Company takes health of senior women to heart
Emeritus at Ridge Wind and Emeritus at Highland Hills in the Pocatello and Chubbuck areas are taking a proactive approach to spreading heart health awareness this month — giving the information in person.
Brookdale Senior Living, the company that both Emeritus branches operate out of, kicked off a new initiative in February called “10,000 Heart to Hearts.” It’s in observance of American Heart Month and like the month it aims to raise awareness of heart related problems and diseases and how to prevent them. The program specifically aims to inform women age 65 and older.
“Heart disease is such a high killer among women,” said Philip Shepherd, community relations director at Emeritus at Ridge Wind. “A lot of people don’t understand that there are just a few things you can do to lower your risk of heart disease.”
A visit usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. A representative from Emeritus, like Philip, goes to the resident’s home with a nurse. The nurse first checks the resident’s blood pressure while the Emeritus representative will go over some information sheets that detail resources, tips on maintaining good heart health, and goal-making sheets. The resident also gets a goody bag filled with snacks and recommended recipes to encourage healthier eating habits.
Prevention is a big part of the program for Shepherd, who says he’s trying to keep people out of assisted living.
“We want to keep everyone around, our loved ones especially, as long as they can,” he said.
The goal for the program is to visit 10,000 women nationwide by the end of the month. These visits are completely free and anyone interested can call either Philip Shepherd at Emeritus at Ridgewind at 208-237-3000 or Teresa Brown at Emeritus at Highland Hills at 208-237-6866.
