Health Matters: Nutrition and communication following a stroke

Every year over 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK – the largest cause of death after heart disease and cancer and the largest cause of adult disability. This ... Read more

Every year over 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK – the largest cause of death after heart disease and cancer and the largest cause of adult disability. This Health Matters talk will examine stroke by covering two therapy areas: the role diet plays in the recovery and prevention of stroke and communication following a stroke.

Tracy Gaffney and Kavita Biggin, stroke services dietitians, will examine the role nutrition has to play in the recovery from stroke, looking at how we meet the nutritional needs of patients on the community stroke unit following a stroke and the impact poor nutrition has on rehabilitation. They will also discuss the role of the dietitian as part of a multidisciplinary team. Of those who suffer a stroke, one-third will experience some sort of communication impairment, from mild slurring of speech to the inability to understand or express anything. Christine Springate, stroke services speech and language therapist, will outline the different communication disorders that can occur after a stroke and how people can support those who develop a communication impairment.

Tracy and Kavita have been stroke service dietitians at the community stroke units in Abingdon and Witney community hospitals since they opened in 2009. Prior to this they worked for over ten years as part of the community dietetic team in Oxfordshire, providing a service to patients requiring enteral feeding at home.

After beginning her career working predominately in paediatrics, Christine has since worked in various NHS trusts developing her adult specialism in the field of communication and swallowing disorders as a result of acquired neurological conditions, both in an inpatient and outpatient setting. Since 2009 Christine has been working primarily at Abingdon Stroke Unit with people in the early days of stroke and she introduced a computer therapy programme for people with communication disorders in the community.

Tuesday 7 October

2pm – 4pm

Committe room, Witney Community Hospital, Welch Way, OX28 6JJ

This talk is open to the public and is free of charge. To book your place please email eleanor.saunders@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk or call 01865 738 536.

The talk will last for 45 minutes and will be followed with light refreshments and a Q&A.

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Published: 7 October 2014