Stroke Awareness Month

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 800,000 strokes happen each year in the United States. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and is a major cause of serious disability for adults.

Did you Know:

• Two times more women die from stroke each year compared to breast cancer?
• There was a 44% spike in the number of young Americans hospitalized due to stroke over the last decade?
• Stroke causes the death of one in four Hispanic males and one in three Hispanic women?
• Twice as many African Americans have strokes than Caucasians?

A stroke is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain and can affect a person’s speech, movement, memory, and more. It’s important to know the signs of a stroke and get help quickly. Some of the warning signs include:

• Weakness in the face, arm, or leg
• Difficulty speaking
• Vision loss
• Dizziness

Anyone can have a stroke at any age, but almost three-quarters of all strokes happen in people over 65. Certain factors can increase your chances of having a stroke, like smoking, drinking alcohol, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and bad eating habits. Up to 80% of strokes may be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle.

Stroke victims are often left with physical, sensory, cognitive and communication deficits, such as memory loss, slurred speech and trouble swallowing. The Speech-Language Institute (SLI) of Salus University offers a comprehensive approach to treating many of the common conditions that effect stroke survivors.

SLI’s speech-language pathologists incorporate a variety of assessments to gather background on a patient’s strengths and challenges. Assessments take place over the course of one or more sessions. Following the assessments, an individualized treatment plan is developed based on each patient’s needs.

In addition, SLI also offers a free community support group for stroke survivors with aphasia. Aphasia is an impairment of language typically caused by an injury to the brain such as a stroke. While aphasia does not affect the intelligence of the person diagnosed, it does make communication difficult - leading to problems with speaking, listening, reading and writing.

If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke and is in need of speech-language treatment, contact us today.