Being your own Valentine means loving yourself enough to protect your heart. The Cleveland Clinic Health Hub has an interactive animation that highlights the misconceptions so many of us have about our hearts. One misconception is the idea that “weight gain is just part of the aging process.” The reality is that a maintaining a healthy weight becomes more important as we age. Extra weight brings extra stress on our hearts, in addition to other parts of the body.

At Hanson Services, heart health is part of our care plan. The Hanson Services Healthy Hearts Program is recommended for our clients who have Congestive  Heart Failure. Our caregivers focus on good daily habits for each client. This may include daily weight checks and low- or no-sodium meals. We follow the guidelines set by each client’s cardiologist, using a Heart Health Zone chart to track our client’s progress.

The Hanson Services Go4Life program focuses on strengthening and maintaining an already healthy heart and body. The National Institute on Aging designed this program specifically for older adults to retain endurance, flexibility, balance, and strength. The instruction and resources are free to our clients, and our caregivers can do the workout with them.

If you are a family caregiver, a healthy heart requires accepting help for your loved one. Stress can weaken the strongest of hearts, leaving two people in need of care instead of one. It is not uncommon for a loved one to outlive the family caregiver due to a sudden illness like heart attack or stroke. Just four hours of care from a professional Hanson Services caregiver costs less than dinner in a nice restaurant and can be a lifesaving break from stress. This may be the best Valentine’s Day gift of all: a healthy heart.