Stroke Prevention & Caregiver Resources

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in North Carolina and in the United States. It is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. In 2007, Stroke caused 4,335 deaths and 27,838 hospitalizations in North Carolina.


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  • These numbers equal one Stroke death every two hours, and one Stroke hospitalization every 20 minutes. (Source: N.C. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Branch, N.C. Department of Health & Human Services)

Each year, about 795,000 people in the United States suffer a Stroke. Nationally, there are approximately 4.8 million Stroke survivors, and two-thirds of those are moderately to severely disabled. Approximately 20 percent of Stroke survivors require long-term care, and up to 30 percent are permanently disabled.

Death rates from Stroke are substantially higher in the nation’s “Stroke Belt” — typically defined as an eight to 12-state region in the southern part of the country. The coastal plain of North Carolina, along with South Carolina and Georgia, is part of the nation’s “Stroke Buckle,” where the death rate from Stroke is twice the national average.

In the face of these statistics, there is one single, most important fact:

  • Up to 80 percent of Strokes are preventable!

 

NCSA Program Director Margaret Rudisill participated in an informational roundtable on stroke for Caregiving 101, a television series on public access tv produced by the Council on Aging in Mecklenburg County. Click below to view segments from that roundtable.

 
 

If you or a loved one are experiencing Stroke symptoms, call 911 and get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY! Treatments are available that may dramatically reduce a Stroke’s devastating effects—but they must be provided within a few hours of the onset of a Stroke.