Trillium Court hosting sweet event on Valentine's Day

February is heart month and Trillium Court Seniors' Community is hosting its annual decadent event, "For the Love of Chocolate," on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), as a fund-raiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

This special event, scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Atrium, will feature an all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet, and an all-chocolate bake sale.

Heart disease is a major threat to senior health - in fact, 84 per cent of people aged 65 years and older, die from heart disease. Though heart disease risks increase with age, it doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of getting older. The right lifestyle habits and a heart-healthy diet can help protect you.

What exactly is heart disease? It’s the term given to a group of different health conditions that affect the heart. The most common form of heart disease is called coronary artery disease. This condition is often responsible for serious cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack, heart failure, chest pain, and irregular heartbeat, also called arrhythmia.

You can keep your heart healthy no matter how old you are, but it does take effort — possibly even changes in your everyday habits, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and increasing your activity level.

Here’s how to get started:

Get enough exercise. This means at least 30 minutes of exercise almost every day of the week. It’s as easy as going for a walk.

Quit smoking. If you do smoke, it's time to quit. Ask your doctor for help.

Eat a heart-healthy diet. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables while limiting saturated fats, salt, and foods containing cholesterol, like fatty meats.

Watch your numbers. Get regular check-ups to monitor health conditions that affect the heart, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, and make sure they’re under control with medication. Trillium Court has a blood pressure clinic Feb. 21 – come and get it checked for free!

Reduce your alcohol intake. Excess alcohol consumption can worsen health conditions that contribute to heart disease, such as blood pressure, arrhythmias, and high cholesterol levels.

Minimize stress in your life. Stress can compound many heart disease risks that seniors already face, steering you toward an unhealthy lifestyle. Find healthy outlets to relieve stress and lower your heart disease risk. Go for a walk!

Watch your weight. Too many pounds can add up to increased heart disease risk. To help prevent heart disease, maintain a healthy body weight for your size. Go for a walk!! Walking really is the key to good health, stability and strength. When we stop moving, everything else stops. So go for a walk.

The Davidson Centre has a great walking track and it’s free.

Working with your doctor can help keep health problems under control. It's never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle and getting your heart disease risks in check. And don’t forget to go for a walk.

A QUICK UPDATE: Trillium Court raised a grand total of $500 for the Alzheimer Society of Grey-Bruce. This was done through the Walk for Memories that was held Jan. 20, and through the sale of some boxed chocolates.