Recognising a stroke ...You could save a life:
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. The victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognise the symptoms. Doctors say that bystanders with no medical training can recognise a stroke by asking three simple questions:
1. Ask the individual to SMILE
2. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS
3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (coherently)
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. A neurologist has said that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of the stroke. He said the trick was getting the stroke recognised, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours.
- Lyn Greenwood
