Harvest over, the National Ploughing Championships coming up, time to take the foot off the pedal for a bit of rest and relaxation but pencilling in an ‘NCT’ for yourself during quieter times is important too. Why not dedicate a couple of mornings for a GP check up, dental check up, an eye test and a hearing test if necessary to keep yourself (like your machines) in good running order?

Did you ever see an Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) lorry at an agricultural event or near a shopping centre offering free heart health checks but you said, ‘Ah, no, I won’t bother.’?

If you did, Offaly farmer, Eddie Molloy’s story might make you think differently.

He says that a cup of tea saved his life. That’s because the tea tent was near the IHF Mobile Health Unit (MHU) at a Teagasc beef farming event in Grange in 2017. His life was saved because one of the nurses encouraged him and his wife to come in for a blood pressure check.

Eddie, a father of two and farming in Puttaghaun, Tullamore now describes the incident as a life saver.

He wasn’t feeling particularly unwell, he says, thinking back, but he had been experiencing bad headaches which he had unfortunately put down to sinus problems.

“Having a blood pressure check was the last thing I was thinking about, to be honest,” he says. “We had the tea and then one of the nurses across the way gave us a shout. When my blood pressure was checked, the reading was high,” he says.

Eddie Molloy and Irish Heart Foundation nurse Emer McNulty.

Eddie’s blood pressure was so elevated in fact, that he was at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke – known as Ireland’s silent killers. The advice was to see his GP straight away. This he did and he was put on medication straight away.

Today Eddie is doing well thankfully, but is very aware of the importance of taking his daily medication – and of reminding others to get their blood pressure checked.

“A lot of men of my age, I found, didn’t know about the dangers of high blood pressure,” he says. He now advises everyone to have regular check-ups.

Eddie has great praise for the IHF service.

“The staff are very welcoming and the fact that the checks are free and easily accessible makes it more likely that men, who might not always visit their GP, would take the opportunity to have a vital blood pressure check,” he says. “Whether I would be around or not today if I hadn’t had that check up, I honestly don’t know. Like I said, it was a lifesaver,” he said.

IHF at Ploughing 2019

This year the IHF will be at the National Ploughing Championships, this time in a marquee. The stand number for the IHF is Row 31, Stand 653. Marese Damery is health checks manager.

“The mobile won’t be here but we will have free blood pressure and pulse checks for farmers and other visitors as usual,” she says. “While we don’t diagnose, we do identify people at risk of heart attack or stroke.”

Last year, 35% of those who had checks done were referred to their GPs because they had high blood pressure.

Both men and women over 30 should have a blood pressure check done at least once a year or more frequently if they have a family history of high blood pressure, she states.

Lifestyle chat is important too

While the blood pressure check is important, so too is the chat about lifestyle, health checks manager Marese Damery says.

“The blood pressure screen mechanism gets people in, but they can also have a chat with the nurse and talk about their lifestyle and risk factors and look at positive changes they can make for their health.”

The good news is that high blood pressure can be managed through lifestyle changes.

“Eighty per cent of cardiovascular disease is preventable through lifestyle change, the World Health Organisation says.”

These lifestyle changes can include smoking cessation, keeping physically active and reducing alcohol intake.

“We find in our research that alcohol isn’t a main issue with farmers at all, but we just let them know the limits,” she says.

Advice can also include leaving the salt cellar in the cupboard.

“People throw salt on food quite easily,” Marese says, “so we encourage people to keep it off the table as much as possible and taste their food before putting any salt on it. Avoiding processed foods as much as possible and cooking from scratch is important too.”

A reminder about being a healthy weight is also in there.

“We’d be advising working towards that and being more active. Farmers often think they are active but quad bikes and new machines have taken farmers away from the required activity level.

“We would remind farmers to leave the quad bike behind and go for a long walk down the fields and to do whatever they can do to be more physically active. The recommended amount is 30 minutes a day, five days a week and more often if you need to lose weight. It is 60 to 75 minutes five times a week if you need to do that.”

What should the reading be?

So what should your blood pressure reading be?

“We like it to be 120 over 80 and certainly not more than 140 over 90,” she says.

Pulse checks

Because one in four people over 50 are more at risk of atrial fibrillation pulse checks are also available.

“When we take a person’s pulse, we’re looking to see if it is regular or not,” Marese says.

“People can develop an abnormal heartbeat as they get older. We would show people how to take their pulse, especially if they are over 50 and especially if they have high blood pressure.”

A video called Feel the Pulse is available on www.irishheart.ie to teach you how to do this.

One thousand people checked last year

Six experienced nurses will be at the IHF stand at the Ploughing each day. The stand will be supported by Pfizer. Last year, over 1,000 people availed of the heart health checks. Three hundred and fifty of them were referred to GPs.

Other health check services

Don’t forget that some pharmacies are now offering convenient health checks. Prices are around €25 for a cholesterol check or a PSA check and €10 for a glucose level check. Some even offer thyroid checks. Ask your pharmacist for details.

Comprehensive health screenings

If you feel that you’d like a very comprehensive ‘NCT’ there are lots of private hospital clinics offering these.

They cost between €500 and €700 depending on how many tests you have done. The screening tests take about three to four hours and you have the results reviewed by a senior doctor.

If you are concerned about moles you can also have your body mapped to monitor changes. If you have private medical insurance you may be entitled to a partial reimbursement of the cost.

Alternatively, you can also claim back the cost of your check-up against your tax by submitting a Med 1 form to Revenue at the end of your tax year.

Free check ups

Need an eye test? A dental check? A hearing test?

Don’t forget that self-employed people can now get free eye and dental check ups and in the case of glasses and hearing aids, a contribution to those costs under the Treatment Benefit Scheme run by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection if they have the required number of PRSI contributions.

What do you get?

Teeth

  • Full cost of an oral examination once a calendar year.
  • A payment of €42 towards either a scale and polish or – if clinically necessary – periodontal treatment, once a calendar year.
  • Eyesight

    A free eyesight test, once every second calendar year (sight tests for VDUs, driving licences, etc, are not covered).

    Since 28 October 2017, you can get a payment, once every second calendar year, towards either one pair each of reading and distance spectacles, one pair of bifocal or varifocals or one pair of contact lenses (including disposables).

    Cost will vary depending on the frames you choose. Basic frames are free.

    If you choose more expensive frames, the Department will pay €42 towards the overall cost of the spectacles and you pay the balance.

    Hearing

    The Department pays half the cost of a hearing aid provided by registered suppliers, subject to a fixed maximum of €500 for each hearing aid once every fourth calendar year. It also pays half the cost of repairs to aids, up to a maximum of €100, once every fourth calendar year.

    Sexually transmitted disease (STD) tests

    Sexual health is important too and now you can buy testing kits in pharmacies as well as attend free sexual health clinics around the country. Six out of 10 Irish people have never had a sexual health check up but sexually transmitted infections like Chlamdydia are on the increase.

    The HSE points out that up to 80% of STIs display little or no symptoms but the long-term effects can be severe and in some cases can cause infertility, pain and pelvic inflammatory disease.