PARAMEDICS have warned Loddon Mallee residents to make changes early in life to minimise the risk of stroke.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
People should make lifestyle changes in their 20s, 30s and 40s to avoid being among the 50 per cent of stroke victims who could prevent the debilitating medical events.
It is one of the messages paramedics will deliver on Wednesday night when they hold a half-hour information session on strokes, Ambulance Victoria community liaison officer Ben Miller said.
He said the key was controlling blood pressure.
"We recommend having a chat to your GP and getting your blood pressure measured and assessed," Mr Miller said.
"We also know being active greatly decreases your risk of having a stroke or vascular disease in general. We look for people trying to raise their heart rate for more than about two-and-a-half hours over the week and a good balanced diet."
Smoking also increases the risk, Mr Miller said.
"There are unavoidable risk factors like age. Men have strokes more often," he said.
Mr Miller said changes in lifestyle and good medication would help those 50 per cent of people who could avoid strokes.
The evening will include insights from someone who has lived experience of a stroke and the recovery process.
More:
"It's a really common presentation and it's very debilitating. We know that globally one in four people will have a stroke in their lifetime," Mr Miller said.
"In the last financial year Ambulance Victoria transported 8800 people with stroke-like symptoms."
The event is being run in collaboration with the Stroke Foundation.
It starts at 7pm on Wednesday.
To find out more or to get a link to the video-conferenced event, email loddonmalleeregion.ocelcoordinator@ambulance.vic.gov.au
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- If you're a subscriber, join our subscriber-only Facebook group
- Follow us on Google News