May is Stroke Awareness Month: know the signs

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-May is Stroke Awareness Month and Med Center Health wants you to know the signs of having a stroke. 

They use the acronym ‘BEFAST’.

 B for Balance- change in balance, dizziness, coordination. 

E for Eyes….sudden change of vision in one or both eyes

F for Face…drooping or an uneven smile.

A for Arms…if they can hold both arms up equally.

S for speech…is it garbled, slurred or not comprehensible? 

These lead us into T for Time. The most important part if someone is experiencing any of these symptoms is getting them to the hospital as soon as possible. 

“As soon as someone thinks they may be having a stroke or may be around someone that they think is having stroke-like symptoms then they definitely need to be calling 911 so that we can go ahead and get the stroke stuff activated so we can get them the quickest care in the best amount of time,” said Med Center Health EMT Kimmy Rheaume.

Strokes are most common in the elderly population, but staff said they have seen strokes in younger people as well.