Strokes are serious medical conditions that can affect your loved one. Strokes can be fatal or can lead to adverse loss of functionality. Strokes can affect people of different age groups but we become more vulnerable to this medical condition as we grow older. The good news however is that there are measures that we can take to reduce the possibility of getting a stroke.
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke is a medical condition where the supply of blood to the brain is prevented or interrupted, which in turn leads to the loss of oxygen to a part of your brain tissue. When deprived of oxygen even for just a few minutes, brain cells start to die and this is what leads to fatal consequences or loss of functionality. Strokes are medical emergencies and the faster one is able to access medical help, the less the damage that the condition causes.
Symptoms
There are many different signs of stroke and being aware of these can make the difference between life and death for the victim. Some of the common symptoms of stroke include paralysis or numbness on the face, leg, or arm. One may notice an inability to raise one or both arms over the head. When your loved one attempts to do so, one arm may simply flop down. You may also notice that one side of the mouth droops when your loved one attempts to smile. Stroke victims often experience severe headaches, blurred eyesight, and dizziness. When your loved one has one or several of these symptoms, it is a good idea to get medical help as quickly as possible as it may make all the difference to your loved one.
Preventing Stroke
While medical advances have steadily reduced stroke fatalities, prevention is typically a better approach than waiting till the disease strikes. The good news is that there are methods that we can adapt to minimize the risk of suffering from a stroke. When assessing your loved one’s risk of getting a stroke, there are some factors to look out for. Medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol all increase the risk of getting a stroke. It is therefore important to strive to manage these conditions.
Preventative Measures
Apart from managing underlying conditions, it helps if your loved one can maintain an active lifestyle that involves physical workouts. These can range from simple walks to playing sports in order to keep his or her body in shape. It is also important for your loved one to manage sugar intake and in particular to avoid eating fatty food that contains unhealthy cholesterol and trans fats. Smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol also play a part in increasing the risk of stroke and so these should also be avoided or reduced to the absolute minimum.
At Discovery Village At Castle Hills, we focus on giving your loved one the best care possible. We are one of the leading assisted living communities with great residency packages tailored especially for your loved one. From fine dining through our Sensations Dining facilities to money-saving features such as RentLock, you are guaranteed to enjoy every minute of your stay at our assisted living community.
