What is a stroke? This occurs when brain cells are affected by the loss of blood. About 475,000 are now affected by strokes in Australia - partners, families, friends, employees - with 65% left with an ongoing disability which depends on which part of the brain is affected. It is the biggest killer in Australia - more than breast cancer or prostate cancer, with one person suffering a stroke every 9 minutes in 2020. FAST We heard about the STROKE AMBULANCE which is located at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to service patients in a 10 Km radius from the hospital. This is a specialist team with equipment and medication to assist with treatment which is time critical. Ideally this should be made available to patients within a 4 - 5 hour time frame. Symptoms of a stroke are remembered thus: F = face - any drooping? A = arms and fingers (inability to keep steady) S = Speech T = Time (call 000 immediately) Transport to hospital by ambulance and admission to Stroke Centre team may alleviate the severity of any disability if given treatment (clot medication) quickly. Geelong Hospital has such a team available. PREVENTION Observe the following - diet, salt intake, blood pressure, regular doctor visits, cholestrol, smoking, limit alcohol, exercise FUNDRAISING
During November Toni is aiming to raise funds for the Stroke Foundation by walking 100 Km with a group of friends. It would be great if those interested could offer her some support. The link is as follows: https://www.stride4stroke.org.au/fundraisers/toniarfaras/stride-4-stroke Thank you very much Toni for speaking to us - we greatly appreciated you time and enthusiasm for the subject.
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