Young Stroke Service
Building Australia’s first Young Stroke Service
Almost 1 in 4 of all strokes in Australia are in young people.
We still don’t fully understand why young people have strokes or how to best support them as they recover. Right now, most services are not made for young people, and 88% of young stroke survivors say they don’t get the help they need.
The Young Stroke Service (YSS) is Australia’s first health service dedicated to helping young stroke survivors aged 18 to 55. Our team works with young people who have had a stroke, as well as their supporters and health professionals. YSS offers a range of supports that will help them in their recovery.
YSS currently runs in Victoria and South Australia. In the future, we hope to extend the service to other parts of Australia. YSS is funded by a 2020 MRFF Rapid Applied Research Translation Grant until December 2026.
Our services
Our team works with people who have had a stroke, as well as their supporters and clinicians, to offer a range of supports including:
- tests and therapy to help with memory and emotions
- support to help with returning to work and returning to driving
- advice on how to apply for the NDIS
- access peer support and find trustworthy information about stroke and stroke recovery.
Staff from the YSS team will review the young stroke survivor’s goals with them and develop a plan to address their needs. This may involve more assessments, referrals to other services or treatment from within our program. YSS does not replace existing services in the community.
Services are available in-person or via telehealth. Those who have difficulty with communication and thinking are given support to take part in the service.
Investigators
- Professor Vincent Thijs – The Florey
- Professor Julie Bernhardt – The Florey
- Professor Maria Crotty – Flinders University
- Professor Natasha Lannin – Monash University
- Associate Professor Dana Wong – La Trobe University
- Associate Professor Emma Power – University of Technology Sydney
- Dr Karen Borschmann – The Florey
- Associate Professor Kathryn Hayward – University of Melbourne and The Florey
- Dr Toni Withiel – Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Professor Amy Brodtmann – Monash Health
- Associate Professor Daniel Capurro – University of Melbourne
- Professor Kathleen Gray – University of Melbourne
- Professor Christopher Bladin – Ambulance Victoria and The Florey
- Dr Lisa Murphy – Stroke Foundation
- Professor Lena Sanci – University of Melbourne
- Professor Dominique Cadilhac – Monash University and The Florey
Project members
- Denise Wallis – Global Project Manager
- Sarah Amesz – Clinical Services Manager
- Emily Ramage – Deep Phenotype Project Lead
- Nerida Larkin – Executive Team Admin contact
- Brooke Parsons – Consumer Consultant
- Dr Tanya Rose – Speech Pathology (University of Technology Sydney)
- Dr Joosup Kim – Translational Public Health and Evaluation (Monash University)
- Sophie Weaver – Young Stroke Information Coordinator (Stroke Foundation)
Take part in this project
Apply to be a participant
If you are a young person with stroke or support a young person and would like to participate in the Young Stroke Service, you need a referral from a health professional. This could be a GP, a member of the hospital treating team or a community-based therapist such as a physiotherapist or psychologist.
Please contact us for a referral form by emailing [email protected] or visit the Young Stroke Service website.
For any queries please contact our team Monday to Friday from 9 am–5 pm.
E: [email protected]
P: 0427 259 191
Project partners and collaborators
- The Florey
- Austin Health
- Flinders Medical Centre
- Flinders University
- La Trobe University
- University of Technology Sydney
- Monash University
- The Alfred
- University of Melbourne
- Stroke Foundation
- Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Ambulance Victoria
Contact us
If you’re interested in learning more about this project please contact our team.
