Post-Stroke turnaround
Like many others, Meike Hoernke received devastating news while still in hospital: "You will probably never be able to work again." But Meike Hoernke, who had suffered a stroke at the age of 40, fought her way back: in order to put a positive spin on the crisis, she developed a new service, based on the experiences she herself had during stroke aftercare.
Today, she consults, as a participation coach, trauma therapist and trainer. With her own company, Wendepunkt Schlaganfall (Turning Point Stroke), she accompanies others affected by stroke to find their way back into everyday and professional life and perhaps even to discover new abilities – to give their lives a decisive turning point. This combination of experience and expertise makes her offer unique, also for specialists dealing with the topic professionally.
Around 40 percent of all stroke survivors are so severely impaired in the long term that they can only cope with everyday life with support. Turning point stroke sees itself as a bridge between patients and doctors, in addition to existing therapies. After all, more than 15 percent of all strokes occur in professional life, which means more than 30,000 times a year in Germany alone.
After rehabilitation, many stroke survivors find it difficult to return to everyday life, family and professional life. A supply gap opens up to those affected like a hole. Many develop depression due to the lack of processing. Turning point stroke has a signpost function, offers disease management and coaching - and is also a contact point for relatives or employers.
With reference to two studies, the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and a study by the University of Oxford on the total costs of strokes, the German Stroke Foundation warns that the current model of aftercare will soon become obsolete due to demographic change pushes limits. Innovative concepts for stroke aftercare are necessary. This is where pilot programs and projects such as turning point stroke come in by offering people affected by a stroke and those around them everyday support.
