A major "perk" of living in an assisted living community ~ which as you know, I refer to as A UNIVERSITY FOR 2ND CHILDHOOD ~ is that most of the residents have experiences from which you can learn.
Take for instance what I learned from a recent first-hand experience at Broadway Court Estates, an apartment complex where everyone quickly becomes "extended family".
The lesson: Knowing stoke symptoms ~ and taking immediate action ~ may minimize your chances of suffering a life-changing disability!
One evening, Sue *[fictitious name] suddenly felt so tired at dinner in her Assisted Living Community dining room that she excused herself and went to her third floor apartment. Later, she said her legs hurt, which was unusual for her. But mostly she felt weak and feared she couldn't make it to her apartment. However, when she got there, she didn’t seek help, but went to bed and promptly fell asleep.
Sue was actually suffering a stroke! However, since she wasn’t aware of that unusually painful legs was a stroke symptom, and since she had no tingling, vision impairment or confusion, she didn’t think of stroke.
In the morning, she called her daughter who came and convinced Sue that her continuing symptoms should be checked by a medic. They went to the nearest hospital emergency room (ER).
After ER medics assessed her, they sent her home saying nothing was wrong.
Four days later, when her daughter took Sue to her regular doctor, he ordered an MRI and discovered Sue had suffered a stroke.
The doctor also said,
"Unusually painful legs is a stoke symptom too often missed by medics."
Fortunately, Sue’s stroke was mild, and her rehabilitation and recovery are going well.
Print, memorize, and post the following STROKE WARNING SIGNS (Guidelines from American Heart Association and American Stroke Association):
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg – especially one 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 with no known cause
Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you.
Also, check the time so you’ll know when the first symptom appeared. It is very important to take immediate action! If given within 3 hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) may reduce long-term disability for the most common types of stroke.
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