Recognizing a Stroke

BY Rebecca White-Martin
Many lives can be saved if the general public is knowledgeable of how to follow through with life saving and simple diagnosis. Many of you may have taken a class for CPR in order to be of assistance to a heart attack victim, but did you know that another major cause of death is from a stroke? On average, one person in the U.S. dies every 4 minutes from a stroke. Every year 795,000 or more suffer from a stroke. This could happen to a family member, a friend or someone else that you love. There could be an instance where you could save a family member or a stranger if you know these signs and act responsibly.
Help Recognizing the signs of a possible stroke victim:
Try to remember these “3” steps, STRS. Your awareness can prevent brain damage from the crippling effect of a stroke by simply asking 3 questions:
S: Ask the person to SMILE.
T: Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK a simple sentence (coherently) for example, “How’s the weather today”, “Can you say your ABC’s”?
R: Ask the victim to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
S: STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE. If their tongue is crooked (if it goes to one side or the other), this is another indication of a stroke.
The National Stroke Association uses another guideline to help in determining the symptoms of a stroke which are:
F: Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A: Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
C: Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T: Time. You have a very short amount of time in which you can save this person’s life. Call 911 immediately.
If this person has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms.

The above information is opinion based except where noted. Always contact a licensed professional for information on the above subject or BEFORE applying or practicing the above information.
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