Stroke
❤️ Cardiovascular
FFH Network × American Stroke Association × [Your Neurology / Primary Care Clinic]
🧠 Force Field Fact Sheet · Stroke

Build Your Force Field for Stroke — Time Is Brain

A one-page primer on stroke — the #1 cause of long-term adult disability in the U.S. Sixteen squares of essential knowledge, skills, resources, and actions. Learn BE-FAST recognition, the 4.5-hour clot-busting window, the 24-hour clot-removal window, and the secondary-prevention plan that keeps a second stroke away. Earn your Certified Prepared Patient · Stroke badge by completing the full course.

Tell Me So I Can Understand

If you ever need to explain your Stroke in 30 seconds — to a coworker, partner, teacher, coach, or stranger with you when something happens — start with this.

“I’ve had a stroke. My brain healed as much as it’s going to and I take medications every day to prevent the next one. I wanted you to know because the risk of a second stroke is real, and the warning signs are the ones we call FAST — Face droop, Arm weakness, Speech change, Time to call 911. If you ever see any of those in me, call 911 immediately. Don’t wait. Don’t drive me — ambulance is faster to the right care.”

Four-beat structure: name it · explain it in one plain sentence · why you’re sharing · what you want them to do. Use your own words. Three pocket versions for specific people are at the bottom.

📋 Open the Prepared Visit Tool Take the Stroke Course → Talk to Your Care Team →
🧍
Patient / Survivor

At risk or recovering from stroke.

👨‍👩‍👧
Family / Caregiver

BE-FAST witness. Calls 911 first.

💼
Employer / HR / School

BE-FAST in the workplace.

🎓
Health Student

Nursing, MA, EMT, neuro learner.

🚨BE-FAST — The Stroke Recognition Code

If you see any one of these — call 911 immediately. Do not drive. Do not "wait and see." Note the time the symptom started — that timer determines what treatments are still possible.

B
Balance
Sudden loss of balance, dizziness, falling
E
Eyes
Sudden vision change in one or both eyes
F
Face
Face droop on one side, uneven smile
A
Arm
One arm drifts down when both held up
S
Speech
Slurred, jumbled, or trouble understanding
T
Time
Call 911. Note the start time.

🎯Three Phases · One Force Field

Every square belongs to one of three content types — not three levels you climb. They tell you what kind of square you’re reading: a concept to understand, a habit to live, or a way to share what you’ve learned. Where you actually track personal progress is your Prepared Patient Course (modules completed) and the Skills Lab (skills signed off). Inside each square’s detail panel, the four sections — Concepts · Skills · Actions · Plan — are the building blocks of these phases.

📘 Learn It Content type

Identity earned: Self-Advocate. The "know" — head knowledge, BE-FAST, time windows, ischemic vs hemorrhagic, your risk factors.

Concepts
→

🛠 Live It Content type

Identity earned: Care-Team Member. The "do" — daily skills (BP cuff, AFib check, med adherence) and this-week actions that turn skills into habits.

SkillsActions
→

🛡️Your Force Field — 16 Squares

Click any square to open its detail panel. Each square is a tile in your shield. Keep clicking, learning, and acting — your Force Field gets stronger every step.

Primer What This Is Read it cold and you'll know what it is.
1📖

What Is a Stroke?

Brain cells dying because blood flow stopped (ischemic, ~87%) or a vessel ruptured (hemorrhagic, ~13%). A TIA is a "warning stroke" — same symptoms, blood flow restored before damage. Time is brain.

Primer
2🧠

360 Human Anatomy
Cerebrovascular

Heart → carotid + vertebral arteries → Circle of Willis → brain regions. A blocked vessel kills ~1.9 million neurons per minute. Where the vessel sits decides which function you lose.

Anatomy
3👥

Who Gets It?

~795,000 Americans/year. Risk rises with age, BP, AFib, diabetes, smoking, family history. African Americans in the southeast U.S. "Stroke Belt" carry the highest incidence and youngest age of onset.

Primer
4📊

The Numbers

~795K strokes/year · ~160K U.S. deaths/year · #1 cause of long-term adult disability. ~80% are preventable. Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke; every 3 minutes someone dies of one.

Primer
Learn It Condition Literacy Identity earned: Self-Advocate (Content type)
5🚨

BE-FAST Recognition

Balance · Eyes · Face · Arm · Speech · Time. Any one symptom = call 911. Do not drive. Note the start time. EMS routes to the right stroke center.

Learn It
6⏱️

The Time Windows

Clot-buster (tPA / tenecteplase): up to 4.5 hours from symptom start. Clot removal (thrombectomy): up to 24 hours for the right large-vessel blockages. Faster = more brain saved.

Learn It
7🩸

Know My Numbers & Risks

BP <130/80, A1c <7%, LDL often <70 after stroke, AFib detected and anticoagulated, no smoking, alcohol moderation, sleep apnea screened. Each lever measurably cuts recurrence.

Learn It
8🥗

Lifestyle Force Field

Mediterranean / DASH eating · 150 min/week movement · 7+ hr sleep (treat OSA) · stop smoking · alcohol moderation · stress / breathing skills. Lifestyle drops recurrence as much as a medication.

