THE message of staying active to help ward off stroke has been put into action at the start of 2018.
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South West Healthcare stroke liaison clinical nurse consultant Patrick Groot led a team of rowers who took part in the Wooden Boat Parade on the Moyne River in Port Fairy on New Year’s Day.
The boat carried the name F.A.S.T. an acronym for stroke awareness (Face, Check their face. Has their mouth drooped? Arms Can they lift both arms? Speech Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?Time Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away).
Mr Groot said the boat has been in action for a number of years.
“There were a few of us from the hospital who formed a whale boat team about seven years ago,” he said.
“A lot of us worked with stroke patients so we called it The Stroke Team.
“We raised enough money to build our own boat and the Stroke Foundation contributed to that so we thought a good way to honour their pledge and promote stroke awareness would be to use the F.A.S.T. acronym as the boat’s name.”
The boat is a St. Ayles Skiff with the team aiming to build a second one.
They will compete in the South West Regatta on the Hopkins River in Warrnambool on February 24-25.
The Stroke Foundation has released some sobering statistics to begin 2018.
It estimates there will be 56,000 strokes across Australia in the next 12 months.
Strokes kill more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer each year.
One in three people who have a stroke are of working age but the good news is 80 percent of strokes are preventable, with the elimination of high blood pressure a key factor in avoiding having a stroke.
“Certainly, rowing the boat is a great way to exercise and while it mightn’t be for everyone, it is important people find their own exercise they are comfortable with,” Mr Groot said.
“Regular exercise and a good diet are so important to good health.
“It is all about giving yourself the best chance to stay fit and healthy.”