The organisation "Blëtz " held a conference at Bettembourg Castle on Sunday, focusing on the importance of prevention and recognising and reacting as fast as possible if somebody is having a stroke.
Time is one of the most important factors when it comes to treating a stroke. The sooner you recognise and treat a stroke, the sooner its impact can be minimised. The emphasis of the conference on Sunday was both preventing strokes and then reacting appropriately.
Claudine Muno was forced to become familiar with noticing the signs after her mother suffered a stroke. Drawing upon her personal experience, Muno wrote a song for the organisation designed to raise awareness of how it feels once you've had a stroke and struggle to find the words to express yourself.
In her experience, Muno explained that one of the best things to do to help someone who's suffered a stroke is to talk to them. Her own mother has always been chatty and has kept that habit even after having a stroke, although she may struggle to find the appropriate word. However, as Muno added that going on and always trying again helps people in their recovery.
F.A.S.T
In order to minimise the consequences of strokes, it is important that people recognise the signs as quickly as possible. In English, the acronym FAST is used as a reminder to detect the signals of someone have a stroke and what to do: the acronym stands for facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, and time to call emergency services.
The president of Blëtz, Chantal Keller, elaborated on warning signs, such as a drooping mouth, numb arms, and speech difficulties. The issue, Keller explained, is that strokes can last a second and then it might seem like the person is back to normal. However, the affected person should go to hospital as soon as they notice anything resembling the above symptoms, as they could then be hit by a second full stroke 24 hours later.
When in the ambulance, it is also important to tell paramedics not only which signs of a stroke occurred, but what medication the affected person is taking.
Video in Luxembourgish.
