1. Understanding Stroke It’s A Brain Attack!
This presentation contains information on how to Be Stroke Smart:
Reduce Risk
Recognize Stroke Symptoms
Respond by calling 911

3. Be Stroke Smart The 3 R’s of Stroke Reduce Risk for Stroke
Recognize Symptoms of a Stroke
Respond - Call 911
when you see someone having a stroke
This presentation contains information on how to Be Stroke Smart:
Reduce Risk
Recognize Stroke Symptoms
Respond by calling 911

4. What is a Stroke ? Lack of blood flow to the brain caused by
a clot or rupture of a blood vessel
Sudden brain damage
Ischemic
Most common
Caused by a clot
When a stroke occurs, it kills brain cells in the immediate area.
A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain.
2 types of stroke:
Ischemic strokes can occur two ways and are the most common, accounting for 84% of strokes.
Hemorrhagic stroke is a second type of stroke which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain breaks or ruptures. While these stroke are less common, they are more deadly.
Embolic
Thrombotic
Hemorrhagic
Bleeding around brain
Bleeding into brain

5. Brain Attack! Stroke happens in the brain not in the heart.
Stroke is an emergency. Call 911 if you see someone having a stroke.
The term “Brain Attack” gives stroke the most descriptive, realistic and powerful call to action.
A brain attack should warrant the same degree of seriousness and emergency care as a heart attack. After all, your brain is your body’s most vital and delicate organ.
Immediate response is crucial because every minute lost, from the onset of symptoms to the time of emergency contact, cuts into the limited window of opportunity for intervention. CALL 911 for immediate assistance.
Treatment is available and is most effective if administered within the first three hours of experiencing symptoms.
Your chances of walking out of the hospital with little to no disability are improved by 30 percent if you receive t-PA, the only FDA-approved stroke treatment available.

6. Famous People Who Had Strokes Della Reese Charles Dickens
Actress
Charles Schultz
Creator of Charlie Brown
Dick Clark
Host of Rockin’ New Years Eve
Ted Williams
Boston Red Sox Baseball player
Charles Dickens
Author of “A Christmas Carol”
Kirk Douglas
Actor
President Ford President
Luther Vandross
Singer
Seeing a “disease” in the news always brings greater attention to it. Prominent people who have experienced strokes include:
U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and most recently Gerald Ford
Cosmetics entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash
Sports commentator Harry Caray
Novelist Charles Dickens
Actors Kirk Douglas, Robert Guillaume and Della Reese
Former Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch
Cartoonist Charles Schultz
Russian leader Josef Stalin
Singer/Musician Mel Torme
Major league baseball player Ted Williams

7. Stroke Facts in America
Third leading cause of death in the United States
750,000 Americans have
strokes each year
160,000 people die from stroke each year
6,000,000 stroke survivors
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States (behind heart disease and all forms of cancer combined.)
Approximately 750,000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke each year.
Stroke kills nearly 160,000 Americans each year.
There are an estimated four million stroke survivors living in the United States. About one-third have mild impairments, another third are moderately impaired and the remainder are severely impaired.

8. Stroke Facts in America
Stroke is preventable
Stroke can disable adults
Every 45 seconds, someone has a stroke
Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability. Over the course of a lifetime, four out of every five American families will be touched by stroke.
Stroke can be a preventable disease. I’ll discuss specific ways you can prevent stroke later in the presentation.
Every 45 seconds someone suffers a stroke, every 3 minutes someone dies from a stroke.
Twice as many women die from stroke every year than from breast cancer.

9. Stroke Symptoms Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
The most common stroke symptoms are:
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you see someone having these symptoms or experience any of these symptoms yourself, call 911 immediately. Treatment can be more effective if given quickly. Every minute counts.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you see someone having any of these symptoms
call 911! Every minute counts!

10. The Perceptions of Stroke
MYTH
REALITY
Stroke is not preventable
Stroke cannot be treated
Stroke only strikes the elderly
Stroke happens in the heart
Stroke recovery ends after 6 months
Many strokes are preventable
Stroke can be treated
Anyone can have a stroke
Stroke is a “Brain Attack”
Stroke recovery can last a lifetime
There are a lot of misperceptions of stroke…
MYTHS:
Stroke is not preventable
Stroke cannot be treated
Stroke only strikes the elderly
Stroke happens in the heart
Stroke recovery ends after 6 months
However, the realities of stroke are:
Stroke is largely preventable. We’ll discuss steps you can take to reduce stroke risk in a minute.
Stroke requires emergency treatment. Call 911 immediately if you experience or see someone with stroke symptoms.
Anyone of any age can have a stroke.
Stroke is a “Brain Attack”
Stroke recovery can continue throughout life.

