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Every day people in Scotland are leaving hospital feeling scared and alone. But you can help us change this.
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I’m Mike. One day I was just like you. The next I was in a hospital bed struggling to speak.
In an instant stroke changed my life – and it took me to a dark place. Every time I closed my eyes to go to sleep I was petrified that I wouldn’t wake up – that another stroke would come and everything and everyone I loved would be gone. I was a mess.
The only reason I’m enjoying life today is because I got help from Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. They helped me rebuild my life and confidence after coming home from hospital. But I’m one of the lucky ones.
The life-changing help I got isn’t available to everyone across the country. It needs to be. But the charity can’t do this alone.
They need help from the next Scottish Government to reach more people and make sure that everyone with a chest, heart or stroke condition can live life to the full after leaving hospital.
If you believe that everyone deserves the chance to really live after leaving hospital, please sign this petition.
By supporting the campaign you will be making sure that every political party standing at the Scottish Parliament elections takes action to support every recovery – to give everyone in a dark place, that glimmer of hope that turns their life around.
You can make sure that there is no life half lived in Scotland.
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To all political party leaders: People are leaving hospital scared and alone. In your Scottish election manifestos, please promise to make sure that the Hospital to Home service is there for everyone in need.
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Recovery from a chest, heart or stroke condition doesn’t stop when you leave hospital. People in Scotland are living with long-term effects on their physical and mental health and they need help and support to recover. The Hospital to Home service provides one-to-one support for people to help them stay well at home and manage their condition. The support provided through this service ranges from:
“There are thousands of people in Scotland who really need this sort of help and my heart goes out to them.”
Mary Scott, 65 from Wishaw, suffers from asthma and COPD and lives alone. At the beginning of lockdown Mary was really struggling with her mental health. She felt isolated and was in crisis, but after getting in touch with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland she now receives regular kindness calls from her volunteer Claire as part of the charity’s Hospital to Home programme.
“I live on my own and I felt very isolated during lockdown. I was suffering from depression at the beginning of the year and lockdown made things even harder. Then I started to get calls from Claire once a week. We built a great rapport, she is so down to earth, genuine and friendly. I couldn’t have got through it without Claire’s support. I’m now in control of my life again.
“There are thousands of people in Scotland who really need this sort of help and my heart goes out to them. It’s so important to talk, it has really helped me.”
“…just knowing I can go to her for information and advice really puts my mind at ease.”
Sandra Cockburn is 75 and lives in Dunfermline. She had a stroke just before the start of lockdown and has been receiving support from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s stroke nurse Rhona Martin.
“I was supposed to have support when I left hospital and have a monitor fitted to my heart but because of the virus, all that was put aside. Everything was thrown up in the air and I sort of felt neglected and a bit forgotten.”
“But luckily that’s when I met Rhona from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland – when I was really feeling at my lowest. Without Rhona, my stress levels would’ve been shocking. I would’ve been feeling depressed and I wouldn’t be able to cope. She is so knowledgeable and just knowing I can go to her for information and advice really puts my mind at ease.”
“After I came out of hospital it made such a difference.”
Ron is 77 and lives alone in Rosyth after his wife died 12 years ago. He had a heart attack during lockdown in April 2020.
After 48 hours in hospital he was back at home. At first, he felt lucky to be getting friends and family handing in shopping and food but he didn’t want to keep relying on people’s kindness. After calling Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line for medical help, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Lead Community Support Coordinator Darlene organised two volunteers help him, one to do his shopping and one to give him a regular call.
“I must admit when I first called the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line for medical advice, I wasn’t expecting them to offer me anything other than that. But when I was offered a volunteer to help with my shopping I was delighted. After I came out of hospital it made such a difference. And it is so nice to have a chat regularly with Catriona, her young fresh outlook on life cheers me up. She is full of life and it brightens my day. Catriona calls me every week. She never lets me down and I really look forward to her call.”