Seniors Site

Seniors’ Guide to Stroke

No, I’m not talking about anything romantic today i.e stroking or one-on-one body massages, we’re all about health today:  seniors’ health!
Seniors are very much familiar with the words “high blood pressure”, “heart attack” and of course, “stroke”. In fact, too familiar that sometimes we tend to overlook simple details such as their warning signs and prevention. Stroke, even if the disease put seniors in the so-called “high-risk group”, it can be prevented. Even the “instant death” it tends to bring can be prevented if its warning signs are given immediate attention. The problem however is that, most seniors never even knew about these signs or may have recognized them but mistakenly associated them to other minor condition. Basically there are five warning signs a senior may experience when he or she is having a stroke:
·    Poor Balance. Unable to walk or stand steady and straight.
·    Slurred or difficulty in speaking.
·    Numbness of the face, or any side of the body including extremities.
·    Loss of vision.
·    Severe headache.
Just by looking at these signs, one would understand why it’s quite hard for seniors to know if they are indeed having a stroke. In an aging body like ours, these are common, normal, everyday occurrences. By the way, these stroke signs don’t come in complete bundle, they may come in two’s or three’s, making it more difficult to detect. Also, stroke occurs when there’s a blood clot that blocked a vessel in the brain or if a vessel breaks resulting to an internal bleeding.
As you age, your risk of having a stroke greatly increases. Adding to the risk is your lifestyle. Take note that smoking is a major contributing factor to stroke, as well as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. You can also blame your genes as tendencies to have stroke can also be inherited. If you have any of these diseases or factors, you should be very conscious of the warning signs and call your doctor at once when you are experiencing them.
Again, stroke can be prevented, especially if you are willing to undergo some changes in your lifestyle. Keeping your blood pressure in check can help keep stroke at bay. Staying active by doing some light to moderate exercises on a regular basis will help your blood flow and circulation. Smoking, on the other hand, causes hardening of the arteries which can lead to breakage and eventually, hemorrhage. It is also important to discuss this with your doctor as he or she can prescribe you the right medications to take.