A man who suffered a stroke at the age of 22 received just 15 minutes of counseling following the event, a major conference has heard.

Musician, David Bowe, told the National Stroke Conference that despite being in a ‘terrible state' after his stroke, the short counseling session is all he was offered.

"Nobody seemed able to figure out why it had happened to me and at one stage I was very low. I had a brief counselling session and that was it. I couldn't get any more. Luckily I was able to pay for my own treatment. I don't know what would have happened to me if I couldn't, or what does happen to all the people who get nothing," he said.

However, Mr Bowe's story is not unique. The conference was told that at least one in three people who suffer a stroke are forced to pay privately for essential rehabilitation services.

According to the National Stroke Survivors Survey by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), there are huge deficits in stroke services nationwide, with half of sufferers having no access to speech and language therapy in the community, and one-third having no access to physiotherapy.

Meanwhile, just one in 10 has access to psychological services following a stroke and 36% of sufferers end up paying for their own rehabilitation.

The survey revealed that six in 10 people are financially affected by a stroke, as a result of lost income and/or extra costs such as therapy, medication and home adaptations.

Less than half of those who are of working age when they have their stroke return to work after the event. Of those who do return to work, most leave soon after or take on a reduced role. Reasons for this include cognitive problems, fatigue, physical difficulties and transport problems.

At least four in 10 survivors also experience a deterioration in their relationship with their partner as a result of a stroke.

According to Chris Macey of the IHF, while hospital services for stroke sufferers have improved, there has been no improvement in community rehabilitation services.

"This research highlights the huge levels of unmet need among stroke survivors who largely feel abandoned after they leave hospital. The horrendous reality for many people is that while they know services like physiotherapy, speech and language therapy or counselling for the psychological impact of stroke could greatly improve their quality of life, they generally can't get access to these services," he noted.

He insisted that it is unacceptable that over one-third of survivors have to pay for their own rehabilitation.

"The fact is that while many hospitals have got a lot better at saving the lives of stroke sufferers, a lot more could be done to save their quality of life. We cannot accept a health system that patches people up and then sends them home to cope with the massive physical, psychological and social impact stroke has on them with no services and no supports," Mr Macey added.

Around 10,000 people suffer a stroke in Ireland every year and there are an estimated 50,000 stroke survivors around the country.

Mr Bowe and Mr Macey made their comments at the IHF's National Stroke Survivor Day, part of the two-day National Stroke Conference, at Croke Park in Dublin.