World Stroke Organization SSO member the National Stroke Association of Malaysia (NASAM) was founded in 1995 by Janet Yeo after her remarkable recovery from a crippling stroke. NASAM’s mission is to promote stroke prevention awareness and to inform the public that there can be life after stroke with rehabilitation and long term support.
Stroke is the
second leading cause of death in Malaysia, where six strokes occur every hour
and over 50,000 new cases are reported each year. At its nine stroke centres,
NASAM therapists conduct rehabilitation sessions which include
physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy to help stroke survivors regain
their confidence and independence. NASAM also organises a range of
activities to support daily living, these include cooking, art and craft,
singing, music and movement and games.
NASAM
recognises that as well as the physical effects of stroke, there are also emotional
effects such as depression, anxiety, anger and denial. NASAM therefore also offers
counselling services to enable people affected by stroke to find relief and to
reinforce the importance of their view and significance of them as a person. At
times, counselling is also provided to family members who have trouble coping
or adapting to the responsibilities that have changed their lifestyles in
caring for a stroke survivor.
NASAM’s
objective to increase general awareness about stroke is the impetus behind
their talks and forums. Open to the public, NASAM invites medical doctors, and
other stroke-related specialists to talk about stroke prevention and stroke
rehabilitation.
On an annual
basis NASAM organizes nation-wide campaigns to raise
public awareness of the risks of stroke and to encourage the public to take
positive steps to adopt a healthier lifestyle to reduce their risk of stroke. The
programme includes events to encourage the public to be more physically active. There are also
forums, chat shows on TV and radio, and open days at NASAM centres.
From 19-20 October
2019 NASAM will organize its second STROKE GAMES at the Panasonic National
Sports Complex, Shah Alam, Selangor. The goal of the STROKE GAMES is to help
stroke survivors in their recovery and to develop the “never give up”
attitude. NASAM’s tagline is “CELEBRATING LIFE AFTER STROKE”.
The Games
showcase the abilities of stroke survivors and the possibilities of life after
a stroke. The event helps people to regain confidence and dignity and instils a
new outlook to living life.Sports
include individual and group challenges such as basketball shoots, darts,
obstacle races, baton relays, seated volleyball, lawn bowling, distance throws,
modified weightlifting, modified archery, hand cycle, triathlon, 50m walk, 50m
walk with hurdles, 300m walk, table and cognitive games.
The Games are
also an opportunity to generate awareness of stroke in Malaysia where stroke
awareness is still low and many people experiencing a stroke do not seek
medical help fast enough.
For more
details on the STROKE GAMES, please visit:
.
