Ensuring that our Fia Ola members live full lives with happy, healthy hearts is important to us at Pacific Homecare. Aotearoa’s heart charity, the Heart Foundation, recently visited our groups to perform heart checks on them and the surrounding staff.

The Heart Foundation works with communities in New Zealand to provide support, care and advice to those affected by heart disease. Which is known as the nation’s single biggest cause of death, especially in our Pasifika people.

More than 175,000 people in Aotearoa are currently living with heart disease. Of them, more than 6000 people are Pasifika. So, getting heart checks as early as possible could just save a life! Finding risks earlier helps us to protect our heart health as time goes on, especially when it comes to our Pasifika community who are slightly more at risk of heart disease. The recommended age for men to get heart checks is 30 years old and for women, 40 years old. With this in mind, their purpose is to prevent our people from dying early of heart disease, while finding ways for those who have it to live healthier lifestyles.

We asked the Heart Foundation a few questions to help us get the right info about what they do and how YOU can keep your heart as healthy as possible. See below what they had to say.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease is an umbrella term for any type of disorder that affects the heart. Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease. Sometimes you’ll hear it called coronary heart disease or ischaemic heart disease, and sometimes it’s just called heart disease.

Coronary artery disease happens when fats, cholesterol and other material (plaque) build up on the artery wall causing the major blood vessels in the heart to narrow and stiffen (known as atherosclerosis). It becomes harder for blood to reach the heart muscle.

Ageing causes changes to your heart and blood vessels. As you get older you are more likely to suffer from heart disease.

Our website has information about the most common heart conditions, as well as the causes, symptoms, prevention, diagnosis and treatment options.

What can we do to improve our heart health and prevent heart disease?

You and your family can improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease by making some changes to your lifestyle:

  • Stop smoking.
  • Make healthier food and drink choices.
  • Exercise/move more.
  • Maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Take prescribed medications (if necessary).

How can we support our elderly to fight and prevent heart disease?

  • Involve family members in these lifestyle changes outlined above.
  • Encourage small changes. Give them time to adjust to those changes before taking the next step towards change.
  • Ask questions. Learn more about the condition they have been diagnosed with.
  • Understand the role of medications, and why it is important to keep taking them without stopping.
  • Create a supportive place where they can talk about their concerns with others who are experiencing similar things.
  • Learn the signs of changing health and when to ask for help if they are getting worse.

How can we support the community and donate to the Heart Foundation?

There are lots of ways to support the community and get involved with the Heart Foundation, from volunteering to donating or fundraising.

Please see the Get Involved page on our website for more details.

Can we check our heart health ourselves?

You can check your heart health using My Heart Check on the Heart Foundation website. My Heart Check gives an idea of your heart health based on your risk factors and offers tips on how to improve it. It’s free and easy to use.

Meitaki maata to the Heart Foundation for their efforts in keeping our Fia Ola groups and staff heart healthy. For more info, contact the Heart Foundation at:

See below for more heart facts in New Zealand:

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