National Heart Month

Jessica Barnett • February 1, 2024

February is the designated month to raise awareness about heart health and cardiovascular diseases. CritiCare Home Health and Nursing would like to take this time to educate our caregivers about heart disease prevention techniques, risk factors and healthy lifestyle choices. You can educate your patients on heart health by first learning about it yourself!

You play a vital part in supporting your clients' heart health as a nurse and aide at CritiCare. Patients depend on us to help them and look to their caregivers for guidance frequently. The Centers for Disease Control states that leading a healthy lifestyle can lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, all of which can lessen your risk of heart disease. Making healthy habits is the first step towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You can start forming the following kinds of habits:

Healthy Diet: Make a point of cutting back on processed foods and increasing fruit and vegetables in your diet. Additionally, cutting back on salt (sodium) can help lower blood pressure. It's important to make smart drink choices as well. Substitute alcohol and sugary drinks with water.

Regular Exercise: A healthy weight is easier to regulate and maintain when you exercise. Aiming for 30 to 60 minutes each day can reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, there are advantages to moving for any length of time. You can both achieve this goal by being mindful of how you and your patient can move throughout the day.

o Indoor Exercises: Walking outside is a terrific thing to do on your own or with your client as the weather gets warmer. You should continue to be active even when it's still winter outside. If your schedule allows, you can practice the inside-the-home exercises the CDC suggested to achieve this during the workday.

1. Exercise videos are available online for aerobics, yoga, Pilates and more.

2. Work out while watching TV by practicing simple exercises including jumping jacks.

3. Housework can also achieve this goal including vacuuming, sweeping, or gardening.

Don’t Smoke: Smoking cigarettes significantly increases your risk of heart disease. If you smoke, quitting will help lower your risk. To learn ways to help quit, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/.

Have Regular Checkups: Staying on top of your doctor’s appointments is crucial to supporting your health. By checking your cholesterol, high blood pressure among other things you can keep an eye on your heart.

Overall, incorporating things like a healthy diet and regular physical activity in your routine can lead to a healthier and happier life. At CritiCare, our utmost goal is to keep our caregivers and patients healthy. Help us promote heart health by following our tips above!