Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. Next week is National Stroke Week. The second week in September is always National Stroke Week. The purpose of that is to raise awareness about stroke, the prevalence of it in Australia and the recognition and prevention of stroke.

There are two types of stroke: there is stroke that is caused by a bleed in the brain and there is a stroke that is caused by a blockage. The treatment for those strokes is very different. There has been a lot of research into stroke undertaken. One of the leading researchers in this area is Professor Chris Levi at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. He was instrumental in the development of the stroke buster—the blood-busting drug that if administered within 4½ hours of when a person has a stroke, they can make an almost full recovery. That is where the time factor comes in—if you respond quickly, the damage that is caused by a stroke is minimised.

As the member for Dobell said, stroke is very prevalent in our community. It is one of the leading causes of disability and it remains the second-biggest killer in Australia. One in six people will have a stroke within their lifetime and over 60,000 people will suffer new or reoccurring strokes each year. The risk of stroke is influenced by a number of factors beyond our control—that is, age, gender and family history—but there are factors that we can control. I encourage people to look at their behaviours and their lifestyle issues, and make a point of trying to limit their chance of having a stroke—things such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and drinking too much. Every Australian needs to know their stroke risk factors. Knowing your personal risk factors, being physically active regularly and exercising regularly, thinking about what you are eating, eating healthily and having a very healthy diet, limiting consumption of alcohol and knowing the FAST symptoms—face, arms, speech and the time factor—help you avoid stroke.

Last Friday I had a seniors' forum. One of the speakers there was Judy Webb-Ryall, who is involved with Stroke and Disability Information Hunter Inc. She went through all of the issues and talked to the 100 people that were there about what they could do to limit their risk factors and what they should do if they suspect that they are having a stroke. The big message comes back to that time factor: do not sit, do not wait, do not think, 'It'll go away.' Call an ambulance. You are better off going to hospital and finding out that you have nothing to worry about than staying at home and ending up with permanent disability. A stroke is always a medical emergency. Recognise the signs of stroke. Stroke is not a heart attack; it is when the supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted by either a bleed or a blockage. Some strokes are fatal, while others cause permanent or temporary damage. The longer a stroke remains untreated, the greater the chance of there being some sort of residual damage.

One of the best works that I have seen on stroke was one that was conducted by Deloitte Access, the Stroke in Australia: no postcode untouchedreport. I think the member for Dobell got some of the information she referred to from that. It emphasises the cost of stroke to our community. I end by saying: remember FAST—Face, Arms, Speech and Time. If you think you are having a stroke, act. It is a medical emergency.

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