| Give Me 5! Information from the American Heart Association To check if someone is having a stroke, ask the person to give you five: WALK IS THEIR BALANCE OFF? Things to look for or ask: Are they able to stand straight and tall? Or do they slump to one side? Do they appear to have lost strength on one side of their body? Are they leaning to one side when they try to walk? Are they veering off to one side? Are they dragging the foot on the side they are leaning toward? Can they tell you whether they can feel the side that they are leaning toward? TALK IS THEIR SPEECH SLURRED OR FACE DROOPY? Things to look for or ask: Are they having problems speaking? Are they having problems "getting their words out?" Do they sound like they have something in their mouth when they speak? Are they saying the appropriate words (do their words make sense) when they speak? Does one side of their mouth droop down? REACH IS ONE SIDE WEAK OR NUMB? Things to look for or ask: Ask the person to raise both their arms up together. Does one arm begin to fall down? Ask the person to squeeze your fingers with each hand; is one hand weaker than the other? If you ask the person to try to hold something like a pen, can they do it without any difficulty? Can the person feel you touch them on their arm? Lightly touch them on the skin of both arms, and ask them if the feeling is the same on each. SEE IS THEIR VISION ALL OR PARTLY LOST? Things to look for or ask: Ask the person about their vision. Do they normally wear glasses or contact lenses, or do they normally not use either of these? Ask the person to try to describe any changes in their vision. Is their vision clear? Is it blurry? Can they see everything in their field of vision? Does the person see everything or just part of the visual field? Does the person see double? FEEL IS THEIR HEADACHE SEVERE? Things to look for or ask? Do they have a headache? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, ask them to rate their headache. Do they normally have headaches? If so, is this headache any different from their usual headache? Does this feel like the worst headache of their life? Does light bother or hurt their eyes? Does a sound or loud noise make the headache worse? What is a Stroke? 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. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability. However, research shows the public remains unaware of stroke's warning signs and the need for immediate medical attention, even if the symptoms subside. Call 9-1-1! Don't wait. Call 9-1-1! If you see even just one of these symptoms, even if it goes away, do not wait, call 9-1-1 immediately, this person may be having a stroke. If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you. Also, check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. It's very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset. |