WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 3, 2022 21
How to talk to your kids about heart disease
The American Heart Association and its Go Red
for Women movement are helping women create
healthy habits that work best for their life, to
give them the best chance at life because losing even
one mom, sister, friend, or neighbor to cardiovascular
disease is one too many.
With everything that’s happened in the last two years,
even those people who normally focus on their health
have lost their rhythm.
CVD is still the greatest health threat, but COVID –
and all the complexity of life because of it - remains top
of mind. People are experiencing lower physical and
emotional wellness.
And, heart disease deaths rose signifi cantly last year.
Now’s the time to Reclaim Your Rhythm and take back
control of your physical health and mental well-being.
Here are fi ve ways to reclaim your rhythm:
MELLOW OUT AND REDUCE STRESS
Stress leads to unhealthy habits like overeating, physical
inactivity, smoking and risk factors for heart disease
and stroke like high blood pressure, and depression or
anxiety.
MOVE TO THE MUSIC
Physical activity is linked to lower risk of diseases,
GO RED
stronger bones and muscles, improved mental health
and cognitive function and lower risk of depression.
FEED YOUR SOUL, ROCK YOUR
RECIPES
Eat meals together as a family for a chance to connect
and decompress. Regular meals at home with
family reduce stress, boost self-esteem and make the
whole family feel connected.
STAY ON BEAT WITH BLOOD
PRESSURE
High blood pressure is a leading cause and controllable
risk factor for heart disease and stroke and
can contribute to worse outcomes for people who
contract COVID-19.
LEARN HANDS-ONLY CPR
When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends
on immediately receiving CPR from someone
nearby. Help your community reclaim their rhythm
by learning the 2 simple steps of Hands-Only CPR:
Call 911, then press hard and fast in the center of the
chest.
— Courtesy of American Heart Association
You or your partner has just been
diagnosed with heart disease.
How will you tell your kids?
First, realize that this will not be
one conversation; it will be a series
of conversations, says Dr. Jennifer
Connor-Smith, a clinical psychologist
based in Portland, OR. Prepare what
you want to say and end the conversation
with an open-door policy. Also,
make sure to get started sooner rather
than later.
“It is easy for parents to get hung
up on the possibility that they might
say something wrong, and then end
up putting off the conversation,” she
says. “It is important to know that not
quite the perfect thing said with love
and good intentions is better than a
conversation that never happens.”
HERE’S HOW TO GET
STARTED
Pick a good time: When is your
child most receptive to serious conversation?
Right before bed? On a car
ride? On a walk around the neighborhood?
Connor-Smith recommends
thinking carefully about the best
time to have a conversation before
launching in.
Give information piece by piece:
Not all kids will jump to the “are you
going to die?” conversation. Some of
them will have more practical questions.
They may want to see a model of
a heart to understand what is happening.
Others will want to know if your
disease means a cancellation of next
week’s vacation. Let out information
slowly and then wait for questions
to come. “When children ask questions,
ask them to tell you what they
are thinking about or if they have a
special worry on their mind at the
moment,” she recommends. “The more
information you can get from them,
the better you will understand what
they are thinking.”
Explain it’s not their fault: Since
some children may blame themselves
for a parent’s disease, it is important
to be clear about their lack of fault.
“Younger children may worry that
they caused your heart disease because
they may have said, ‘I hate you’
in the past when they were angry,”
says Connor-Smith. “Make sure to tell
them that the disease is not their fault
and that there are things you can do
to make things better, like exercising
and eating healthy.”
Make them feel secure: Negative
health news can cause children to
worry about a change in daily routine,
says Connor-Smith. Abate these
fears by explaining what day-to-day
changes to expect and how long they
will last — from who will pick them
up at school when you are at a doctor’s
appointment, to who will pack their
favorite lunch. “This is a great place
to accept help from friends,” she says.
“If they off er, ask them to help pack
lunches and pick up your kids from
sports practices. It will help your
children cope if you can keep their
routines in order.”
Do not talk about your concerns:
According to Connor-Smith, the biggest
mistake parents can make is to
share their personal concerns with
their children, e.g. the fi nancial cost of
treatment and how it will aff ect one’s
profession. She says, “Those things
need to stay adult concerns. They
should not be shared with children;
they will only make the child feel
more anxious and helpless.”
— Courtesy of the American Heart
Association
Photo via Getty Images
Five ways to reclaim your physical and mental rhythm
Photo via Getty Images
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