According to the Stroke Awareness Foundation, strokes are the number one cause of long-term adult disability in the United States. Strokes kill nearly 129,000 Americans each year.
“Stroke is the number three cause of death in women,” Bryan Hensley co-founder of Right at Home Chattanooga said. “It kills more women than men. One in five women will have a stroke.”
Hensley, and his business partner Ryan Naegele opened Right at Home in 2016 with offices in Chattanooga, Cleveland and Maryville, Tn. Right at Home Chattanooga provides a variety of in-home caregiving services.
Hensley said up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable. He shared an extremely personable experience hoping to raise awareness for Stroke Awareness Month this May.
“My mother had a stroke at the first of the year,” he said. “Thankfully, she's on the road to recovery, doing well, no major issues from it, but there were some early signs that she certainly ignored that had we caught it sooner would have, likely made some difference for her.”
Hensley said Right at Home trains caregivers to recognize and respond to early warning signs. Immediate recognition, hospitalization and treatment provides a better chance of recovery.
“We teach our caregivers the acronym used by the American Stroke Organization which is FAST,” he said.
- F = Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?
- A = Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- S = Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Or is there difficulty swallowing?
- T = Time to call 911 – Stroke is an emergency. Every minute counts. Call 911 immediately. Note the time when any of the symptoms first appear.
“The reason for that is there are some medications that can help with stroke symptoms and even reverse stroke effects if it's given quickly,” he said. “But it generally has to be given within the first four and a half hours of the stroke. Anytime past that initial four and a half to five hours, at that point, the main thing doctors are doing is trying to prevent additional damage.”
Hensley said his mom experienced headaches, memory lapses and other small warning signs indicating she had suffered a stroke.
A hospital scan revealed she likely suffered the stroke about 5-6 days prior to seeking medical attention.
“This is why the FAST acronym is important to know,” he said. “If you’re noticing symptoms, you're noticing signs, don't risk it. Go get checked out and make sure that you're cleared by your health team.”
“I’m not a doctor and encourage everyone to seek advice from a licensed medical professional,” Hensley added. “But I’ve seen firsthand how awareness and quick action can make all the difference. That’s why we emphasize this training at Right at Home — and why we want both professional and family caregivers, as well as the broader community, to recognize the early signs and never hesitate to seek help for themselves or others.
Hensley said one of his first Right at Home caregivers recognized the warning signs of a client she was caring for. The caregiver is credited for saving her client’s life.
“She was late in her 90s, very healthy otherwise, sharp as a tack,” he said. “While she was in the hospital, she wanted to have a caregiver there. An additional set of eyes and hands to help her. Our first caregiver was with her for about four hours when she noticed this client was having stroke symptoms and she immediately got the nurses, got her out of bed and they rolled her to the emergency room. We were told by the ER doctor that she likely would not have survived that stroke if there wasn't somebody sitting right there watching her when it happened. It was a big motivator and driver, for us to really feel and see the impact that our caregivers are having out there. That story has always stuck with me.”
Hensley said there are some things you can control to reduce your stroke risk. If you have a pre-existing medical condition like high blood pressure or Diabetes, make sure you’re taking your medications. Adopt healthy eating habits and exercise programs. Get the proper amount of sleep, reduce stress factors and reduce alcohol and coffee consumption.
Depending on the type of stroke, recovery could take days, weeks, months and sometimes years.
Hensley said that’s where therapists and his caregivers can help.
“Physical Therapy will be important,” he said. “Maybe also Occupational Therapy because sometimes it requires re-learning how to do everyday skills. Eating isn't as easy after a stroke. Using the bathroom, getting dressed. Speech Therapy might be needed because a lot of people have difficulty speaking after a stroke. But also, just swallowing, using your mouth muscles, being able to eat properly and speech service.”
He said his caregivers work alongside these other professionals, providing an extra set of hands to help the person make a full recovery.
“Families and friends are amazing and tend to come together and people have a lot of community around them and we love to be a part of that,” Hensley said. “You don’t want to lean on family too much, though. A mom sometimes just wants to be a mom. A dad a dad. Our caregivers come in and allow them to just be family, not a caregiver every moment of the day. That’s always been a big part of our mission – serving the client and their family.”