A HEALTH charity has pledged to double the number of stroke survivors and carers its supports across the north by 2023.
To mark World Stroke Day, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) has announced the expansion of its services over the next five years.
This includes the enhancement of current services and development of new ones, tailored to the long term needs of stroke survivors and their carers.
Fiona Greene, director of care at NICHS said suffering a stroke is a "life changing reality" for thousands of people in the north and support must be readily available.
"Across Northern Ireland 10 people will suffer a stroke today and 37,000 people are living with the life changing effects of a stroke," she said.
"Every day our stroke support co-ordinators, who work all across Northern Ireland, witness how stroke can also affect relationships, take away jobs and careers and render some families isolated within their own homes."
The expansion at NIHS includes improvements to its family support service, post rehab exercise programme and stroke activity support groups. Future plans also include the introduction of stroke for life classes, which will support survivors after the completion of charity’s post rehab exercise programme through ongoing exercises classes.
