Health visit gives students, Sun City seniors a chance to interact

Just as the holidays hit, Sun City residents got free health screenings and students got the chance to interact with the public Nov. 29.

That’s when a handful of nursing students from the Nevada branch of Arizona College went to the retirement community for outreach. The nursing college has been in Arizona for 20 years and recently expanded to Nevada. This was the branch’s first class, set to graduate in April 2018 with four-year degrees. They were accompanied by instructor David Navarro, who said the day was intended to educate the public about hypertension.

“If you teach people how to live well, then many diseases can be prevented,” he said. “This is a chance for the students to bring that care to the community instead of being hospital-, rehab- or nursing home-based.”

The school is near Sahara Avenue and Rancho Drive. The first core of students traveled to Desert Vista Community Center for a chance to interact with the public.

Navarro introduced the class to the two dozen seniors on hand.

“We want to do preventative medicine,” he said before turning over the mic to the students. “Today we want to focus on hypertension and how to prevent it. Or, if you do have it, what you can do with diet and exercise to help manage and control your blood pressure.”

The afternoon included a quick talk on how diet and exercise affect one’s health and how to make healthful eating choices.

The talk included the points of reading a food label. Student Pamela Guerra led that part.

“Anything you pick up at the supermarket, you want to read the label and look for sodium content,” she said. “Keep it around 5 percent. A low-sodium diet will help you lower your blood pressure.”

Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, Guerra said, daily sodium intake should be between 500 and 1,500 milligrams. The average American consumes 2,300 a day, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Watch out for restaurant meals, processed foods and frozen dinners, as many have high sodium content, she told the dozen or so attendees.

High sodium can cause the body to retain water, increasing the volume of blood and putting more strain on the heart, Navarro said.

Attendees also were advised to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Limiting one’s sugar and caffeine intake were also encouraged.

Student Anthony Thomas is eying a career as an ER nurse. He said getting out of the classroom is important because it “helps us practice so we can become professionals and learn our materials …”

Sharon Schaaf of Sun City attended the free session. She has high blood pressure and was looking for a better way of managing it.

“If it goes up, instead of increasing my medication, if I can do something to better control it, I’ll be glad to learn something,” Schaaf said, adding that she liked the convenience of having the students come to the suburbs.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.