On 10 and 11 March 2025, we went to the European Life After Stroke Forum in Prague, organised by the Stroke Alliance For Europe (SAFE). This is a landmark event, bringing together stroke survivors and caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers and innovators to unite the voices from across Europe and collectively reduce the burden of life after stroke.
A month after the meeting, here is what continues to resonate with us.
We need more collective knowledge on stroke
What if we told you that stroke is the second cause of death globally? Or that 1 in 4 people will have a stroke in their lifetime? Or that 53% of strokes occur in people under 70?
These seem like fake data, too shocking to be real. But they are true. It is also worth noting that more than 6 out of 10 survivors need help for basic daily activities, such as grocery shopping.
These are important data, it is therefore essential to unite our voices and raise awareness on the issue.
Technology is a valid ally
We are still in an initial phase of research in this area (we have often talked about it for MindLenses Professional, highlighting the fact that we are the first to exploit the benefits of Prismatic Adaptation combined with Serious Games on a tablet) but the first results are promising and they confirm what we have always found: technology can improve the therapeutic path, both from a clinical and a personal point of view.
In fact, technology allows to increase intensity and repetition of therapies, and a greater personalisation of rehabilitation, consequently increasing the interest and participation of the patient. All this is reflected in a more targeted and effective treatment.
There is already an action plan: the “Stroke Action Plan”
The “Stroke Action Plan“, promoted by the Stroke Alliance For Europe (SAFE) and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO), is a concrete action plan aimed at improving the stroke care pathway, not only at a clinical level but also in terms of support and post-therapy care.
The goal of this initiative is to ensure that all European countries respect the same standards of care and rehabilitation, since there are still many differences between the various nations.
The “Stroke Action Plan” underlines the importance of communication: patients, caregivers and the entire community should be aware of the data, of what it means to survive a stroke, of how therapies work, of the available treatment options, and much more.
Because it is not enough to support survivors living after a stroke, it is essential to help them live their best lives.
We would like to thank the organisation for their work, the speakers for their interesting interventions, the people with lived experience and the patient associations for their precious real-life stories, and all those we met during these two days.
