Cadence’s Care Team shares tips on how to improve your heart health this February
February is Heart Health Month, so we checked in with three members of Cadence’s Care Team, including Medical Advisor Dr. David Feldman, ARNP Marja Dempsey, and RN April Clarin, to learn more about how to achieve optimal heart health.
Dr. Feldman pointed us to the AHA’s Life Essential 8 as the guide for anyone considering ways to improve their heart health. These recommendations include: eat better, be more active, quit tobacco, get healthy sleep, manage your weight, control your cholesterol, manage your blood sugar, and manage your blood pressure. At Cadence, patients participate in a multi-faceted care program that combines lifestyle and wellness modifications with medication management to work toward all eight recommendations over time.
Managing the many comorbidities that lead to heart disease, including obesity, high blood pressure, blood glucose or cholesterol, can be incredibly difficult for a patient or caregiver. One tool that can help do so is remote monitoring technology. Dr Feldman shared, “Remote monitoring is a powerful motivator to help patients track their progress toward health goals between visits with their doctor. It also helps provide additional data to better individualize care for patients who otherwise only see their providers a few times a year.”
If you are wondering how to take the first step in a journey toward improved heart health, Nurse April Clarin recommends keeping it simple by being proactive and taking initiative. It’s important to remember that change takes time. She says, “Give yourself grace. Start by making small and attainable goals that build upon one another and lead to significant change.”
Improving heart health does not have to be a lonely journey. Dr. Feldman said, “Caregivers can be incredible catalysts for change in patients who may need additional encouragement or support adhering to a regular exercise routine, heart healthy diet, daily medication adherence or smoking cessation.” At Cadence, with patients’ permission, the Care team purposefully engages with caregivers to help create accountability for patients and propel them toward their health goals.
Nurse Practitioner Marja Dempsey added, “This can be a great opportunity for your entire household to make healthy changes together. We are much more likely to stick with new lifestyle choices when we are supported by our loved ones.”
Getting started with lifestyle changes does not need to be a big time or financial commitment. Dempsey recommends a brisk walk around the neighborhood or mall if you want to get started with physical activity. Start at five minutes each day and gradually increase the duration to 30 minutes of brisk activity most days of the week.
All three clinicians agree that remote patient monitoring can increase access to enhanced care for patients who have chronic conditions like hypertension and heart failure. Clarin said, “Cadence allows us to touch the lives of so many more patients than you can in most traditional clinical settings. Plus, the mission of providing increased access to world-class care makes working here an incredible opportunity.”
For more information on improving heart health, visit the AHA website, and for more on open clinical roles at Cadence, head to our Careers page.
