Actress Pauline McLynn calls on people to watch out for signs of a stroke

McLynn, best known for her role as Mrs. Doyle on the sitcom Father Ted, lost her 86-year-old mother, Sheila, to a stroke last October.

That was 17 years after a stroke also claimed the life of her 69-year-old father, Padraig.

“I assume it’s in the stars for me somewhere, and it’s just because my parents walked that path that I want to highlight it for people to know,” she said.

The 60-year-old supports the Irish Heart Foundation’s Act FAST – Minutes Matter campaign to raise awareness of the key warning signs of a stroke.

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is cut off; In an ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks an artery leading to the brain.

The FAST test encourages people to check the main symptoms of a stroke: Is the patient’s face drooping? Are your arms weak? Is their speech slurred? If this is the case, time is of the essence when seeking help.

Speaking at an event at Dublin Castle on Tuesday, McLynn said: “The FAST message is simple and I would like to believe that if my name is on one there will be someone around who knows what to do.

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“It just reminds people to think that way when they have a suspicion — it’s better to be safe than sorry, and time is the one to remember.”

Figures from the Irish National Audit of Stroke (INAS) report, released last week, show that just 46% of stroke patients arrive at the hospital within the recommended three-hour window – down from 59% nine years ago.

The report analyzed data from 34,630 stroke patients hospitalized between 2013 and 2021.

There was a 23% increase in stroke admissions with a decrease in the proportion of patients aged 80 and older and an increase in patients aged 64 and younger.

The proportion of patients who had a stroke and were discharged home with early support increased from 2% in 2017 to 10% in 2021, but this is well below the 46% reported in the UK.

In-hospital mortality in patients with ischemic stroke fell from 10.1% in 2013 to 7.2% in 2021.

Prompt evaluation and treatment by a doctor can limit serious damage and improve a person’s recovery after a stroke.

Of her father’s sudden death, McLynn said: “He was at work in Mayo, ate his lunch one day and had a massive stroke. He ended up in Castlebar Hospital and died 10 days later.

“His (brain) electronics were going but physically he had a great recovery and looked fabulous. He just had one of those devastating strokes from which there was no turning back.

“He would have been very happy about that – he didn’t want to grow old and he didn’t like old people!

“Unfortunately my mother, with some other things wrong and lying in Galway Hospital (UHG), also had a massive stroke.

“But even though I’ve lost two parents as a result, it doesn’t make me feel like there’s no hope – the sooner someone can be treated, the better the prognosis.”

“It’s amazing how many people have had a stroke — and a number of people I know have survived.”

The former EastEnders and Shameless star who grew up in Galway is in Kilkenny this month filming a new crime thriller, The Inheritance, for Channel 5.

She remembers her parents as “awesome, feisty and mischievous”.

“Every year we were taken to the seaside on vacation, we had picnics on the weekends, and we were never discouraged from doing anything,” she said.

“I strayed into drama and acting and they never once pulled me to one side, they were very open minded.”

Though she scorns New Year’s resolutions, she has embraced sea swimming and promised herself a “full MoT” – and has also joined a gym near her home in the Phibsboro area of ​​Dublin, where she does aqua aerobics several times a week enjoy.

“I’m starting to take care of myself a little bit more, I’m a little bit fitter now.

“One of the things I learned after getting involved with the stroke campaign is that there is such hope – the quicker you deal with it, the better your chances of survival.”