Aging Well: Heart Health
By Senior Marketing Specialist George Meyer
Frequently monitoring blood pressure is a proactive step to detect high blood pressure.
Martha is an independent grandmother of five and an active member of her community. She is very proactive when it comes to her health and regularly monitors her blood pressure at home. Recently, she noticed that her blood pressure was trending higher, so she scheduled an appointment with her integrated care team. During the visit, her provider confirmed her blood pressure reading was higher than it was at her last visit.
High blood pressure can develop into a condition called hypertension and if left untreated over time, could lead to serious health issues. Hypertension is diagnosed when your blood pressure is consistently 130/80 or higher based on the average of two or more blood pressure readings taken on different days.
Have you ever been told that you have high blood pressure like Martha? This scenario is fictitious, but with early detection blood pressure can be managed and harmful impacts reduced by taking proactive steps and accessing Southcentral Foundation services.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition where the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels is too high. If not addressed, it can damage the walls of the blood vessels. This damage causes tiny tears to develop. As time goes on, cholesterol and fat can build up at these areas, forming plaque. The development of plaque can narrow the arteries, which can block blood flow and, in turn, further increase blood pressure. Over time, plaque buildup may lead to a heart attack, stroke, and other serious health issues.
Choosing healthy habits is one of the greatest things you can do to prevent the risk of developing heart disease. Some factors for developing heart disease are out of your control, but others can be modified by making healthy, conscious decisions about your body. Non-modifiable risk factors, or risk factors you cannot change, may include advanced age, family history, gender, and history of heart diseases.
Positive Lifestyle Choices To Prevent High Blood Pressure:
- Avoid or quit smoking — connect with your integrated care team for a referral to the SCF Quit Tobacco Program for support.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a diet low in saturated and trans fats and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.
- Eat foods rich in potassium like bananas, avocados, potatoes, etc.
- Consume less than 1,000 mg/day of sodium (salt).
- Get 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
- Limit alcohol intake.
In the scenario above, Martha worked with her integrated care team to create a plan to reduce her blood pressure through diet, exercise, and blood pressure medication.
Southcentral Foundation has resources to support customer-owners with hypertension, including integrated dietitians, exercise therapists, integrated pharmacists, and learning circles. For more information, contact your integrated care team.
