The November meeting at the Matthew 25 House was used to educate clients on Blood Pressure.
Abena Eri, as she has come to be known took the time to educate clients and visitors to the November meeting on the importance of knowing one’s blood pressure and ensuring that one was within a normal range.
Educating the clients she explained what Blood Pressure meant. She said one’s blood pressure will naturally increase with age. However, excessive intake of alcohol, excessive smoking, lack of exercise and too much salt intake would predispose one to a hypertensive situation.
After checking the blood pressure of all the clients and visited who attended the meeting for the month of November at the House, she took time to answer their questions one after the other. She noted that if one monitored his or her blood pressure and took precautions, they could keep their health in good condition.
Educating attendants, she took the time to give the various ranges of blood pressure and their implications. Accordingly, the blood pressure is measured in
Blood pressure is measured in mm Hg. The number at the top is that one that indicates the amount or power of pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts. It is called the systolic pressure while the number at the bottom is referred to as the diastolic pressure. It represents the power or pressure between beats.
Giving the various ranges, Abena taught attendants that reading under 120/80 mmHg is considered normal while a range above 120/80 mmHg to 130/80 mmHg is considered as elevated blood pressure.
Pressure readings above 130/80 mmHg to 140/89 mmHg is considered as being in a Hypertension stage one while above 140/80 mmHg to 180/120mmHg is considered Hypertension stage two.
With any reading above 180/120mmHg, Abena said the person must consult a doctor immediately.
The meeting was well attended with many asking questions on how they could maintain a good blood pressure range. In answer to their questions, she cautioned that what one could control must be controlled. She cited examples like diet, exercises, and indulgence in alcoholism and smoking.
Matthew 25 House