Wimmera Health Care Group is urging residents to be proactive by checking themselves and loved ones for stroke risks for National Stroke Week 2019.

The group's stroke care co-ordinator Nina Roberts said her focus for this year's National Stroke Week was to increase community awareness.

"We've had many recent admissions to the hospital where people have had stroke conditions as far back as five days prior to presenting. That then limits the treatment we can give them," she said.

"The longer they leave symptoms, the smaller the window for treatment is along with our ability to provide the best care. We really want to get the message out that as soon as you see the signs, call an ambulance."

She said strokes could happen to anybody.

"There is no age determinant - there have been four-year-olds who have had strokes, and there have been 101-year-olds. Those who do have a family history of stroke or heart disease are more at risk," she said.

"As you get older, if you aren't active or are living an unhealthy lifestyle, that does put your risk up. We try to encourage people to keep active and eat right."

Wimmera Health Care Group employs two people to administer post-stroke care. Mrs Roberts said it was a holistic approach to care.

"I'll see people from the emergency department, through to the wards and then the rehabilitation department. We then follow up once they're discharged too," she said.

"We have access to physiotherapists, occupational therapists and allied health which means people can be at home and we can still do that post-stroke care."

She said the mental health affects of stroke weren't addressed enough.

"It's not advocated for enough. For someone who has lived a normal life, the lifestyle change is huge, especially if they can no longer live independently," she said.

"Mental health something we need to be monitoring closely. If you see someone in the community struggling with their post-stroke lifestyle, then speak up."

READ MORE: Vic stem cell trial to aid stroke patients

The theme for this year's National Stroke Week is F.A.S.T heroes. It aims to recognise the people who spotted the signs of stroke early and called an ambulance straight away, potentially saving a life.

Mrs Roberts encouraged people to think F.A.S.T - Face, Arms, Speech and Time to recognise the signs of a stroke.

"Face is whether they have a facial droop and loss of muscle tone in face; arms is getting somebody to lift both their arms up; speech is they could either be slurring or talking nonsense; and time is critical - the sooner signs are noticed, the sooner they can get to a hospital," she said.

Wimmera Health Care Group's stroke support team looks after a catchment of almost 70,000 people.

Wimmera Base Hospital only hospital in the region which has access to the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine program. The program enables clinicians to collaborate across organisational boundaries to deliver care to stroke patients with stroke no matter where they live.

"It allows us to have a neurologist here and capability to do thrombolysis (blood clotting). We also have the CT machine," she said.

A stroke awareness stand will be set up in the main foyer of Horsham's Wimmera Base Hospital on Friday between 9am and 12pm.

Mrs Roberts said people could drop in to receive a free stroke risk screening and information about preventing stroke.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.