Smile...Talk...Raise both arms...

Since an apparently innocent and inconsequential little weak spell or stumble can be signs of a stroke, it is essential to see whether it was indeed an innocent little weak spell, stumble....or a stroke!

As ordinary bystanders we can check it out by asking these three simple questions, which can be memorized by the acronym STR or listen here to "The Stroke Song"

S - ask the person to...Smile. :o)
T - ask the person to Talk - to speak a simple coherent sentence. "It's a sunny day outside"
R - ask the person to Raise both arms. (like in a stickup)

If the person has trouble with any one of these tasks, call call 9-1-1 immediately.

These three simple tasks can also be self-administered if a person is alone and has had a weak spell or other potential symptom of a stroke.