The most important thing to remember about a stroke is that time is of the essence. You don’t have a minute to waste in treating a stroke, so it’s critical that you are able to recognize the signs of a stroke in order to reduce the chances of experiencing the most impactful effects that come with it.
Those effects are no small matter as stroke sufferers can be facing significant dangers like brain damage, physical disabilities, and some victims could even die from a stroke. With so much at stake, recognizing stroke symptoms is crucial for keeping you or your loved ones safe and healthy.
The best way to check for the common symptoms associated with a stroke is to apply the facets of the FAST test. This is an acronym of signs that can be used to establish whether or not someone is exhibiting signs of a stroke so you can act fast to receive the necessary treatment.
The FAST Test
Applying the following indicators to the behaviors of an individual who might be suffering or about to suffer a stroke can be extremely helpful in recognizing the symptoms so you can take the appropriate action of calling for medical attention. The acronym FAST can be applied as follows:
Face: Have the individual smile and monitor the face to see if one side begins to droop.
Arms: Have the individual raise their arms and see if one of the arms drops down.
Speech: Have the individual speak and listen closely to see if their speech is slurred or sounds different.
Time: In the event that the individual is exhibiting any signs of the above symptoms, you must act immediately and call emergency services. Note the time that the symptoms began to manifest themselves.
Seeking Treatment
That last part is particularly vital in that you don’t want to call a doctor or drive yourself or the individual suffering the stroke to the hospital on your own. If you even suspect that someone is about to suffer a stroke, calling emergency services will be far more effective at keeping the victim from sustaining serious injury or possible death.
The quicker you act, the faster you can have paramedics to offer treatment to the individual who is exhibiting the symptoms of a stroke. This is even more important when a senior is displaying these symptoms and caregiver providing Quality In Home Senior Care should be made aware of the FAST test so a doctor can intervene and offer treatment.
Since there are different types of strokes, your treatment may vary from that provided to another patient. Medications are an essential component of treating a stroke which could include aspirin or other high-powered anti-clotting drugs. The earlier a sufferer takes these medications, the safer that individual will be, so getting treatment within the first three hours of symptoms being detected will give the victim a greater chance of survival.
Some strokes can be caused by broken blood vessel and treatment for this problem can be as simple as attempting to stop the bleeding as fast as possible.
