<p>Consumer Newsletter – November 2015 www.sres.org By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau</p><p>Get Smart. World Stroke F.A.S.T. Day Speed –F.A.S.T. – is king when it comes to reducing the effects of a stroke. October 29 was World Stroke Day. You’ve likely seen the F.A.S.T. billboards Yes, no one really wants to think about and ads. The acronym is designed to help strokes. people recognize and respond to the most obvious stroke symptoms. But stroke is the second leading cause of death for those over the age of 60, They stand for: according to the World Health Organization. Face Drooping -- Does one side of the face Another startling statistic: 1.9 million brain droop or is it numb? Ask the person to cells die per minute after a stroke. So it’s no smile. Is the person's smile uneven? surprise that stroke is the leading cause of Arm -- Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the adult disability, which could mean paralysis, person to raise both arms. Does one arm depression, pain, memory loss, and drift downward? language problems. Speech Difficulty -- Is speech slurred? Is the Zero warning person unable to speak or hard to And since strokes often come with no understand? Ask the person to repeat a warning and strike quickly, you have no time simple sentence, like "The sky is blue" or to when you’re in an emergency to Google sing the “Happy Birthday” song. Are the “stroke symptoms” or “stroke what to do.” sentences correct? </p><p>It’s better to be prepared by depositing Time to call 9-1-1 -- If someone shows any some simple information into your memory of these symptoms, even if the symptoms that you can tap in a crisis. go away, call 9-1-1 ASAP. Also, check the time of the symptoms’ onset. The Take five minutes to understand the basics. emergency room doctors will want to know. One day the knowledge could save your own or a loved one’s life. Other symptoms that come on suddenly that also can indicate a stroke include:</p><p> Confusion or trouble understanding  Trouble seeing in one or both eyes  Trouble walking, dizziness, and loss mortgage rules, strategies for cities to better of balance or coordination serve an aging population, and evaluating  A severe headache with no known Medicare drug choices. Here are some cause links: </p><p>Need for speed  American Shop for bargains, not so much for mortgage rates: Preventing damage and long-term disability www.housingwire.com/articles/3532 is the reason why getting patients to the 2-study-americans-shop-around-for- emergency room quickly is crucial. everything-but-mortgages </p><p>In many cases, clot-busting medications can  New mortgage rules: reverse or minimize the effects of a stroke. www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/your- But those drugs need to be given within a money/new-mortgage-rules-and- few hours of the stroke’s onset for greatest how-to-make-the-most-of- effectiveness. them.html?_r=1&sf13799616=1</p><p>Housing connection  Readying cities for aging: www.citylab.com/commute/2015/09/ If you’re thinking about a relocation or prototyping-the-age-ready- you’re buying a vacation property, you may city/405100/ want to consider the property’s proximity to hospitals that are expert at treating strokes.  Social Security and Cost of Living See: http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart- Answers : public/@wcm/@gwtg/documents/download www.usatoday.com/story/money/per able/ucm_476918.pdf sonalfinance/2015/10/14/faqs-social- security-colas-aarp/73033652/ Learn more:  Evaluating Medicare drug choices  www.cdc.gov/stroke/docs/consumer during open enrollment: ed_stroke.pdf www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/your- money/check-your-medicare-  http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/aha prescription-drug-plan-then-check-it- mah- again.html?ribbon-ad- public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/docume idx=2&src=recg&mabReward=CTM nts/downloadable/ucm_470704.pdf &module=Ribbon&version=origin&re  http://www.strokeassociation.org/ST gion=Header&action=click&contentC ROKEORG/General/World-Stroke- ollection=Recommended&pgtype=ar Day- ticle 2012_UCM_444999_SubHomePag  Health benefits of resilience: e.jsp www.health.harvard.edu/blog/stress-  www.stroke.org/about-us busting-mind-body-medicine- reduces-need-for-health-care-  www.world-stroke.org 201510168450? utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=s Recent news ocialmedia&utm_campaign=101615 kr1&utm_content=blog Maybe you’ve missed some important news stories in recent months. They include new Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market (Company) (Address) (City, State, Zip) (Agent Name and Designations)</p>