Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today marks the first day of National Stroke Week, which is organised by the National Stroke Foundation. Sadly, one in six people will suffer a stroke in their lifetime and, according to the National Stroke Foundation, every six seconds someone somewhere, regardless of age or gender, will die from stroke. It could be someone close to any one of us, and this is why it is so important for people to recognise the signs of stroke.

Today I would like to speak on the importance of recognising those signs. The FAST test is the Stroke Foundation's national identifier for the signs of stroke. It is an easy way to recognise and remember the signs of stroke: 'F' stands for 'face' and urges the individual to check for a drooping of the mouth; 'A' is for 'arms' and requires the person to see if they can lift both arms; 'S' is for 'speech', to check for slurring; and 'T' is 'time', as it is most critical to get emergency access to medical services if the signs of stroke are present. Locally on the Gold Coast, stroke survivor Colin Oxenford has been running the Gold Coast Stroke Support Group to help locals who have suffered a stroke or brain attack. Today Colin will be hosting a barbecue luncheon to launch the official awareness week. I am sorry I could not be there today to support this localised organisation and I would like to congratulate both Colin and his fellow members on their efforts in fundraising and promoting the signs and awareness of stroke. (Time expired)