In support of The Stroke Association, the Rotary Club of Havant organised a Stroke and Health Awareness day on Saturday 28th April, 2007 at the Pride of Place, Greywell Shopping Centre, Leigh Park, Havant.
There were eight health professional (doctors and nurses) volunteers and twenty rotarians divided into four time slots with two health professionals and five rotarians per time slot.
The campaign was successful as over the five hour period, 132 people were seen and had their blood pressure taken, half of which were over the age of 55 years. 85 were found normal, 45 wer asked to attend their local GP within the next 1-2 weeks because of abnormal blood pressure reading. Two people required urgent referral.
The venue provided excellent facilities for the event and the people at the Place were very helpful and in particular PC Zoe Pragnell
Did
you know?
• Stroke doesn’t discriminate
and can affect anyone at any time.
• Each year over 130,000 people in England and Wales have
a stroke.
• Stroke is the third most common cause of death in England
and Wales.
• Stroke is the largest single cause of disability in England
and Wales.
What
is blood pressure? Blood pressure is a measure of the force with
which the blood presses on the walls of the arteries as it is
pumped around the body by the heart.
A blood
pressure measurement shows the systolic pressure – when
the heart beats – and the diastolic pressure – when
the heart relaxes.
Blood pressure is always higher when the heart beats than when
it relaxes and the systolic pressure is always recorded before
the diastolic pressure.
A normal
adult blood pressure should be less than around 140/90 mmHg.
If your blood pressure is consistently over 140/90 mmHg, or 140/85
mmHg if you have diabetes, you will be considered to have high
blood pressure, known as hypertension.
A
Simple Check
Having you blood pressure tested is very
simple. If it indicates that there are problems we would recommend
that you make an appointment to see your Doctor. Your doctor will
be able to give you advice on how to reduce your blood pressure.
Often changes to your lifestyle, such as eating a healthy diet,
stopping smoking, reducing your alcohol intake and increasing
regular exercise will be enough to reduce your blood pressure.
 If
your blood pressure remains high, there are medications available
that can reduce it which your doctor can prescribe. Your GP should
also give you details of patient organisations and local events
or courses which can give you more information and support.
Once your blood pressure has been reduced to within the normal
range, you should make sure you have it measured at least once
a year.
The
Stroke Association
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