Stall will raise awareness of strokes
The Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital RACS speech pathology team will raise awareness of strokes with a stall at Westfield Shopping Centre, Mount Druitt, on Tuesday, September 5.
It will focus on the impact of speech impairment after stroke, and is being held in conjunction with the Western Sydney Aphasia Club.
Aphasia can make it difficult for a stroke survivor to find the right words, use long sentences or understand what others are saying.
There will be almost 56,000 strokes in Australia this year – one every nine minutes. They happen when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted because of a blockage to the artery or a burst artery.
As a result, brain cells die because they have been starved of oxygen or nutrients.
Parts of the brain are left damaged, bu the impact will be different in each person.
And about 65 per cent of people who survive a stroke will suffer a disability that has a big impact on their daily life, often leaving them unable to do day-to-day tasks without help.
The FAST test can help determine if a person has had a stroke:
- Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
- Arms – Can they lift both arms?
- Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
- Time – Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away.
