A friend recently sent me this important information on how to identify whether a person has had a stroke. So I'm doing my part, as after all a creative mom isn't just a mom, she's also a caring daughter, granddaughter, friend and neighbor who hopefully won't need this information, but it's always good to be prepared! And unfortunately, strokes don't just happen to older people, so keep that in mind as well.
A Little Background Story:
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital – (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't leave this world, they can end up in a helpless, difficult condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this…
A neurologist said that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions, remember the signs, STR:
- S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
- T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
- R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call an emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
I have done my small part by spending a few minute to post this. I hope you will too! Remember this information and pass it along. Feel free to copy the text from this post or link to me with this link: http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2009/11/how-to-identify-a-stroke-and-save-a-life/
All the best to everyone this holiday season, and may we all be blessed with good health and long happy lives!
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