LEARN F.A.S.T.
Strokes can affect young people, too
Kaytee Dean, a patient who suffered a stroke in her 30s, is heading back home after spending time at Bruyère Continuing Care’s stroke rehabilitation unit. One of her favorite doctors is Dr. Hillel Finestone.
Dr. Finestone stressed that regardless of age, prompt treatment following a stroke can improve recovery and reduce damage to the brain. Key to this is recognizing the signs.
Calling 9-1-1 instead of driving yourself or the person having a stroke to the hospital is the best course of action. The ambulance will get you to the best hospital for stroke care.
Just as important, Dr. Finestone explained, is taking good care of your body. The Heart and Stroke Foundation stresses that although you can’t control your family history, age, gender or ethnicity, you can do something about other factors that could increase your risk of having a stroke. These include obesity, diet, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
Of course, this isn’t always possible and that’s why Bruyère Continuing Care has dedicated experts who work in stroke rehabilitation. Physicians, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, nurses and neuropsychologists bring their unique sets of skills to supporting people in their recovery.