Free, digital Forum brings stroke patients and researchers together in an online space

A digital Forum run by UCL for stroke survivors and their loved ones will return in 2021 as a series of free, online events, taking place between Monday 25th to Friday 29th October.

Now in its fourth year, UCL World Stroke Day Forum aims to empower stroke survivors to influence the future of stroke research at UCL.

The Forum was traditionally run as a one-day event, where over 200 stroke survivors and their loved ones participated in interactive talks and workshops in a central London venue. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the Forum has been held entirely online as a week-long series of events.

Building on the success of last year, the 2021 Forum will again take place online, kindly supported by The National Brain Appeal and Wellcome. There are 15 digital sessions, each designed to encourage open dialogue between researchers, clinicians, charities, stroke survivors and carers or loved ones.

A brilliant collaboration of UCL research groups and stroke charities are partnering on this year’s Forum, with an exciting programme of free events including:

• Live screenings of four short documentaries which showcase topical issues in stroke research, including how novel models of rehabilitation prove it’s never too late for recovery, and how apps are bringing rehabilitation to the home. Including a live Q&A with leading experts and charities.
• An interactive online art workshop aimed at stroke survivors who experience communication difficulties, exploring communication that goes beyond words. The session will be jointly led by speech and language therapists from UCL’s PLORAS team and Ali Winstanley, a visual artist and health specialist.
• A series of community-focused workshops, including interactive sessions for both stroke survivors and carers from Dr Catherine Doogan about the impact of stroke on relationships, and the Stroke Association’s guide to finding the best stroke support group for you.
• The launch of Ensnared: The Inescapable Reality of Fatigue – a bold and emotive art exhibition from artist Sofie Layton and UCL’s Effort Lab. This artistic and scientific research project explores experiences of living with post-stroke fatigue through survivors’ own metaphors and narratives.

Professor Cathy Price, Cognitive Neuroscientist and Director of the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, which is running the event, said:

“We are delighted that UCL World Stroke Day Forum is returning online this year. We hope to encourage even more stroke survivors and their loved ones from across the country to attend and lend their voices to the incredible work being carried out by UCL researchers and our charity partners.”

Theresa Dauncey, Chief Exective of The National Brain Appeal, said:

“This is a fantastic initiative and one that The National Brain Appeal is delighted to support. Being able to reach out to and share experiences with professionals working in the field, as well as other people affected by stroke, is invaluable.”

Find out more:
https://engagement.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/projects/ucl-world-stroke-day/