Bella Vida Senior Center will be working in collaboration with Providence Holy Cross Medical Center for a lecture on how to notice and how to prevent having a stroke on July 24.
Free and open to the public, the lecture is one of at least two held each year to educate seniors and their loved ones on how to spot a stroke when it’s happening, how to respond to it and what to do to manage any risk factors that can result in a stroke.
“It’s for prevention for individuals who get older and become more likely to have a stroke,” said Natalie Newton, Bella Vida’s health and wellness coordinator. “This is how they can be aware of what the signs and symptoms are.”
Providence Holy Cross’ presenters will be Dr. Neha Mirchandani and Debbie Welch. Although each hospital that has joined the senior center in providing these lectures has presented the facts and procedures differently, Bella Vida uses the few opportunities during the year to keep people’s memories fresh in case they encounter someone who has a stroke, Newton said.
Part of the education will be remembering “BE FAST,” Newton said, which stands for Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech and Time. Each word is a reminder on what to watch out for if someone is having a stroke.
Every 40 seconds, a person in the United States has a stroke, and 140,000 Americans die every year from having a stroke, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also the leading cause of a serious long-term disability.
Through these lectures, Newton hopes guests can not only lead themselves to have a higher quality of life but also help those most at risk.
“It’s about taking the preventative steps to avoid it so you can continue to have a better (chance) to help others go through this and educate others around you,” she said. “(Learning from the lecture) means taking what you’ve learned to your friends and family.”
The lecture begins at 1 p.m.
