American Heart Month in Lakewood & Golden

Did your Valentine make your heart skip a beat? Share the love with heart health awareness.

With Valentine’s Day on the 14th and American Heart Month taking place throughout February, now is the perfect time to discuss how our hearts change as we age. According to HealthinAging, heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalizations for those over the age of 65. Spread the love this February by staying on top of heart health for yourself and loved ones.

How Do Our Hearts Change with Age?

As people age, their hearts can’t beat as fast during periods of physical activity and stress. Also, the heart’s chambers can enlarge. When this happens, heart walls can thicken, so the chambers can’t hold as much blood. This increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm problem commonly experienced by older adults, and strokes.

Additionally, blood moves through valves that may become thicker and stiffer, limiting how much blood can leave the heart, and sometimes causing leaks. This can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs, legs, feet, or abdomen.

Also, older adults with underlying conditions like high blood pressure and obesity have a higher risk of developing heart failure. Heart failure is a serious condition that happens when one or both sides of the heart aren’t pumping enough blood for the body’s needs. Over time, the heart’s pumping action weakens, sometimes preventing the heart from filling with enough blood between heartbeats. This can lead to shortness of breath and swelling.

How Do I Stay Heart-Healthy?

It’s critical for older adults to prioritize their health and wellness. The National Institute on Aging recommends taking these steps to keep your heart healthy:

• Physical activity: If you’re able, try to work 150 minutes of physical activity into your schedule each week.
• Avoid alcohol and tobacco: Smoking can exacerbate damage caused to artery walls from heart disease. Alcohol can make existing problems worse and sometimes has dangerous interactions with certain medications.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight: Try to incorporate fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and lots of fiber into your diet.
• Manage stress: High levels of stress can impact your mental and physical health. If you aren’t already, consider looking into a stress management program.
• Get enough sleep: Aging can impact our ability to sleep, but good sleep is so important for our health and well-being.

Where Can I Find Support in Lakewood & Golden?

Exercise, meal planning, and a good sleep schedule are so important, but staying on top of wellness tasks can take a lot of time and energy. You aren’t alone! Here are some organizations in the area that can help:

• The American Heart Association in Colorado is working to advance women’s health, eliminate nicotine use, and so much more. They offer CPR training courses, and their Heart Ball is coming up on Friday, February 27.
• Colorado Heart & Vascular has a location at 780 Simms St, Suite 200, in Golden. They can help you with cardiology consultations, imaging, exercise stress tests, and a variety of hospital services.
• St. Anthony Hospitals are some of the quickest rapid-heart attack responders throughout the nation, opening blocked arteries and treating heart attacks 15 minutes faster than the national average. They have a location at 11600 W 2nd Pl in Lakewood.

How Can Griswold Support Senior Wellness?

Our team here at Griswold is here to help your family navigate the challenges of aging. We serve Lakewood, Golden, Genesee, Morrison, and surrounding areas, providing services like companion care, personal care, and homemaking. We’d be happy to create a personalized care plan for you or a loved one today – give us a call!