Know The Signs of a Stroke - Think FAST!

Know The Signs of a Stroke - Think FAST!

May is Stroke Awareness Month. DYK: Strokes are the leading cause of disability in the United States?

 There’s no better time than now to familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of a stroke and learn how you can lower your risk.

A stroke is a medical emergency. Let’s define it here: A stroke occurs when a clot blocks or bursts in a blood vessel connected to the brain, depriving the brain of oxygen. As a result, brain cells die. The effects of a stroke depend on where the obstruction occurred and how much brain tissue was damaged. Potential effects of a stroke include paralysis, speech and language problems, memory loss, behavior changes and vision.

 If you believe you are experiencing a stroke, seek medical treatment right away. This requires quick thinking and action on your part.

 The medical community has developed a simple test using the acronym F.A.S.T. to help people remember the most common warning signs of a stroke and react accordingly. If you think yourself or someone is suffering a stroke, give them this test:

F = Face — Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? Is the smile uneven? That’s a sign of weakness or numbness in the face.

A = Arms — Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Can they lift one arm higher than the other? That signals weakness on one side of their body.

S = Speech — Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Did they slur? Did their speech sound strange? Could they even repeat the phrase? Trouble speaking is a tell-tale sign of stroke.

T = Time — If the person failed any part of the test, note the time and get help. Call 9-1-1 immediately. Let them know what time you gave this test so they can estimate the length of the stroke.

There are risk factors to strokes and not all can be controlled. Age, family history and personal history of a prior stroke or heart attack increase a person’s risk for a stroke.

If we all work to manage our overall health we can work to reduce the potential risk of a stroke. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and exercising are noted to help improve your general health and prevent a stroke. And don’t forget, smoking adds risk to stroke. Quitting smoking is a healthy choice.

It’s also important to schedule and keep regular doctor appointments for annual physicals and lab work. 

Home Care Providers – Nightingale Home Health, Nightingale Visiting Nurse and Aspire Home Health – are here to help those in need of recovering following a stroke. Personalized care planning is of importance.

We work to assess the needs of each individual and can provide services ranging from skilled nursing care, to physical, occupational, and speech therapies. A dedicated Case Manager, and their team, is available to ensure access to resources and top-level services that help establish:

  • a heightened quality of care
  • education on warning signs and symptoms leading to early detection/intervention for proactive disease management
  • reduction in emergency room visits and hospital length of stays

We want our patients, families, physicians, hospitals and any facility we coordinate care with to experience THE BEST services possible.


Home Care Providers provides personalized, high-quality care with the most innovative technology allowing physicians, families, and care teams to stay connected and compliant by documenting and communicating within a secure portal. We want our patients, families, physicians, hospitals, and any facility we coordinate care with to experience THE BEST services possible!

 

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