As you get older, you may begin to fear the risk of stroke more and more. The Stroke Foundation of Australia has a F.A.S.T. test to remember the most common signs of one.

Has their Face drooped?

Can they lift both Arms?

Is their Speech slurred and do they understand you?

Call 000, Time is critical.

Read more from Justin: Saying goodbye to 'what if?'

This walkthrough guide helps identify if somebody around you is having a stroke, but what if you have a stroke and nobody is around?

Earlier this year, Readers Digest uploaded a YouTube video outlining some of the warning signs of an upcoming stroke. You can check it out here.

 One of the biggest warning signs involves your quality of vision. Seeing double, blurry vision or loss of sight in one eye can be a sure sign of an oncoming stroke. People often blame this on old age, exhaustion or tiredness. But this is a warning sign that must be taken seriously.

Many also consider numbness of the arm as just a minor discomfort and assume that their arm has ‘fallen asleep’. But if it doesn’t go away in a few minutes, you need to call for help because this can be a serious sign of an oncoming stroke.

For those who have enjoyed a drink in their time, alcohol is often put to blame for their wobbliness on their feet. If you suddenly begin to stumble and cannot walk straight, or experience dizziness out of the blue, then call for help immediately - it may be a sign of a stroke.

Last but not least, is the blinding headache that many will likely blame on a migraine. Often strokes masquerade as migraine-like headaches because they have similar neurological symptoms. If you feel a migraine coming on, it's better to be safe rather than sorry and get checked out!

Recent statistics suggest the following:

1. Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability
2. Stroke kills more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer
3. This year alone there will be approximately 56,000 new and recurrent strokes – one in every nine minutes
4. Over 80 percent of strokes are preventable
5. This year there will be more than 475,000 living with the effects of stroke. This is anticipated to rise to one million by the year 2050
6. About 30 percent of stroke survivors are under the age of 65
7. 65 percent of survivors suffer a disability, impeding their ability to carry out daily living activities unassisted.
8. Financial cost of stroke is estimated to be $5 billion every year

With such shocking statistics, it really does emphasise the necessity of reacting swiftly and appropriately to the warning signs.

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