This page of the "Life Skills" section of the web site could literally be a life-saver, since a stroke can be difficult to recognise but, if identified and reported quickly, can be treated very effectively.

The most common, typical symptoms of a stroke are:

• paralysis on one side of the body
• drooping and weakness of one side of the face
• communication problems
• loss of sight or blurred vision.

These signs may only last a few hours (called a Transient Ischaemic Attack – TIA) but must not be ignored.

If you think that someone around you is having or has had a stroke, the best tests to identify whether this is the case can be remembered from the intitials F.A.S.T.. This requires an assessment of three specific symptoms of a stroke:

• Facial weakness - Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
• Arm weakness - Can the person raise both arms?
• Speech problems - Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
• Test all three symptoms.

Failure to perform any these simple tasks should be taken as a sign of a likely stroke and emergency services should be called at once.

One further useful test is as follows:

• Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is likely to be an indication of a stroke.

Link: The Stroke Association click here

ROGER DARLINGTON

Last modified on 15 July 2007

If you have some ideas of your own e-mail me