Identifying Stroke

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours of the occurrence. That is hard as not anyone can recognize the signs of a stroke. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking the person suspected of having a stroke to do three simple tasks.
S * Ask the individual to SMILE. The person should be able to smile. Ask the person to stick out his tongue. If the tongue is crooked or favors a side, that is not good.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently (i.e. It is sunny today). If this cannot be done or speech is garbled, then something is wrong.
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. This task should be done easily. If not, then it is an indication of an anomaly.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Here in the Philippines, it is best to bring the victim to the emergency.