Stroke Awareness Month

May is stroke awareness month. Stroke is the nation's third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term disability. If you believe you are witnessing someone having a stroke, remember the acronym F-A-S-T:

• FACE: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
• ARMS: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• SPEECH: Ask the person to say a simple sentence. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
• TIME: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1. Remember to check the time of when the symptom(s) first started; you will be asked this question later.

You can get more information from the following websites:

http://www.powertoendstroke.org/
http://http://www.americanheart.org/
http://http://www.stroke.org/site/PageNavigator/HOME?cvridirect=true