Sign Against Stroke Task Force Help to Address Medical, Physical, Mental and Financial Needs of People with Atrial Fibrillation with New Health Empowerment Resources

PR62360

DALLAS, Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

     700,000 People Worldwide Rally behind Sign Against Stroke Task Force to

Call AF Care and Stroke Prevention to be Prioritised on National Health Agendas

    On World Stroke Day, the Sign Against Stroke (SAS) in Atrial Fibrillation

Task Force introduces the enhanced SignAgainstStroke.com

[http://www.signagainststroke.com ] to better support the millions of people

living with atrial fibrillation (AF) as well as their family and friends. This

is a condition that one out of four people over 40 will develop and is

responsible for 1.7 million strokes leading to death or disabilities worldwide

each year.  

         (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151029/281746-INFO )

         (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151029/281747LOGO )

    What is Atrial Fibrillation?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ftnVmxsKs&feature=youtu.be

    "The new Sign Against Stroke website has been designed for people that AF

impacts by people that AF impacts," says Mellanie True Hills, StopAfib.org

[http://www.stopafib.org ] CEO and SAS Task Force Co-Chair. "We want to make

sure that people living with AF as well as their family, friends, and

healthcare providers have the resources and tools to empower and mobilise them

to become active partners in managing AF."

    What are the New SAS Resources?  

    The new resources include personal experience videos

[https://youtu.be/b-ecoYq245o ], educational animation videos

[https://youtu.be/M6ftnVmxsKs ] and an Infographic series

[https://en.signagainststroke.com ] that will help people:

    - Realise the impact of AF and AF-related stroke

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/about-af-related-stroke/understand-your-stroke

-risk ] can have on a person's daily life

    - Understand the risk of AF and AF-related stroke

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/assets/pdfs/2_Lower_Stroke_Risks_FINAL_041415.

pdf ], including a risk calculator

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/about-af-related-stroke/understand-your-stroke

-risk ]

    - Know how to take action against AF by understanding treatments

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/taking-action-against-stroke/understand-your-t

reatment-options ], including useful questions for the doctor

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/assets/pdfs/3_Questions_To_Ask_FINAL_041415.pd

f ]

    - Comprehend the physical and emotional effects on life after stroke

      [https://en.signagainststroke.com/life-after-a-stroke ], including care

      giver support

    - Join the cause to make AF care and stroke prevention a national priority  

      by signing the SAS Charter

[https://en.signagainststroke.com/the-global-af-patient-charter/the-charter ]

    "The new Sign Against Stroke website will still be the home of our Global

AF Patient Charter, where you can join the more than 700,000 patients,

caregivers, healthcare professionals, policy makers and the general public who

have signed the Global Atrial Fibrillation Patient Charter", says Adam Siger of

Stroke Foundation of Poland

[http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/poland-2010.html ] and SAS Task Force

member. "We are aiming to gather 1.7 million signatures - one for each of the

estimated number of grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles killed or

disabled by AF strokes every year - to drive the important topic of

AF care and stroke prevention higher up national health agendas."

    Why Sign Against Stroke?  

    With early diagnosis and appropriate anticoagulation, the majority of

AF-related strokes can be prevented. This is why joint efforts among

governments, medical and patient organisations and industry to make AF-related

stroke prevention a priority on national health agendas are critical in

reducing the burden of this devastating condition.

    About the Sign Against Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation Website   

    The content and tools found on SignAgainstStroke.com have been developed by

the authors of the Global AF Patient Charter. This Task Force has been

coordinated by a secretariat funded by Bayer Healthcare. This website is

administrated by Fundacja Udaru Mozgu (The Polish Stroke Foundation), on behalf

of the Sign Against Stroke (SAS) Task Force.

    About the Global AF Patient Charter   

    The Global AF Patient Charter has been developed by a Steering Committee

comprised of representatives from patient organisations, including

AntiCoagulation Europe, Arrhythmia Alliance, Atrial Fibrillation Association,

Irish Heart Foundation, StopAfib.org and Stroke Alliance for Europe, in

collaboration with 39 founding patient organisations from 20 countries.  A full

listing of collaborating organisations is available on the website,

http://www.signagainststroke.com. All signatures contribute to driving action to

prevent AF-related strokes and improving future outcomes and quality of life of

people diagnosed with AF.

    Bayer HealthCare is proud to support the Global AF Patient Charter and Sign

Against Stroke Campaign.

Source: Sign Against Stroke