by John Fulmer and Jody Cole

Though stroke is one of the most devastating medical emergencies—the third leading cause of death in the United States, and the second cause worldwide—those at risk often have a difficult time finding information on this debilitating condition.

Barriers to finding information are troublesome because stroke is highly preventable. According to the National Stroke Association, up to 80 percent of strokes can be avoided with careful monitoring of behavior and knowledge of the genetic factors that might come into play. In addition, surviving a stroke is a life-changing event, not only for the victim but for the entire family.

“With stroke, we’re where we were with heart disease 20 years ago . . . most people learn about it when a loved one has a stroke.”

With that in mind, Milner-Fenwick has produced a pair of videos. Stroke: Reducing Your Risk was developed to help those at risk avert a stroke. After a Stroke will help stroke survivors learn to cope with their condition and, beyond that, learn to thrive and live as full a life as possible.

The Milner-Fenwick production team was headed by their product development director, Joanne Nabozny, and producer, Lee Ricketts. In working on the two videos, they enlisted the expertise of Connie Parliament, RN, MSN, CNRN, Clinical Program Director of Neuroscience Services with the Michigan Stroke Network (MSN).

Stroke awareness is low

Parliament said that many potential stroke victims are uninformed when it comes to newer treatments and medication, including clot-busting drugs. Awareness will grow, she said, though it may take a while.

“With stroke, we’re where we were with heart disease 20 years ago,” she said. “It takes time to ripple down. Unfortunately, most people learn about it when a loved one has a stroke.”

“Sometimes the caregiver is blindsided,” she added. “It’s a life-changing event.”

Though Parliament was the main consultant, it was up to Nabozny and Ricketts to come up with videos that packed a large amount of stroke information in a 15 minute package.

“It’s an extremely difficult task,” said Nabozny. “Complex and technical medical information has to be put in laymen’s terms. The audience of hospital patients and their families are highly stressed, tired, and anxious. The videos can’t test their patience; they must be concise as well as informative.”

“A stroke is a sudden and shocking event for both the patient and the family; we try to give them both information and hope for the path ahead.”

“There are mostly awareness materials out there,” said Nabozny, “and while our prevention program addresses that, we really strove to include secondary prevention. In the recovery program, we wanted to help patients and their families see the recovery process ahead of them and their challenge with their healthcare team to find the best fit for recovery and rehabilitation.”

Ricketts agreed. “We talk about knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, and that they need to get help as soon as possible. There currently isn’t a lot of information about stroke and stroke recovery that’s directed at the patients and their families.”

“A stroke is a sudden and shocking event for both the patient and the family; we try to give them both information and hope for the path ahead.”

Stroke 101

What they learned during the six-month project is that stroke has many manifestations and degrees of severity. It’s caused by many factors: advanced age, hypertension—easily the most manageable—a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and atrial fibrillation.

As Ricketts and Nabozny described it, the target audience of Stroke: Reducing Your Risk is primarily for hospital healthcare providers, stroke-recovery teams, community awareness and corporate wellness programs, and, of course, those who are at risk.

“This could be anyone with high blood pressure to people who have already had a TIA or a prior stroke,” he said. “General healthcare providers who want to help their patients decrease their risk would be interested.

Impacting patients and caregivers

Produced for stroke patients and their families, After a Stroke, would be viewed before the patient’s release from the acute care floor.

“We spent time with several patients through treatment and rehabilitation, not just ‘reporting’ what stroke is, but connecting with the featured people so viewers can understand how to prevent or recover from the effects of stroke,” Nabozny said.

“We hope that these programs help the educator help the victims of stroke feel less overwhelmed so they’re able to move on to the next step in their recovery.”

The patients, from Baltimore’s Good Samaritan Hospital, were chosen for their positive attitude and their progress. Each survivor is half a year or more post-stroke and are at different levels of recovery. Even though each stroke is different and the recovery timeline is different, she said, the goal remains outlining the short steps needed to maximize quality of life. They focus on patient empowerment.

“We looked for exemplary people from exemplary programs,” she said. “We explain what the road ahead—rehab, home life, emotions—looks like to the patient and their family. We try to show that it will be hard (on both) but you can make progress after a stroke.”

“Because the entire family and extended family is affected by stroke, a main goal for us is that patients and their families find motivation and inspiration through the stories presented. We hope that these programs help the educator help the victims of stroke feel less overwhelmed so they’re able to move on to the next step in their recovery.”

Family members often took part in the video shoot, sharing their experiences and feelings and their journey in stroke recovery. The drama and consequences of a stroke can be earth-shattering. A spouse may have to quit work to become a caregiver. Rare is the family member who is not affected.

“Our message is while you can’t change what has happened, you can make a tremendous difference in the progression of recovery and quality of life for your loved one,” Nabozny said.

“If these videos help educators reach out to those at risk and provide some answers for those facing the road ahead after a stroke, we will have succeeded.”