The Rotary Club of Crowthorne and Sandhurst held a Know Your Blood Pressure event at the Tesco store in Wokingham earlier this month.
Tesco provided a convenient location for the Rotary gazebo which housed the facilities to talk to visitors and take blood pressure readings with a level of privacy.
They also allowed Rotary members to use the foyer, where signs highlighting the risks of high blood pressure were displayed, to engage with visitors and to encourage them to have their blood pressure measured.
The messaging was kept simple. Highlighting that high blood pressure is known as the silent killer as it can contribute to many adverse heart conditions, particularly stroke.
Visitors were encouraged to have their blood pressure taken and those that did not have the time were asked to consider having it done in the near future having been made aware of the benefits.
Also, visitors were introduced to FAST, the Stroke Associations guidelines on recognising victims of stroke and how to respond. Many accepted a credit card sized set of introductions to carry with them for future reference.
Face: can the person smile? Has their face fallen on one side?
Arms: Can the person raise both arms and keep them there.
Speech Problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? Is there speech slurred?
Time: If you see any of these three signs, it’s time to call 999.
On the day the blood pressure of over 50 people was measured and a number of visitors took copies of literature provided by the Stroke Association. Using the Stroke Association guidelines, four of the people tested were advised to see their GP urgently and many more were advised to see their GP within a month. Hopefully, Rotary’s advice will have been of benefit.
By allowing the Rotary Club of Crowthorne and Sandhurst to run the Know Your Blood Pressure day at Tesco Wokingham, Tesco made a significant contribution to raising awareness of the need for people to keep an eye on their blood pressure and in doing so, avoid some health issues in the future.
