Last Updated: May 1, 2026

According to the Stroke Association, each day in the UK 240 people will wake-up to the impact of a stroke. Having a stroke is not limited to older people and can leave individuals unable to move, see, or speak. It is a traumatic and life-changing medical event that changes the lives of those who survived and their families. Early recognition can make a big difference, so it is important to be able to spot the signs of stroke and what you can do should a loved one suffer from a stroke.

Understanding Stroke: A quick overview

What is a stroke?

A stroke is when the blood supply to the brain gets cut off causing brain cells to die. Damage to the brain of any kind can have adverse effects on how the body works, and how one thinks and feels. The effects of a stroke are dependent on where it takes place in the brain, and how big the area of damage is.

The different types of stroke

There are three types of stroke: Ischaemic, haemorrhagic, TIA (mini-stroke).

  • An Ischaemic stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. It is the most common type of stroke – about 85% of strokes in the UK are ischaemic strokes.
  • A Haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in or around the brain. It is less common than an ischaemic stroke.
  • A Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is the third type and also known as a mini-stroke. It is essentially the same as a stroke and caused by the blood supply to your brain being blocked, but lasts a shorter amount of time (generally a few minutes to a few hours).

Who is at risk?

We tend to think of strokes as affecting older people, and while they are more common in the older population, you can have a stroke at any age.

Risk factors include things like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, obesity, family history, and lifestyle choices can increase your chance of experiencing a stroke.

Strokes affect both men and women, but according to the American Stroke Association, women have a higher risk of stroke.

Spotting the signs of a stroke

A stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention as every minute is vital. Symptoms vary from person to person but often come on suddenly. So, what are the early signs of a stroke?

Main symptoms include:

  • Face weakness – one side of your face may fall making it hard to smile.
  • Weakness in the arm – You may not be able to fully lift one or both of your arms and hold them there due to weakness or numbness in one arm.
  • Speech problems – slurring your words and/or sounding confused.

FAST

The ‘Act FAST’ campaign originally launched in 2009 as a way to help people recognize signs of stroke and take action. FAST stands for Face, Arms, Speech, and Time to call.

Acting FAST on any sign of a stroke gives stroke patients quicker access to specialist treatment that can be life-saving and could reduce the long-term effects such as a disability.

Remember the acronym FAST to identify a stroke. If you experience or spot any of the signs, don’t wait. Call 999 straight away.

FAST infographic

Other symptoms to look out for:

  • Weakness or numbness on one side of your body.
  • Blurred vision or sight loss in one or both of your eyes.
  • Finding it difficult to speak or think of words as smoothly as usual.
  • Confusion and memory loss.
  • Feeling dizzy and/or falling over.
  • a sudden severe headache.
  • Feeling nauseas or vomiting.

Symptoms of a stoke may stop after a while, which may lead you to believe that you are fine. But this could be what is known as a transient ischaemic attach (TIA), more casually referred to as a ‘mini stroke’. In whatever circumstance, it is important to seek help.

What do I do if I suspect someone is having a stroke?

As mentioned above, a stroke is a medical emergency. If you spot any of the signs, call 999.

Symptoms of a stroke may stop after a while, which may lead you to believe that you are fine. But this could be what is known as a transient ischaemic attach (TIA), more casually referred to as a ‘mini stroke’. A TIA is still a medical emergency. It is a warning that you’re at risk of having a stroke. The risk is greatest in the first days and weeks after a TIA, so finding out what has caused it and getting treatment is important.

If you did not get medical help right away at the time, get an urgent appointment with your GP or go to an NHS urgent treatment centre to get your symptoms checked.

Effects of a stroke

Strokes affect everyone differently. For some, the effects may be minor and short lived but for some the effects can be more serious and long lasting. A stroke can have an effect on you physically and/or mentally in many different ways.

Physical effects

A stroke can affect any area of your body to varying levels of severity. Sometimes a stroke survivor will have no physical effect, while others may have several – no two survivors will share the same experience.

A stroke can cause: 

  • Muscle weakness – this can include difficulty lifting your foot and toes and muscle stiffness.
  • Changes in sensation – this can be everything from how things feel to how they taste.
  • Fatigue
  • Problems swallowing
  • Issues with balance
  • Incontinence or other bladder and bowel problems.
  • Headaches
  • Vision problems
  • Seizures and epilepsy
  • General pain

Aphasia and Communication

According to the Stoke Association, one in three people in the UK have aphasia following a stroke. Your ability to understand speech, speak, read, write and use numbers could be affected. Other communication problems such as dysarthria or apraxia may occur.

