Facts About the American Stroke Foundation

The American Stroke Foundation provides programs for stroke survivors who have been through rehabilitation and physical therapy. It has two Activity Centers in the Kansas City area where people can work on adapting and increasing independence. There are all kinds of exercise equipment, as well as classes, discussions and chances to meet other stroke survivors and compare notes. More information is available at www.americanstroke.org for survivors, friends and families.

The Card of Life, which is provided to all American Stroke Foundation members, includes the member's name, doctor information, and emergency contact information. It also includes information that would be useful to emergency professionals, such as whether the person is taking any blood thinning medication.

The American Stroke Foundation is for stroke survivors and also for the families and friends of stroke survivors. Caregivers can learn how to help and can compare notes with each other and with other stroke survivors. They can learn how to make communication easier and they can remind each other that they need to get plenty of sleep.

The Walk on the Wildside is an annual fund-raising event and a chance for the public to find out more about strokes, risks of having strokes, what to do when someone is having a stroke and how to interact with people who have had strokes. It is held in the late summer in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes. No one is risk-free, however. Symptoms include sudden feelings of weakness or numbness on one side of the body, dizziness, disorientation and splitting headaches. If there is any suspicion that someone is having a stroke, call 911 immediately. It would be far better to be wrong about it and find out there wasn't really a stroke than to wait too long for treatment.

One of the most important things to remember when interacting with stroke survivors is to respect their dignity. Talk with them, not down to them. Offer help when it seems appropriate, but remember that they aren't helpless. Be patient and considerate, similar to the way you should be with everyone else. If they are having trouble thinking of the right word, maybe you have a suggestion. Remember that you have probably been on both sides of this situation.

The American Stroke Foundation has been in the Kansas City area since 1997. Information is available on their website, as well as on The National Stroke Association's, at www.stroke.org and on The Internet Stroke Center's at www.strokecenter.org.