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Re-Connect caters for all people who have been affected by stroke.

The goals of our program are firstly to prevent further stroke. Then, to prevent further loss of muscle size and strength due to immobility, and to help you regain as much of your physical and cognitive functioning as possible, ultimately improving your quality of life.

Participants are individually assessed before entering the Recovery Program. They then follow personalised exercise regimes in classes of up to 5 people twice per week. The work is focused, effortful and closely supervised.
Not only does Re-Connect help with your physical rehabilitation, but we are building a community where people with stroke belong and feel connected.

Here’s what some people have said about our group:

“Re-Connect rehabilitation classes are the highlight of my week! The well-quali­fied trainers are exceptional. They are incredibly supportive and caring as they provide appropriate exercises for each person’s individual needs. …classes are full of fun and encouragement. I would recommend it to anyone who has had a stroke – Re-Connect is very welcoming! “ – Janet

“Re-Connect stroke rehab exercise classes is something I look forward to and enjoy each week. The staff are friendly, caring people and the classes are a lot of fun. I have been ‘kept on my heels’ and it has motivated me to extend my physical limits beyond what I thought I was capable of. Re-Connect classes are quite the social highlight of my week and a lot of fun.” – David

For more information, please contact Anna:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 022 647 4613

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The one thing they have in common – they are stroke survivors.

As part of Stroke Awareness Week, Stroke Central Region held another meeting in Levin this week to highlight all the services and support available, and to help raise awareness of what a stroke was, how to prevent them, and how to diagnose them.

The key message was that nobody is a stroke victim. There are only stroke survivors, and there was support services to help people.

Pip Hakaraia, 46, from Shannon, is a sales and advertising consultant and mother of four. And a stroke survivor.

Hakaraia had three strokes in the space of three years. The most recent was more serious, she said, and likened it to a complete crash that required a reboot.

It came just days after the death of her mother.

“I didn’t want to cause a scene. I just thought ‘I haven’t got time for this’,” she said.

Hakaria said her speech was scrambled and she couldn’t get words out. She was taken to hospital, where scans showed she had had another stroke.

But it touched on a key message for anybody having a stroke. Time. The rule of thumb out there in determining whether someone is having a stroke is FAST – Face, Arms, Speech, Time.

Although not visible on the outside, the effects of the stroke had forced changes to her every day life.

The most basic of tasks require concentration, like brushing her hair and teeth and putting on shoes, and folding washing.

“People look at me and think ‘arrgh, she hasn’t had a stroke. She’s too young’,” she said.

“No one appreciates how hard it is to get up and get going in the morning. It’s actually quite nerve-racking.”

Although personal circumstances dictated she return to work, she was mindful of easing her way back to the fold and staying as calm as she could, in what could be a highly-charged environment.

“That’s one of the things about having a stroke when you are relatively young. You still have kids, mortgage, a job. Life goes on,” she said.

But she was making a great fist of her recovery and made an effort not to sweat the small stuff.

“TIA’s are like glitches where a stroke is a complete crash and a reboot. I’m at the rebooting stage,” she said.

“Some days are better than others.

“I just want to raise awareness that a stroke can affect anyone – young people too. You have got to listen to your body.

“One thing I have noticed is that some people don’t know how to react to me, so they avoid me. But I’m still the same person.

“You do think sometimes, why me? But there are a lot of people far worse off and I am lucky to have survived.”

Waitarere Beach chef Satty Singh, 38, was sitting down using his phone one night in early December last year. He went to get up off the couch, and couldn’t walk.

He went to speak, and no words would come out. He realised he couldn’t raise his left hand either.

“I knew something was happening. I thought it must be nothing and people would be saying you’re too young to have a stroke,” he said.

The very next day he rang his doctor and was able to relay some of his symptoms. He said his doctor rang for an ambulance immediately.

A CT scan revealed his brain had bled. He would spend the next 11 days in Palmerston North Hospital.

“They were so quick, and so nice. They really helped me,” he said.

The last few months have been spent adjusting to life as a stroke survivor. Initially, he had to learn to walk again and still has regular physiotherapy sessions.

He tires easily and sometimes struggles to get his words out, but considers himself lucky.

“I couldn’t walk initially and have managed to recover quite well physically. I was worried I wouldn’t,” he said.

“They say don’t overdo it, and I don’t want to. It will take time to recover.”

He was grateful for the support he was receiving from Stroke Central and participated with their different programmes.

“It’s not true that young people can’t have strokes,” he said.

Stroke Central Region community partnerships officer Anne Jäger-Annear said the organisation was there to help people through prevention messages and help facilitate the different programmes of support for stroke survivors and their families.

There were a range of services, including meetings, group chats, online support, cafe groups, guest speakers and access to other community services.

Stroke Central Region field officer Bronwyn Glavin said the FAST message was so important. If anyone was suffering a stroke they should ring 111.