Learn It
Live It Care & System Literacy Identity earned: Care-Team Member (Content type)
9💊

Secondary Prevention Meds

Antiplatelet (aspirin, clopidogrel) for most ischemic strokes; anticoagulant (apixaban, warfarin) if AFib; high-intensity statin; BP meds to goal; diabetes meds to goal. Adherence is everything.

Live It
10🤝

Care Team Members

Vascular neurology · primary care · cardiology (if AFib) · rehab trio (PT, OT, speech) · RN care manager · pharmacist · behavioral health · AHA peer mentor · home health if needed.

Live It
11📱

Telemedicine & Tech

Telestroke at your local ED gives you a vascular neurologist in minutes. Validated home BP cuff. Smartwatch AFib alerts. Rehab apps for speech and motor practice. MyChart for follow-up.

Tech
12💳

Insurance, Rehab & Cost

Acute → IRF (inpatient rehab) → SNF or home health → outpatient rehab. Medicare covers most. FMLA + ADA at work. Stroke is the #1 reason for long-term-care insurance claims — know your coverage.

Live It
Share It Advocacy & Ambassadorship Identity earned: Ambassador (Content type)
13⚖️

Equity & the Stroke Belt

African Americans have ~2× the stroke rate of White Americans, with onset ~10 years earlier. The southeast "Stroke Belt" carries the heaviest U.S. burden. SCD + HTN + T2D + OSA cluster — stroke is the named outcome.

Share It
14🎤

Teach BE-FAST

Teach BE-FAST to your spouse, your kids, your coworkers, your church, your barbershop. The person who recognizes your stroke is more likely to be a loved one than a doctor.

Share It
15📨

Share Insights with Clinicians

Survivors are the best teachers. Share your "what worked / what didn't" letter with your stroke team. Speak at grand rounds. Help train EMS, ED, and rehab teams. Your story changes practice.

Share It
16🔬

Join the ROI Study

PHIT — Population Health Impact Tracking. Aggregate & anonymous. Help prove this program reduces second strokes, ED visits, readmissions, and disability for stroke populations.

Study

🩺 Hand-off to my Stroke Team

Print and bring to your next visit. This page tells your team what you have prepared for, what you want to focus on, and how you would like to participate as an active member of your own care team.

  • I am a Prepared Patient in training for Stroke. I have reviewed all 16 squares of this Force Field Fact Sheet.
  • I have started building my Health Passport, my BE-FAST family card, my home BP log, and my medication adherence log to bring to every visit.
  • I want to teach back what I have learned and have you correct anything I have misunderstood — especially around my BP / A1c / LDL goals, my antiplatelet or anticoagulant plan, my AFib status, and when to call 911.
What helps my visit

Two minutes for me to teach back. One question I prepared. My home BP log. My med list. Confirm my goal numbers on the chart.

What I am working on

Hitting BP/A1c/LDL goals · medication adherence · Mediterranean / DASH eating · sleep apnea screen · AFib monitoring · rehab continuation · my family knowing BE-FAST cold.

How I want to participate

Shared decisions. Full med list before changes. Tell me your top 1–2 priorities so we agree. Use the AHRQ SHARE Approach. Help me see my numbers, not just my prescription.

🔬 Help Prove This Works — Join the FFH ROI & PHIT Study

The Prepared Patient program is being studied to see whether better preparation actually reduces second strokes, ED visits, hospital readmissions, and total cost of care — for you and for the people in your circle of influence. Your participation is voluntary, your data is aggregated and anonymized, and you can withdraw at any time.

✓
Yes — I want to be counted. I agree to share aggregate, de-identified outcomes (recurrence, ED visits, admissions, self-reported quality of life, badge progress) with the FFH ROI Engine and PHIT research collaborative for the purpose of validating this program. I understand I will receive periodic summaries and can opt out by emailing research@theforceforhealth.com.
✓ Thank you — you're enrolled. We'll email you a confirmation and study ID.

➕ Add-On Force Field Card · Device or Skill Mastery

If your care plan adds a medical device or new skill, bolt on a 5-step Add-On Card. For Stroke common bolt-ons include: home BP cuff (validated upper-arm), pill organizer + reminders, AFib-capable smartwatch, CPAP onboarding (if OSA), home rehab program (PT/OT/SLP), MyChart messaging, fall-prevention home audit, weekly weight log.

1
Introduce

What it is, why it matters, what it does

2
Coach

Watch a demo + walk-through

3
Practice

Do it with a coach watching

4
Train

Use it daily with a check-in

5
Test

Demonstrate competence + earn badge

Ready to go deeper?

The Prepared Patient · Stroke course turns this fact sheet into a guided journey: pre/post knowledge checks, BE-FAST drills, secondary-prevention regimen mastery, the rehab continuum, comorbidity awareness, badge tests, and your printable Health Passport. Earn Aware → Active → Certified.

Open the Full Course →

📖 Square

Tier · Stamp

Detail copy goes here.

Concepts Learn It

What you need to know.

