Public Announcement

Nothing much new to report this week. Our good weather became several days of high winds along with blowing dust. That type of weather definitely cramps our style! M is doing well, though, and we just continue honing his skills.

I wanted to take this opportunity to give you information about how to recognize a stroke. Had I known this information I might have asked more questions the first night we went to Kaiser. But why would I expect my healthy 57 year old husband to suffer a stroke? Now I know that it happens to people of all ages.
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  • According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people suffer stroke worldwide each year. Of these, 5 million die and another 5 million are permanently disabled.
  • High blood pressure contributes to more than 12.7 million strokes worldwide.
Stroke is the leading cause of disability in America and the fifth-leading cause of death. With improved stroke treatment, which is more specialized today than 20 years ago, the death rate from stroke has declined. However, we still face the major hurdle of people recognizing symptoms and understanding that strokes are medical emergencies.
Thanks to stroke education and community outreach, awareness of stroke symptoms is improving. BE FAST is a big part of that success.  
What is BE FAST for stroke symptoms?
The acronym BE FAST is a handy technique to help you quickly recognize common signs of a stroke. This outlines questions to ask about the telltale signs your friend or loved one may be having a stroke, plus action to take:

Balance – Is there a sudden loss of balance or coordination?
Eyes – Is there sudden blurred or double vision or sudden, persistent vision trouble?
Face – Ask the person to smile. Is one or both sides of the face drooping?
Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one side drift downward? Is there weakness or numbness on one side? 
Speech – Does the person have slurred or garbled speech? Can he/she repeat simple phrases?
Time – Call 911 for immediate medical attention if you notice one or more of these signs. Also, take note of when symptoms began.
I can’t overstate the importance of the “T” for time factor. It’s the only part of the acronym that isn’t a symptom, but it’s vital to include – because quick action is key to treatments that can be offered for strokes. (utswmed.org)

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