For more info visit www.strokecentral.org.nz

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Lee Pownall (CEO Stroke Central NZ) explains that “a stroke is a medical emergency. 1 in 4 people experience a stroke in their lifetime and it is a major cause of adult disability in New Zealand. Many New Zealanders can’t recognise the signs of a stroke and delayed recognition means delayed medical intervention and delayed medical intervention can have tragic consequences, which is why we’ve been actively promoting the F.A.S.T. message over the years”.

Face – Does the person’s face look different? Is one side of the face droopy? 

Arms – Can the person raise both arms? Is one side weak? 

Speech – Speak a little sentence. Is the person able to? Is the speech slurred? 

Take Action – Lost time could be lost brain. Call 111 to get to hospital FAST!

One of Stroke Central New Zealand’s clients, Bob Kerridge(ONZM), has been a member with them following his stroke in 2018, as well as being their ambassador for this years’ Stroke Awareness Month.

Bob’s story “It Will Never Happen To Me” is a reminder that a stroke can happen to anyone, at anytime and without warning.

‘IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME’

BOB KERRIDGE

I never had any reason to consider that one day I might fall victim to a stroke, the thought never entered my mind.

In my early years as a boarder at King’s great emphasis was placed on success on the sports field, in addition to academic achievements, and so I trained, excessively I might add, to achieve a level of fitness that would propel me to the top both on the track and in the pool.  In subsequent years cardiac tests on my heart drew gasps of amazement from the medical fraternity who marvelled at the slowness of the beat, ‘a sign of extreme fitness’ they would tell me.

For the bulk of my working life, including over 30 years heading the SPCA in Auckland, this legacy of fitness remained, allowing me to undertake and endure many projects that consumed both my time and my energies.  The SPCA was particularly stressful as I encountered continuous cases of animal cruelty and abuse, numerous occasions where a compassionate and comforting hand was needed for those in distress, public events of varying degrees of exposure needing both intricate planning and seamless execution, and the never ending scrutiny (and use) of the media, so essential in putting an end to public ignorance by educating them, together with other animal atrocities perpetrated by those who have little or no respect for animal life resulting in their mass torment and often the inevitable death of their victims – all issues that desperately needed to be exposed and eliminated.

Inevitably it came time to ‘retire’ to a more leisurely environment, and we determined this would most likely be found in the beautiful Hawke’s Bay in the village of Havelock North.  Selling the home we loved, (before the property boom), became a seemingly endless nightmare, and downsizing to a new property we could afford on our reduced budget was equally stressful.  A car accident just before we left Auckland, (resulting in a prolonged hospital stay), and the diagnosis of macular degeneration, (putting an end to future driving), were just two added burdens we were forced to carry with us. 

Perhaps as a result of these very trying and personal experiences, it should have come as no surprise when one morning I awoke with a numbness on my right side which, as I have been taught, needed to be seen to.  It took no time at all for my doctor to declare I had had a stroke, and he made immediate arrangements to admit me to hospital where the diagnosis was confirmed as ‘left parietal infarct with r hemiparesis’.   The unthinkable had happened, I was a stroke victim.

Mercifully it was not a major one requiring only four days in hospital, but its effect on me was enormous, requiring retraining of my mental faculties, care and advice on exercises and dietary matters efficiently administered by Stroke Central, and the added loving attention of my wife. 

The lesson is quite simple – even although you believe you are fit and resilient to such attacks, and even although you have lived through all the stresses life has thrown you and that you are therefore ‘bullet-proof’, and even although you have lived an exemplary life and are well prepared for any medical misadventure that may happen along, chances are you are not, and that you are as vulnerable as indeed was I.

‘It will never happen to me’ is no guarantee that a stroke will never happen to you, so be aware, and be prepared, and be firm in your resolve that ‘this stroke will not stop me’.

Bob Kerridge will be a guest speaker at the Stroke Central Online Café on 24^th March 2021 at 11am! 
To receive Zoom details for the Free Online Cafe simply email [email protected]

To support Stroke Central New Zealand’s Free Stroke Support Services, Text ‘stroke’ to 5339 to donate $3.

For more info visit www.strokecentral.org.nz

BACKGROUND:  Bob Kerridge was the CEO of SPCA Auckland for 32 years and latterly President of the RNZSPCA.  He is an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to animal welfare and governance, a Knight of Justice with the Order of St John (KStJ), and a Justice of the Peace (JP).  He had his stroke in September 2018.

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If you are renewing your annual membership or signing up as a new member with Stroke Central you will receive a discount code that entitles you to a 15% discount off the price of a will or mirror will with Public Trust.

Earlier this month Public Trust launched a new online service that lets Kiwis create a Public Trust will or enduring power of attorney (EPA) from the comfort of their own homes. They’ve been working hard to make sure their services are accessible to as many Kiwis as possible during Covid-19 and beyond, so this new service is a really exciting step forward.

Anyone confident using a computer can now create a simple will online in as little as 15 minutes. Importantly, it’s also affordable – with pricing starting at $69. The platform is secure and comes with New Zealand-based phone and chat support.

Simply fill out the Stroke Central membership form on our website or call our Head Office on to receive a membership form. Send it back to us with your annual payment and you’ll receive your Public Trust Discount Code.

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To join or get more info contact: or

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