Aphasia is common among stroke victims because language is controlled by several areas of the brain that work in conjunction with one another. Around two thirds of people have communication problems after a stroke. How much of a problem it causes is dependent on the size of the stroke and what part of the brain it has affected.

Emotional and Behavioural changes

Having and surviving a stroke is a sudden and traumatic medical event that affects every part of your life. Most people that have had a stroke will experience some kind of emotional and/or behavioural change following it.

Anxiety, depression, anger and frustration are all normal things to feel after a stroke as for many it can feel as though they have lost the life they had before. Sometimes, feeling differently emotionally could be an affect of the stroke itself if it has damaged the area of your brain that manages your emotions.

Similarly, changes in your behaviour may be an effect of the damage to the brain caused by the stroke or from the emotional strain of having a stroke. Some of these behavioural changes may decrease or become less noticeable throughout your recovery or even go away entirely. However, some changes can be long-term.

No matter the emotional and/or behavioural changes you may experience at the result of a stroke, you are still the same person you were before, even if you now respond to things a little differently.

Cognitive ability

Trouble with memory, thinking and concentration – cognitive abilities – can become difficult following a stroke as it can affect the way your brain understands, organises and stores information. Every second of every day, our brains receive an enormous amount of information through our senses, and the brain takes that all in to understand, organise and retain the information needed.

Much like speech, multiple parts of your brain communicate in order for this process to take place. However, a stroke damages the area of your brain that it occurs in and if that area is one of the areas that handle this information it may have a negative effect on your cognitive abilities.

There are many types of cognitive problems, such as: 

  • Concentration
  • Memory
  • Problems with planning and problem solving
  • Spatial awareness/neglect
  • Visual perception
  • Confusion and denial
  • Problems recognising things

The good news is that your cognitive problems will most likely get better throughout your recovery and will be at their worst during the first few months. Your brain will actively try to repair itself during the months following the stroke. It is still possible for the brain to continue recovering after this period, but it may take longer.

older couple outdoors with eater, healthy lifestyle pic

Prevention and lifestyle changes

As we grow older, our arteries become harder and narrower making them more likely to get blocked, causing a stroke. Some health conditions such as high blood pressure or cholesterol and diabetes can speed up this process and increase your risk of having a stoke. So, ensuring you make the healthiest decisions you can when it comes to your lifestyle is very important.

Having a stroke can happen to anyone of any age and those who have had a stroke or TIA (mini stroke) are unfortunately more likely to have another one. However, there are lots of things you can do to help reduce your risk, such as:

  • Stop smoking
  • Have an active lifestyle
  • Reduce your alcohol consumption
  • Eat a healthy diet
  • Maintain a healthy weight

Supporting stroke recovery

Recovery is not a single straight road for anyone and no two people’s road to recovery are the same. Depending on the severity of the stroke, you may stay in hospital for a longer or shorter amount of time, you may be moved to a rehabilitation ward or sent home to recover with rehabilitation sessions with an occupational therapist.

After the stroke your body needs time to recover, time to heal. Rehabilitation will help you to make the most out of your recovery and relearn everyday skills. A therapist specialising in strokes will visit you in hospital to assess you and the effect of the stroke on your body and mind. This assessment can include: a swallowing test, mobility assessment, continence assessment, communications and cognitive assessments and a nutritional and hydration questionnaire.

You will have a team appointed to you made up of any number of professionals to help you in your recovery. This team can include doctors, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, psychologists, and many more.

Will I ever make a full recovery?

There is no one answer to this question, as we’ve said earlier every stroke case and road to recovery is different. For some it can take weeks, for others months or even years. It takes a lot of hard work to recover, a lot of determination and effort, it can be both a physical and mental strain for the survivor and those close to them. However, people that put that effort in can make vital progress.

