May – Stroke Awareness Month

Signs and Symptoms of Stroke

Knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke is the first step to ensuring medical help is received immediately. For each minute a stroke goes untreated and blood flow to the brain continues to be blocked, a person loses about 1.9 million neurons. This could mean that a person’s speech, movement, memory, and so much more can be affected.

FAST is an easy way to remember and identify the most common symptoms of a stroke. Recognition of stroke and calling 9-1-1 will determine how quickly someone will receive help and treatment. Getting to a hospital rapidly will more likely lead to a better recovery.

Use FAST To Remember The Warning Signs Of A Stroke

the letter F stands for faceFACE: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?photo of smiling man
A stands for armsARMS: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?photo of raised arm
S stands for speechSPEECH: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?photo of a woman speaking
T stands for timeTIME: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.photo of a stopwatch

Click FAST Presentation_Stoke to view the entire fact sheet for more information.

Courtesy of http://www.stroke.org

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