STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...


RECOGNIZING A STROKE:

Remember the "3" steps.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. T *Ask the person to TALK, to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
   (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today?

3. R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
   
   NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue . if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
   
   If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.