Case study: Phillip, age 60
On November 17th, 2022, Phillip was 58 years old when he had his stroke. On the evening of the 17th Phillip’s arm started to feel ‘off’, he said it felt ‘kind of like pins and needles’. He didn’t think much of it and went to bed. In the middle of the night, on his way back from the bathroom his leg didn’t work. He woke up his partner and they called 111. When asked why he called 111 rather than 999, he said, ‘I didn’t think anything was wrong, so called 111’. The call centre, after hearing his symptoms, quickly got an ambulance out and Phillip was blue lighted to Hinchingbrooke hospital. At first, the doctors thought he may have a bleed but decided to send him to Addenbrooke’s hospital for a CT scan. The scan revealed he had had a blockage rather than a bleed. By the time Phillip arrived in Addenbrooke’s he had lost feeling on the left side of his body. When asked how he was feeling at this point, Phillip said he didn’t have a headache, and his speech was ok, but it is was difficult for him to find words and his arm movements were slightly off. He couldn’t keep his arm still whilst holding it out, he said, ‘if I tried to touch a specific button, for example, I was always about a centimetre off’. Phillip was in the hospital for two weeks. He had nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses at Addenbrooke’s hospital, saying that they were all ‘brilliant’. When asked about his physio therapist he said that they were ‘knowledgeable and trustworthy’. Phillip said that his recovery has been tough but to this day, over two years after his stroke, he is still noticing moments of recovery. He said that the feeling in his arm came back within days but that his leg has never been the same. It took Phillip roughly a week to start walking again with a frame, two weeks after that he moved on to a walking stick. The walking stick stayed with him for a couple of months, but he often kept it in the car or took it with him when out and about in case he needed it. Phillip said, ‘one of the hardest things was driving a manual car.’ He added that for the first year, he struggled to find the words he wanted to say and even now can still struggle to find the exact word he wants to say. I asked Phillip if he does anything to aid in his recovery even now. He said that he tries to stand on each leg when doing tasks like getting dressed or even when standing still. He has a balance mat that he tries to use regularly and is an avid quiz show watcher.

 

smiling elderly lady with friends

How to support a loved one after a stroke

Strokes can be difficult for family and friends of survivors, you may find yourself needing to give them help and support, you might have lots of questions and emotions which is all normal. The best things you can do for a loved one that has had a stoke is to be patient with them and offer encouragement throughout their recovery.

Practical tips for carers

  • Arm yourself with the facts – Learn about strokes and their effects on the body and brain. Familiarize yourself with the potential changes in behaviour such as mood swings, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and challenges with communication and speech. Understanding the possible effects will help you better support your loved one.
  • Encourage independence – Aim to support without doing everything. It is important to promote self-care, so try to support the individual to participate in daily tasks as much as possible. To make things more manageable, break complex activities down into small, easier-to-tackle tasks.
  • Provide emotional support – Having a stroke can have a huge impact on a person’s life and how they see themselves. Listen if they want to talk about the way they are feeling, acknowledge their struggles, and help them connect with family, friends, or even other stroke survivors at support groups, when they feel ready.
  • Seek professional help when needed – Do not be afraid to reach out for support. Communicate regularly with whoever is part of your healthcare team. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
  • Look after yourself too – Caring for a loved one can take it’s toll. Make sure you also prioritise self-care. You need to make time for yourself to ensure you do not burnout. You may want to consider some form of respite care to do this.

Home modifications

Following a stroke you may want to look into modifications to make your home safer. Home adaptations may include:

  • Grab rails
  • Raised toilet seat
  • Non-slip flooring
  • Shower chair
  • Kitchen aids

If you live in England, your local council should provide these free of charge, up to the value of £1,000. In Scotland, this is up to £1,500. In Wales, minor adaptations should be provided for free, but you might be asked to pay towards some disability equipment, depending on your circumstances. In Northern Ireland, your local trust will decide whether they’ll provide funding or if you have to pay for it.

To get help towards the cost of home adaptations, contact your local authority’s adult social care team for an assessment of your care needs. Often, this will happen as part of your discharge from hospital. Find details of your local council here.

For larger adaptations, you may be able to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant.

Support groups and resources in the UK

  • The Stroke Association has a wealth of information on their website to support you, as well as details of local groups offering support to stroke survivors, carers and families.
  • Carers UK provide support to those caring for someone who has had a stroke. Their resources include a dedicated forum where you can connect with others in a similar situation.
  • Different Strokes is a charity offering various forms of support, including a network of exercise and stroke support groups. They also offer an information line where you can speak to someone directly, obtain practical information on life after stroke and signposting.
  • Think Ahead Stroke is a support, advice and information charity dedicated to improving the lives people who have had a stroke, their carers and families.

Why awareness matters

Stroke can affect anyone, and with more than 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year, awareness really can save lives. While the impact of a stroke can be life-changing, many people go on to live fulfilling lives with the right support, rehabilitation and care. This Stroke Awareness Month, let’s keep the conversation going – by knowing the signs, reducing our risks, and supporting those affected, we can all play a part in building a more stroke-aware society.