Strokes can happen to anybody and are not restricted to older people but they are one of the possibilities that may affect the elderly and which at low times we may wonder or may even worry about. A stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease. It affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die, and therefore is unable to function properly, and paralysis or death can follow.

A friend sent me some time ago the following information about how to recognise a stroke and I have just rediscovered it. A neurologist has said that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. But getting there in time is the problem. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and then reaching the patient within the critical time.

Apparently there are three steps of recognition. ‘Read and Learn them’!, says my correspondent. Symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify and unfortunately the lack of awareness can spell disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize what is happening. Doctors say a bystander can recognize 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 REPEAT A SIMPLE SENTENCE COHERENTLY (e.g. ‘It is a sunny day today’.)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, the advice is to call the emergency services immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn those three questions.

They presented their conclusions at the British Stroke Association’s annual meeting in February 2005. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke, and prevent brain damage.

B.R.