.jpg)
MEMBERS HERE
WHY YOUR HEALTH MATTERS
Tips to Staying Strong
Alternative living arrangements
Depression (Major Depressive Disorder-MDD)
Our Beloved Community Matters!
The health and self-care of elderly Black women are crucial for several interrelated reasons, encompassing social, cultural, economic, and health-related factors. Here’s a detailed explanation:
1. Health Disparities
Elderly Black women often face significant health disparities compared to their counterparts. They are at higher risk for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Addressing their health needs is vital to reducing these disparities and improving overall health outcomes.
2. Quality of Life
Maintaining good health is essential for enhancing the quality of life in elderly populations. For Black women, who may face multiple stressors, prioritizing health and self-care can lead to greater physical well-being, mental health, and emotional resilience, contributing to a more fulfilling life.
3. Cultural Considerations
Cultural beliefs and practices play a significant role in health behaviors. For elderly Black women, understanding and integrating cultural values into health care and self-care practices can improve their engagement with health services and their commitment to self-care routines.
4. Social Support Systems
Elderly Black women often rely on strong community and family networks. Promoting health and self-care can enhance these support systems, fostering social connections that are crucial for emotional and psychological well-being.
5. Economic Factors
Economic disparities can impact access to health care and resources for self-care. Elderly Black women are more likely to face financial challenges, which can affect their ability to prioritize health. Addressing these economic barriers is essential for promoting health equity.
6. Mental Health
Mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, are prevalent among elderly populations, particularly among marginalized groups. Self-care practices such as exercise, social engagement, and mindfulness can be effective in improving mental health, making it crucial to encourage these practices among elderly Black women.
7. Role Models and Leadership
Elderly Black women often serve as matriarchs in their families and communities. Their health and well-being can influence the health behaviors of younger generations. By prioritizing their own health, they set an example and can advocate for better health practices within their families and communities.
8. Access to Healthcare Services
Ensuring that elderly Black women have access to comprehensive healthcare services is vital. This includes regular check-ups, screenings, and preventive care, tailored to their specific needs. Facilitating access to these services can lead to early detection and better management of health conditions.
9. Empowerment and Advocacy
Focusing on health and self-care empowers elderly Black women to take control of their health outcomes. It encourages them to advocate for their needs, seek appropriate care, and demand respect and quality in healthcare settings.
Conclusion
The health and self-care of elderly Black women are interconnected with broader societal issues, including systemic racism, socioeconomic challenges, and cultural dynamics. By prioritizing their health, we not only improve individual well-being but also contribute to healthier families and communities, ultimately fostering a more equitable society. Promoting health initiatives, increasing access to resources, and recognizing the unique challenges faced by this demographic are essential steps in ensuring their well-being.
Ringing in the New Year for many means setting goals we would like to accomplish in the year ahead. With many people setting goals in health and wellness, it is appropriate that January is National Staying Healthy Month. This month, we want to draw awareness to different ways we can all take steps towards staying healthy.
**Physical Health – Look at your physical health over the past few months. Has anything changed recently with your health? Do you have any new symptoms or areas of concern with your health? If the answer is yes to any of these, consider calling your healthcare provider and scheduling an appointment to discuss your concens.
**Mental Health – We are hearing more and more about the importance of mental health. Historically, speaking out about how you are feeling emotionally was not common practice. We are learning however that keeping emotions and feelings inside can possibly affect our overall health. Stress and emotions can affect our health and well-being the same way a poor diet or lack of exercise can. This month, consider your mental health when evaluating your feelings. Aim to make a few minutes each day for a mental health break and do something you enjoy, or that relaxes you.
**Spiritual Health – Spiritual health is so often overlooked; it relates to an individual’s ability to seek, experience, and convey purpose and meaning in his or her life. Spiritual health can best be accomplished through journaling, praying, or meditating. Anything that causes a person to pause, seek meaning, and reflect quietly is a spiritual practice. Spiritual practice aims to help a person find fulfillment and peace in life.
Finding fulfillment and peace often gives them a sense of gratitude and satisfaction, leading them to an
overall improvement and nourishment of their spiritual health.
Women and Heart Disease: Knowledge and Prevention is Vital
There’s no denying that heart disease is a killer for both men and women, but there are some risks that apply specifically to women. As with many health-related issues, awareness is incredibly important; if you’re aware of the risks, prevention tactics, and symptoms for heart disease, you have a much better chance of avoiding this worldwide leading cause of death.
Even though more women die from heart disease each year than men, many women (nearly half in a recent American Heart Association (AHA) survey) don’t realize that having a heart attack is a serious potential health hazard for them. The AHA states that 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, which is a shocking statistic. Even more startling? Heart disease is the cause
of 1 out of every 3 deaths.
While that statistic is incredibly disheartening, there is a silver lining to heart disease that doesn’t necessarily exist for other major health issues: the majority (around 80%) of heart attacks are preventable based on adjusting your lifestyle. They say ‘knowing is half the battle’ – and in this case, knowing may help women avoid the battle completely. Women are more likely to be sedentary and obese than men. And many common risk factors increase women’s heart attack risks much more than men’s. For example, women smokers have a 25% greater risk than men of developing heart disease, and women with diabetes have a 44% greater risk.
If women take the following approach to their general health, they are much more likely to avoid heart issues:
• Sustain healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure levels
• Eat a healthy and balanced diet
• Refrain from smoking and high alcohol intake
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly
• Seek treatment for depression
In addition to understanding how to prevent a heart attack, recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack can be extremely beneficial
in reducing the damage to your heart. Most people report feeling an uncomfortable pressure in the center of their chest that becomes hard to ignore. But for some women, heart attack symptoms can be less obvious. Some women feel extremely exhausted, have shortness of breath, or experience pain in one or both of their arms. And sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Women may tend to ignore these symptoms since they don’t seem as serious as the traditional chest pressure associated with a heart attack, which then makes those women at a higher risk for greater damage to their heart if they were in fact
having a heart attack. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms associated with a heart attack, call 911 immediately.
The biggest thing to know about heart disease is that you have a lot of power and control over its wrath. Speak with your doctor
about the ways you can take control of your general health and your heart health so you can help reduce the number of heart attacks occurring each year. To read more about heart disease and women, read this article written by Tania Chao, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist with Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group.