Here's To A Healthy Heart: 7 Steps To Follow For A Better Cardiac Health

As the focus of health care more and more shifts from acute, episodic care delivery a visit to the doctor, clinic or hospital over to daily health management for chronic conditions, patients and relations became crucial partners in their own health care. Nowhere is this more important for millions of Americans than in the area of cardiac health.

Heart disease is the leading killer of each man and women in this country, and heart health has long been a significant focus of the medical profession. However recently, with nearly half all American adults living with some form of cardiovascular disease, it's very important for all people to know what causes risks to heart health, a way to minimize those risks and, once they have been diagnosed, a way to manage chronic heart conditions day in and trip.

At Partners in Care, the house care organization where I work, and its affiliate, the Visiting nurse Service of New York, our clinicians, health coaches, and home health aides visit at-risk New Yorkers in their homes to assist patients and their families perceive and manage the ins and outs of heart disease and wellness. This almost always includes managing high blood pressure, or hypertension, a leading cause of heart disease.

Taking time to educate those patients and families who are most in risk for chronic cardiac conditions is one among the foremost vital things we will do for our patients. American Heart Month may be a great time to share this knowledge with a larger audience, so here are seven heart-healthy habits we encourage you to incorporate into your own daily to-do. A commitment to heart health may mean shifts large or small in daily life, but your heart and your loved ones will thank you.