Stroke Awareness
According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of disability. Stroke can happen to anyone, at any time, regardless of race, sex, or age.
While these numbers are alarming, up to 80% of strokes are preventable. Read on for ways to reduce your risk of stroke by taking advantage of prime benefits and covered services with AgeWell New York.
Preventative Services. Having annual screening visit with your doctors and specialists can help identify health issues, risk factors and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Working closely with your doctors, you can make necessary lifestyle changes to help reduce risks.
Disease Management Programs. AgeWell New York offers disease management programs which helps members learn to cope with and manage chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. Participating in a disease management program gives you access to information about exercise, medicine, diet, and other treatment options, which help lower your risk of stroke and improves overall quality of life.
Access to a Care Manager or Wellness Coach. Having a dedicated person to help members navigate all of these services gives them easier access to their benefits so they can focus on staying healthy. Care Managers and Wellness Coaches can help members stay on track with their health goals and assist with things such as medication management, care planning, routine screenings and preventative services. Care Managers and Wellness Coaches are available to promote and support healthy living.
We encourage you to take advantage of these covered services with AgeWell New York to reduce your risk of stroke.
Symptoms
Watch for these signs and symptoms of a stroke.
- Trouble speaking and understanding. You may experience confusion, slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg. You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg. This often happens on one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Also, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile.
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision or you may see double.
- Headache. A sudden, severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness or altered consciousness, may indicate a stroke.
- Trouble walking. You may stumble or experience sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear. Think “FAST” and do the following:
- Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
- Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to rise up?
- Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?
- Time. If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.
Call 911 or your local emergency number right away. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability.