Did you know that a stroke knows no boundaries? It can affect newborns, children, teens and adults. It can happen at any time, day or night. Often, after a stroke, patients require speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy to return to a good quality of life.
For World Stroke Day we hope to educate others about strokes and stroke prevention and hope that you leave here today having learned something new!
STROKE WARNING SIGNS:
The acronym “FAST” is an easy way to help you remember the signs and symptoms of stroke:
F: Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?
A: Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S: Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or difficult to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue”. Is the sentence repeated correctly?
T: Time to Call 9-1-1: If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you know when the first symptoms appeared.
It’s always better to be safe than to wait and hope that things improve. The longer you wait, the greater the risk is for brain damage.
For more information, visit Stroke Association.
Thanks for stopping by!
-CTG Austin