CAN you imagine if a close family member had a stroke? THERE are 1.2 million people in the UK living with the impact of stroke, and the condition strikes every three and a half minutes.

People who survive strokes often end up with disabilities, including aphasia, which affects around 350,000 people in the UK.

Aphasia affects a person’s ability to speak, read, write and understand, but not their intelligence. Aphasia can make people feel isolated and it can feel very frustrating, but Many people caring for loved ones with aphasia don’t receive the support they need.

To make matters worse, many stroke survivors and their carers find it extremely difficult to organise a break – even for just a few days – because of additional care needs and difficulties accessing suitable facilities. The Stroke Association found that, as a result, six out of 10 stroke survivors hadn’t taken a break since their stroke.

I work for Revitalise, a brilliant national charity providing respite holidays for disabled people and carers at our accessible UK centres. We have been working closely with the Stroke Association to provide breaks focussed on people with stroke and aphasia and their carers.

In preparation, Revitalise’s nursing and care teams have received special training from the Stroke Association in aphasia and active communication to ensure they have the expertise required.

Our new Stroke and Aphasia Weeks will take place in January 2017 across our three UK centres and we want stroke survivors and their carers to know about this new respite lifeline. If you would like to know more about our Stroke and Aphasia Weeks, or ways you can support our vital work, please call 0303 303 0145 or visit revitalise.org.uk

Colin Brook

Revitalise