(A paramedic drives an ambulance through suburban streets.)
Narrator: Every 19 minutes, an Australian suffers a stroke. It kills more women than breast cancer, more men than prostate cancer, and the longer you wait, the worse it gets.
(siren blaring)
To give someone the best chance, know the signs of stroke.
(gentle pensive music)
(The paramedic carries equipment into a house and greets a patient.)
Paramedic: Hello, ambulance.
Patient: Come in.
Paramedic: Hi there, hi, my name’s Adrian. What’s your name?
Patient: Hello, I’m Lauren.
Paramedic: Lauren, what’s happening?
Patient: I don’t feel well.
Narrator: Look at their face. Does their face look normal? Is one side drooping. Ask them to smile. Do both sides of the mouth move the same?
Or does one side not move as much? Next, ask them to hold their arms straight out in front of them while you count for 10 seconds.
Paramedic: Ready, set, go.
Narrator: Are they able to hold up both arms? Or does one fall down, either slowly or quickly?
Next, listen to their speech. Ask them to repeat a phrase back to you. Is their speech slurred? Are they struggling to get the right words out? Is their speech abnormal in any other way?
If the person shows any one of these signs, you need to act fast and call triple zero.
Know the signs. Act fast and you could save a life.
(somber music)
Updated