A Retiring Attitude

 |  December 29, 2008

I wake up to lots of forwarded emails in my inbox. I almost never forward them on, but the other day I got one that I thought might be appropriate for others to read. So I forwarded this email on to all the ‘mature’ (read ‘older’) people on my email list.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally.
Four Signs of a Stroke: Remember the 1st Three Letters… S.T.R.
1. S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. T * Ask the person to TALK and say a simple coherent sentence
3. R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
4. Ask the person to stick out his tongue.
If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, get them to a hospital immediately.
I got a few ‘thank you’ emails in return but one reply prompted the topic for this latest discussion. It asked, “So what do I do in case of emergency in Thailand and what do I do if I can’t speak Thai?” It’s an important question, ‘Who you gonna call?’

Just the other day I learned one answer. Our neighbours had their house broken into and lots of jewellery was stolen. We called 191, the police emergency number. No answer. After a half hour of trying we got though to a police operator. She said we needed to call our local police station. After calling the number she gave us we were told that someone would be right over. Close to an hour later a police car showed up. Maybe 191 wasn’t the best answer to a ‘Who you gonna call’ medical emergency.
Find out a better answer in our next issue.