Stroke awareness growing in regional Western Australia, according to new Stroke Foundation survey

A new survey from the Stroke Foundation has found more people in regional WA are becoming familiar with the signs of stroke, and many are more aware than people from Perth.

According to the foundation, 67 per cent regional residents know a sign of stroke, an improvement from last year’s result of 60 per cent.

Meanwhile 58 per cent of Perth residents said they knew a sign.

The most common signs of stroke are facial droop, the inability to lift both arms, and slurred speech.

Along with the need to remember strokes are time-critical, the signs form the acronym FAST — Face, Arms, Speech, Time.

About 2700 people will experience a stroke this year, according to the Stroke Foundation.

Regional Australians are 17 per cent more likely to experience a stroke than those from metropolitan areas, and Indigenous Australians 1.5 times more likely to die from a stroke.

There are 2349 people living with stroke in the federal electorate of Durack, which represents five per cent of the almost 44,000 stroke survivors in WA.

In addition, 32,260 people in Durack have high blood pressure, and 11,445 have high cholesterol, both risk factors of stroke.

Stroke Foundation chief executive officer Sharon McGowan said knowing these signs was incredibly important and potentially life-saving.

“More than 80 per cent of strokes display at least one of the FAST signs of stroke, that’s why we need to ensure someone in every home and workplace can recognise those key FAST signs and call an ambulance as soon as possible,” she said.