A Heart Felt Message to Take Care

Saturday, February 6, 2010
A Heart Felt Message to Take Care
It's February. The month when we become dizzy with romance and Valentine's Day. At the center of the physical love frenzy is the heart. We can't love fully unless we have a heart as the driving force.

I am repeating a blog that I ran on February 3rd last year, 2009. Love your heart. Each beat is a blessing.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Beat Goes On...Heart Beat, That is....
It's February and that conjures up thoughts of ground hogs and Valentine's Day. What better way to call attention to the love of Valentine's Day than to focus on hearts - our own hearts and heart health.

We have been jolted into submission to pay attention to heart health by the arresting story in the news about the young GI who was was skydiving for the first time in tandem with an instructor tethered to his back.

Unfortunately, the highly experience instructor died of a heart attack while airborne at the beginning of the 45 minute decent to the ground. The GI had the good sense to recall some combat videos he had seen about paratroopers, kept his calm, and safely landed himself and the instructor. The sad ending is that CPR could not bring the instructor back to life.

That same weekend we heard about the death of a man in our church, in his late fifties, who had spent his last eight years in a nursing home because of a debilitating stroke. He has four teenage children. A severe stroke has landed another church friend, Lisa, 48, first into the hospital, and now, thankfully into rehab. Lisa and her husband, Craig have a blended family of nine kids. Prayers are needed for all these wonderful people, and for their families who are having to struggle with grief, recoveries and healing.

With Valentine's Day as the focus with hearts, the stories we've just talked about all have a common thread, heart attacks and stokes brought on by weaknesses in the heart. Heart health is something that few of us focus on until we have a frightening episode.

To shed more light on what needs to happen to maintain a healthy heart, I am going to repeat some information from our blog last February, and remind all women in the Chicago area to try and attend and support the "Go Red for Women" event.


Go Red for Women Luncheon
Chicago Go Red For Women® Luncheon
02/26/2010
8:30am -- 2:00pm
Fee: Please call the American Heart Association for information.
Location:
The Palmer House Hilton
17 East Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603


For anyone outside Chicago and to find out more information, go to www.americanheart.org.

Here is what goes on in your heart every day. The average heart beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times and pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood.

Some arresting facts to motivate us to keep our hearts healthy:

* Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.
* Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious disability.
* Surviving a stroke can have a devastating impact, not only on the survivor, but on everyone who cares about them.
* Whether you are experiencing any warning signs of a heart attack or stroke,call 9-1-1 immediately! Quick medical attention can reduce the risk of debilitating results, and death.

Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:

*
· Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
*
· Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
*
· Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
*
· Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
*
· Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

For women, look at the following tips to maintain a healthy heart and add years to your life.
Tips for Women at Work:

* Add extra walks to and from the water cooler
* Take ten minute walks between meetings
* Use the stairs instead of the elevator
* Bring healthy snacks
* Take time for lunch and eat at regular intervals versus skipping meals
* Make time for physical activity -- go to the gym and bring your favorite book or office materials to read or workout at home watching your favorite show

Do all you can to be here next year for Valentine’s Day. While we may give our hearts away many times in our lives, we only get one heart to care for. Take heart and take care of yours.
Cheryl Kuba
Aging Parent Solutions, LLC
www.agingparentsolutions.com
Posted by Cheryl Kuba at 9:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: aging parent solutions, aging parents, heart, heart health, parents

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A Heart Felt Message to Take Care
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Cheryl Kuba
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