11. Many strokes are preventable!
NSA developed these guidelines to help YOU and YOUR FAMILY reduce YOUR risk for stroke...
Many strokes are preventable with attention to pre-existing medical conditions and controllable lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.
Working with top stroke experts across the country, NSA developed the following 10 stroke prevention guidelines.
These guidelines are now the gold standard used by health care providers who educate their patients about stroke prevention.

12. National Stroke Association’s Stroke Prevention Guidelines
1. Tell your mom, dad, aunts, uncles and grandparents to know their blood pressure. They should have it checked at least once a year. If their blood pressure is high, ask them to work with their doctor to control it.
2. Find out if you or a family member has atrial fibrillation, when your heart feels like it is racing.
3. If you have a family member that smokes, ask him or her to stop.
In 1998, National Stroke Association’s Prevention Advisory Board released its Stroke Prevention Guidelines. These guidelines are the first-ever set of recommendations established by a national expert consensus on what the public can do to prevent the third leading cause of death in the United States.
1. Know your blood pressure. Have it checked at least annually. If it’s elevated, work with your doctor to keep it under control. Having high blood pressure, or hypertension, increases stroke risk four to six times.
2. Find out if you have atrial fibrillation - a type or irregular heartbeat. If left untreated, AF can increase stroke risk four to six times.
3. If you smoke, stop. Smoking doubles stroke risk.

13. National Stroke Association’s Stroke Prevention Guidelines (continued)
4. If you have a family member that has high cholesterol, ask him or her to work with their doctor to control it.
6. If you or a family member are diabetic, ask your family member to follow the doctor’s recommendations carefully to control their diabetes.
4. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Recent studies have suggested that modest alcohol consumption (up to two glasses of wine or alcohol equivalent) may reduce stroke risk.
5. Find out if you have high cholesterol. High cholesterol can indirectly increase stroke risk by putting people at greater risk of heart disease.
6. If you’re diabetic, follow your doctor’s recommendation carefully to control your diabetes. People with diabetes have a higher stroke risk. This may be due to circulation problems that diabetes can cause.

14. National Stroke Association’s Stroke Prevention Guidelines (continued)
7. Include exercise, like football and cheerleading, in the activities you enjoy in your daily routine.
8. Enjoy a lower sodium (salt), lower fat diet.
9. If you experience any stroke symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. Call 911!
7. Include exercise in the activities you enjoy in your daily routine. Active people tend to have lower cholesterol levels. Regular exercise also seems to slow down or stop the clogging of blood vessels by deposits.
8. Enjoy a lower sodium (salt), lower fat diet. Too much salt may contribute to high blood pressure and make it more difficult to control. A diet that’s low in fat will likely include vegetables, lean meats such as chicken and fish, low-fat dairy products and a limited number of eggs.
9. Ask your doctor if you have circulation problems which increase your risk for stroke.
10. If you experience any stroke symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. CALL 911! Every minute counts!

15. Reduce the Impact of Stroke
Stroke is a Brain Attack!
Preventable and treatable
3 R’s of Stroke
Reduce Risk
Recognize Stroke Symptoms
Respond immediately by calling 911
Background on stroke information
Stroke is a “Brain Attack”. Call 911 immediately for assistance!
3 R’s of Stroke
Reduce stroke risk. Follow the recommendations of the Stroke Prevention Guidelines
Recognize stroke symptoms.
Respond immediately by calling 911!

16. National Stroke Association is the voice for stroke.
Reducing, Teaching and Advancing Stroke Care
Reducing the Incidence and Impact of Stroke
Teaching People About Stroke
Teaching Doctors and Nurses About Stroke
Advancing Stroke Research
Teaching Stroke Survivors and the people that take care of them about Stroke
NSA Mission
National Stroke Association is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the incidence and impact of stroke by changing the way stroke is viewed and treated. NSA has established itself as a leading resource on the topics of stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation research and support for stroke survivors and their families.
Prevention and Public Education
NSA’s hotline STROKES and web site -- provides stroke statistics, information and resources
Offers print and audio-visual material on stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
Every May is National Stroke Awareness Month.
Professional Education and Training
Publish a multi-disciplinary medical journal, Stroke Clinical Updates and professional materials.
Sponsor medical symposia and other continuing education programs
Advancing Stroke Research
Speed testing of new stroke treatments through the Clinical Trials Acceleration Program.
Provide a Stroke Research Fellowship program for promising young researchers.
Resource for Stroke Survivors and Caregivers
Comprehensive stroke support group database
Helpful products for caregivers and their patients.
Voice for Stroke
First published in May 2001, the Voice for Stroke magazine is dedicated to educate survivors and their families, caregivers, health care providers and others who deal with stroke about current stroke issues .
National Stroke Association is the voice for stroke.

17. Now go to to find more fun games, contests, and ways to learn about stroke with National Stroke Association