CALL 911 AT ANY SIGN OF STROKE

F— Face— Does the Face look uneven? Ask the person to smile.
A— Arms— Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms.
S— Speech—Does their speech sound strange. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Example: "You can’t teach an old dog new tricks."
T — TIME TO CALL 911, if you observe ANY of these signs.
Credit: MA Dept. of Health.

If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 to get to a hospital immediately. The emergency medical personnel responding to your call will transport you to the nearest designated stroke center.

Stroke is a medical emergency. Take these symptoms seriously. It could mean saving your life or preserving your quality of life. There are treatments that can help reverse the signs of the majority of strokes, but they must be given quickly, so you need to act quickly.

What is a Stroke?
A stroke has been called a “brain attack.” This happens when blood vessels in the brain are suddenly blocked or burst. Brain cells are denied blood and oxygen and begin to die causing a wide variety of disabling symptoms and often permanent disability or death.
There are two forms of stroke:
• Ischemic—blockage of a blood vessel supplying the brain
• Hemorrhagic—bleeding into or around the brain
There is also:
• TIA or transient ischemic attack, which is commonly called a “mini-stroke”
In the United States, stroke is the third-leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability; only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths annually. Every year about 700,000 Americans experience a stroke; about 160,000 of these people die.
The good news is that many fewer Americans now die of strokes than was the case 20 or 30 years ago. Improvement in the control of major risk factors — smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — is likely responsible for the decline. Contact our Community Partners @(585)798-6641 to learn more about stroke, preventing strokes and our Stroke Support Group.