    Skills Live It

    What you can do.

      Actions Live It

      What you do this week.

        Plan

        How you carry it forward.

          🧍 Patient

          👨‍👩‍👧 Family

          💼 Employer

          🎓 Student

          Open in Prepared Patient course →
          How to Talk to Your Care Team

          Three things to learn before you actually need them: when to use which door, how to describe a symptom, and what good questions look like.

          This is the teaching. The fillable forms, editable question lists, printable summaries, and post-visit teach-back live in the Prepared Visit Tool. Trackers live in your Prepared Patient Course.

          When something happens — which door do I use?

          After a stroke, you live with two big questions every day: is this stroke recovery, or is this a new stroke? The ladder helps.

          1

          Handle at home

          • Usual residual weakness or speech difficulty at your post-stroke baseline
          • Fatigue at the end of a hard day
          • Stiffness that PT exercises help

          Log it. Keep up with your PT, OT, speech therapy as prescribed.

          2

          Call the office / message the portal

          • Mild change in mood, sleep, or appetite (post-stroke depression is common)
          • New or worsening swallowing issues
          • Running low on blood thinners or BP meds
          • Questions about new symptoms that don’t fit FAST

          Same day. Don’t wait.

          3

          Urgent / Acute care

          • Brief, sudden weakness or speech change that fully resolved (could be a TIA — a warning stroke)
          • New severe headache without warning
          • Fall with possible injury

          Urgent care or 911 if uncertain. TIAs predict strokes.

          4

          ER NOW / call 911

          • FAST signs — Face droop, Arm weakness, Speech change — call 911 IMMEDIATELY
          • Sudden severe headache (“worst headache of my life”)
          • Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes
          • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance
          • Confusion that came on quickly

          Time is brain. Call 911. Note the exact time symptoms started — treatment decisions depend on it.

          How to tell your doctor about a new symptom in 30 seconds

          Six questions clinicians listen for every time. Give all six and you cut their detective work in half.

          1
          What is it?

          The sensation in plain words.

          2
          How bad?

          0-10 or compare to your worst.

          3
          When did it start?

          Date, time, what you were doing.

          4
          What made it worse?

          Movement · food · meds · rest.

          5
          What helped?

          What brought it down even a little.

          6
          What else was new?

          Fever, new med, new supplement, alcohol, stress. The thing you almost forget to mention is usually the thing that changes the diagnosis.

          Worked example — the Stroke version

          “My right arm felt weak this morning for about 20 minutes — it’s back to baseline now — came on while I was making coffee, I tried squeezing a stress ball and it felt heavy, sitting and resting brought it back, and I missed my aspirin yesterday because I ran out.”

          Questions worth asking — what good questions look like

          Read them so you know what a strong question sounds like. When you’re actually preparing for a visit, the Prepared Visit Tool lets you check the ones you want, write your own, and print or send them to the portal.

          Four that apply to every patient, every condition, every visit:

          1. “Could this be a side effect of one of my medications, a supplement, or something else I’m doing — and should we change that?”
          2. “Would any non-drug therapy help — physical therapy, meditation, rest, ice or heat?”
          3. “If I can’t afford this medication or this test, can we talk about samples, alternatives, or a social worker who can help?”
          4. “What should I be watching for between now and my next visit — and when do I handle it myself, when do I call your office, when do I go to urgent care, and when do I go to the ER?”

          Questions specifically for Stroke

          1. “Am I on the right antithrombotic for my stroke type — aspirin, clopidogrel, anticoagulant, or combination?”
          2. “What was my stroke cause — cardio-embolic, large-vessel, small-vessel, or unclear — and how does that change my prevention?”
          3. “Is my BP at target for post-stroke prevention?”
          4. “Am I getting all the rehab I need — PT, OT, speech, vision?”
          5. “What’s our plan for post-stroke depression screening — it’s common and treatable.”
          What to Tell People in Your Life

          Three pocket versions of your “Tell Me So I Can Understand” — for specific people, specific moments.

          Same four beats: name it · explain it · why you’re sharing · what you want them to do. Tuned for who you’re talking to.

          💼

          For a coworker or boss

          “I had a stroke. Most days I’m fully here. If you ever see my face droop, my arm go weak, or my speech change, please call 911 immediately — that’s a new stroke and minutes matter. Don’t drive me. Don’t wait to see if it passes.”
          👫

          For a partner or housemate

          “I had a stroke. My blood thinner is [name · dose]. Watch for FAST: face droop, arm weakness, speech change. Call 911 immediately if you see any of them and note the time symptoms started. Don’t drive me — ambulance is faster to the stroke unit.”
          🚑

          For a first responder or ER team

          “I’m a stroke survivor. Date of last stroke: [date]. Type: [ischemic/hemorrhagic, location]. Anticoagulant: [name · dose · last taken]. BP meds: [list]. Allergies: [allergies]. Neurologist: [name · phone].”

          📋 Want this card built for you — with your medications, allergies, and care team already filled in? Take the Prepared Patient · Stroke course and we’ll build you a personalized Emergency Card — print-ready, phone-ready, wallet-sized.