Blood Pressure Screening at South End Gardens

Take a blood pressure screening with Montclair! 

On Aug. 16, the Montclair Health Department will be having an all day Blood Pressure Screening event at South End Gardens. The event, which will take place at 340 Orange Rd. in Montclair, will be open all day to those who are interested in making sure that they are monitoring their blood pressure in order to continue to living a healthy life.

South End Gardens, a non-profit Montclair Senior Housing Corporation, and the Montclair Health Department are teaming up and encouraging interested residents to come out and check their blood pressure.

According to The American Heart Association, blood pressure screenings are vital to living a healthy life because high blood pressure has usually no symptoms so it cannot be detected without being measured by a machine.  The reason that monitoring your blood pressure is so important is because high blood pressure greatly increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, especially if these things run in your family.

The normal blood pressure for a male or female, starting at the age of 20, is at or below 120/80 mm Hg. Doctors insist that when having a normal blood pressure, it is important to be screened or checked at least once every two years. If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80 mm Hg, it may be vital to visit your doctor more often.

It is important to know that high blood pressure can be controlled and changed through lifestyle changes as well as medication. Once someone reaches the age of 65, it is a fact that women have a higher risk of high blood pressure than men while all African-American men and women of all ages have a higher-than-average risk always.

“High blood pressure runs in my family so there is always a chance that I will have high blood pressure or heart disease,” said Leslie Rhein. “It’s extremely important that I maintain a healthy weight and diet and I think the fact that the Montclair Health Department having a blood pressure screening is really great.”

Here are some ways to protect yourself from high blood pressure:

1. Watch your weight; having a healthy weight can reduce the chance of high blood pressure.
2. Exercise regularly; maintaining a healthy lifestyle and exercising is important to avoiding high blood pressure.
3. Make sure your diet consists of healthy foods; it is important to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables and avoid too much sodium intake.
4. Reduce alcohol intake; alcohol can actually decrease and lower your blood pressure.
5. Avoid smoking; cigarettes increase your blood pressure even after you finish smoking.
6. Lessen your intake of caffeine; it is proven that caffeine can raise your blood pressure.
7. Monitor blood pressure; blood pressure monitors can be purchased in stores without prescription.

The Montclair Health Department’s mission is to “to protect and enhance the health and the quality of life of Montclair residents through preventative activities, coordination of interagency efforts and interventions designed to promote positive health behaviors.”

If you are interested in attending Blood Pressure screening, the Montclair Health Department will be at South End Gardens located at 340 Orange Rd. all day on Aug. 16.

  American Heart Association, Blood Pressure, Early Detection, health, Health Promotion, montclair, montclair health department, Screening, South Ends Gardens