your life after stroke. Join the conversation at enableme.org.au. This series is presented by Australia’s Stroke Foundation and sponsored by Allergan.

enableme podcast

Stroke

stroke

The number one topic stroke survivors ask us about is neuroplasticity, and how to take advantage of the brain’s amazing potential to change itself. But there’s still a lot of confusion about what it actually entails, what to expect, or even who can help you with it. We speak to physiotherapy lecturer Michelle McDonnell, neuroscientist Lavinia Codd, stroke survivor Karen Bayly and occupational therapist Simone Russell about their experience of retraining the brain.

Stroke Foundation #1 - Neuroplasticity

For anyone who’s had a stroke, one of the biggest fears is whether it will happen again. We speak to general practitioner and author Dr Bill Williams, stroke survivor Nikki Mennel and occupational therapist Simone Russell about how not to let that anxiety hold you back. And with Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check underway, we discuss what you can do to reduce your risk.

Stroke Foundation #2 - Fear of a second stroke

People often associate stroke with muscle weakness. After all, that’s one of the F.A.S.T. signs. But after a stroke you can sometimes find your muscles are too tight, leading to stiffness in your legs, arms and fingers. This is what is known as spasticity, and it can cause spasms, it can affect your limb positions and it can be painful.

Stroke Foundation #3 - Spasticity

Fatigue is one of the biggest disabilities that stroke survivors face. It’s more than just regular tiredness that can be relieved by a good night’s sleep. Fatigue can hold back your recovery and keep you from getting your life back to normal. It’s also an invisible disability, meaning it can be hard to get support. But there are things that can be done: we look at the latest research evidence and advice about dealing with post-stroke fatigue.

Stroke Foundation #4 - Fatigue

Communication is a very important part of life. This means that losing the ability to speak can have very big impact. About one-third of stroke survivors have speech and language problems, such as aphasia.

In this podcast, we talk about what it's like living with a communication disorder and what can be done to help.

Stroke Foundation #5 - Aphasia

The internet is full of health information, and there are so many people offering treatments for stroke, that it can be hard to know what to trust. Especially when you're well and in need of help, you can be very vulnerable to misinformation. So how do you find information that's based on real evidence, and how do you know someone claiming to be a health professional is genuine?

We're going to try to find out how to find evidence-based information and how to sort the good from the bad.

Our guests for this episode are:
•	Professor Tammy Hoffmann, a clinical epidemiologist from Bond University who specialises in evidence-based practice.
•	Dan Englund, who had a stroke at 38-years-old but who has recovered enough to complete a 1000-km run.
•	Jude Czerenkowski, a social worker and national manager of Stroke Connect for the Stroke Foundation.

Stroke Foundation #6 - Where is the evidence?

Pain is common after stroke. It can start while the body is healing, but it can also stick around long term. When it does, it makes daily life difficult, and can wear you down over time. But even if you can't make your pain go away, it's still possible to do something about it.

Stroke Foundation #8 - Pain after stroke

It's very common to experience depression or anxiety after a stroke, beyond the expected fear and early sadness. But as challenging as these conditions are, they can be treated, and recovery is common.

In this podcast, we talk about out why people experience depression and anxiety after stroke, what it feels like, and how to get help that works.

Our guests are:

•	Associate Professor Maree Hackett from the George Institute for Global Health, who conducts research on depression in cardiovascular diseases such as stroke.

•	Luke Webb, a young stroke survivor and stage, television and film actor.

•	Simone Russell, occupational therapist from StrokeLine.

Stroke Foundation #9 - Depression and Anxiety after Stroke

Memory forms a big part of our understanding of our experiences and our selves. It's also essential on a smaller scale for simply getting through everyday life. And when you've had a stroke it helps you with your ongoing recovery. But memory is also commonly affected by stroke, and for many people this has a big impact.

In this podcast we will talk about what you can do if you're facing memory problems after stroke. Our guests are:
•	Toni Withiel and David Lawson, Monash University neuropsychology doctoral students and stroke survivors.
•	Dr Rene Stolwyk, clinical neuropsychologist from Monash University.
•	Jan Corcoran, stroke survivor from Far North Queensland.
•	Alana Stewart, speech pathologist from StrokeLine.

Stroke Foundation #11 - Memory

Stroke doesn't discriminate, and we're hearing more and more about young people having strokes. When you're younger you can experience the same physical effects, but the impact on your life can be very different. The nice, smooth path that you've mapped out can drastically change course.

In this episode, we talk about what it's like to have a stroke in your 20s and 30s, and to have to set a new path towards goals like a career and relationships. And to deal with invisible stroke impacts while trying not to become invisible yourself.

Our guests are Ali Earley, a young stroke survivor, former nurse and now Stroke Foundation volunteer; Assoc. Prof. Maree Hackett from the George Institute, who has researched the psychological and social factors affecting young stroke survivors; and Lisa Mangwiro from StrokeLine.

Stroke Foundation #14 - Stroke in your 20s and 30s

Stroke Foundation #18 - Driving

In this podcast, we talk about issues like knowing when it’s safe to fly, finding accessible destinations and transport, making sure you have assistance if you need it, and getting travel insurance.

Stroke Foundation #19 - Travel

Stroke Foundation #22 Hidden disability

Yoga is very popular with stroke survivors as a form of exercise and as an activity to connect with the community. In this podcast, we speak physiotherapist and researcher Professor Susan Hillier, stroke survivor Sue Bowden, and Simone Russell and Jude Czerenkowski from StrokeLine, about the benefits people get from yoga, and how you can get into practising it if you’ve had a stroke.

Stroke Foundation #24 Yoga

So much of the way we interact with the world and how the world interacts with us is based on vision, so when a stroke affects your sight it can have a very big impact on your life. In this special episode put together with Vision Australia, we talk about how a stroke can affect your eyes and your ability to see, and what your options are if you have vision problems after a stroke. We talk to stroke survivor and Australia’s first blind fashion designer Nikki Hind, orthoptist Nabill Jacob from Vision Australia, and Katherine Yong from StrokeLine.

Stroke Foundation #11 - Memory

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