Stroke
What are the warning signs?
It is sometimes harder than others to recognise if a person is having a stroke, but there are a few key indicators that a person can usually tell by. If the victim is experiencing weakness or an inability to move, particularly down one side of the body than it is probably a stroke. If their vision becomes blurry or decreased, if they have difficulty speaking, an unexplained dizziness, difficulty swallowing, a severe headache, or drowsiness, it could possibly be a stroke. There is a simple test to see if a person is having a stroke and it involves four simple steps, the FAST test. - The F stands for Face, has their mouth drooped, can they make a smile? - The A stands for Arm, can they lift both their arms, does one fall down? - The S stands for Speech, is their speech slurred, do they understand what you are saying? - The T stands for Time, what time did the stroke start, and call 000 straight away. How to save the victim? After doing the FAST test, the best thing to do for the victim is to call 000 and either take the person to hospital immediately or wait for the ambulance to arrive. This then allows the professionals to give the correct medication to help the victim recover. |