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- Irish Heart Foundation
- 3 minute read
- Last updated: October 2023
The Irish Heart Foundation’s Stroke Connect Service is a weekly telephone support service for all stroke survivors and their families. This service provides practical and emotional support for you during your recovery. Irish Heart Foundation coordinators and volunteers will work with you and your family offering support, guidance and information on other services.
Stroke Connect Service by Irish Heart Foundation
The Irish Heart Foundation provides a weekly phone support service offering practical, social and emotional support for stroke survivors. The Stroke Connect Service aims to give you the information you need to help you live well after stroke and encourage you to work towards your recovery goals. We have parallel supports during and after you avail of the Stroke Connect Service. These include:
● Professional counselling (up to six sessions).
● Nurseline – our nurse support line to offer you guidance and reassurance. Our Nurse Support Line is available on 01 668 5001, from 9am to 5pm every Monday, and from 9am to 1pm, Tuesday to Friday.
● Peer to peer support 1-1
● Supports for Carers
How to join
Your healthcare provider can refer you to our Stroke Service when you are ready. You can also fill out a referral form yourself from our website or call our nurse support line on 01 6685001.
Once you have decided to join the Stroke Connect Service, an Irish Heart Foundation nurse will give you a call to chat about what you would like to focus on in your recovery.
Join Stroke Connect by the Irish Heart Foundation filling out our referral form
When to Join
You can join at any time that feels right to you. We encourage stroke patients to join within six to eight weeks after discharge from hospital. After you finish the Stroke Connect phone service, you can avail of more short- term and longer-term supports.
After you finish the Stroke Connect phone service, you can avail of more short- term and longer-term supports.
After Stroke Connect Service
When you have finished the Stroke Connect Service, there are a range of short-term and long-term supports available, depending on your needs. These include:
Short Term Supports
We have online short term programmes that run throughout the year, such as:
- Fatigue Management
- ACTivate Your Life (psychoeducation programme based on acceptance and commitment therapy)
- Vocational Return to Work
- Mindfulness
- Cognitive Skills
- 8-week exercise programme
Long Term Supports
- Monthly Face to Face support groups nationally
- Life After Stroke Peer Support Facebook group
- Carers’ Peer Support Facebook group
- Weekly online exercise classes
- The Monday Club (online social club)
- Young Stroke Survivors Network (YSSN) – Peer support WhatsApp group,
- Let’s Talk phone service, online exercise class, weekly in person exercise and support groups
Stay connected
Digital newsletter for those who aren’t active in the service but want to stay in touch and keep up to date with upcoming courses and events.
