This World Stroke Day (29 October), North Island
businesses have a unique opportunity to help save the lives
of their staff by reducing their risk of stroke. One lucky
business can win a one-day visit from Stroke Foundation’s
Health15 Team: a specialist mobile outreach service designed
to identify and prevent the risk of stroke in the
workplace.
The Health15 workplace visit, valued at
$3000, will include support and advice on how to prevent
stroke, as well as practical health checks to ensure
employees are aware of any personal risks.
High blood
pressure is a leading cause of stroke, but many New
Zealanders don’t check their blood pressure regularly due
to the cost of visiting their health provider or convenience
barriers. It’s called the silent killer as there are no
obvious signs of the onset of high blood pressure, and many
people don’t realise their increased level of risk until
they have a major medical event.
For the winner of
this competition, their staff can have their blood pressure
checked onsite for free. If high blood pressure is detected,
stroke risk can be reduced by managing it through healthy
living and medication where necessary, and the Health15 team
will be on hand to provide specialist advice to anyone in
this situation.
“We aim to reduce the barriers to
blood pressure awareness and management,” Jo Lambert,
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive, says. “Up to 90% of
strokes are preventable. With the right support, knowledge
and tools, people can significantly reduce their risk of
preventable conditions, like stroke, as well as diabetes,
heart disease, and cancer.”
Originally set up to meet
the needs of the construction industry, Health15 was
co-founded by The Stroke Foundation and The Building
Intelligence Group (TBIG).
“We know construction
workers often work long hours, carrying out physically
demanding work at a fast pace. This can make it hard to
prioritise a healthy lifestyle or take the time to attend
important health appointments. But they aren’t the only
ones,” says Jo, “and this World Stroke Day we are keen
to raise awareness of the risks of stroke and how they can
be prevented in other workplaces.”
In Aotearoa, one
stroke takes place every 55 minutes, 64,000 people are
currently living with the aftereffects of their stroke, and
there are more than 300,000 who are indirectly impacted. The
annual cost to the economy is estimated to be $1.1 billion
and it’s set to rise to $1.7 billion by 2038 if we do
nothing. Getting a basic health check in place at work can
help prevent a stroke and takes no more than 10
minutes.
To win the visit from the Health15 team,
businesses are encouraged to like and comment on the Stroke
Foundation’s competition post on LinkedIn and Facebook.
The competition opens on 27 October and closes at midnight
on 3 November 2023.
See www.stroke.org.nz for
more information about the key risks for stroke and how to
prevent them.
Case Study – “I didn’t
even realise!” How a Wellington shopper discovered her
high risk of stroke and heart problem before it was too
late.
Janet had her blood pressure
checked at one of the Stroke Foundation’s community outreach
vans on a whim and was surprised to find her blood pressure
was higher than expected. This prompted a visit to her
doctor, an adjustment in medication, and strict monitoring
over the next few weeks. During this time, Janet also
discovered she had developed Atrial Fibrillation (AF),
another major risk factor for stroke. “I certainly didn’t
know I had it and certainly didn’t have any symptoms of
it.”
Janet is now awaiting surgery to correct her AF
and feels lucky that she caught it before it was too late.
“One small random visit has led to a number of preventative
measures. It’s always a good idea to have a checkup, even if
you don’t think you’re unwell,” she says. “There can be
things going wrong and you don’t realise
it.”
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