Introduction

About 3 in 10 adults in Somerset have high blood pressure but 1 in 10 don’t know it. It is a major risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease, and significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, but early diagnosis and treatment can help people live longer, healthier lives.

The blood pressure monitor kits

The blood pressure monitors are free to loan from any Somerset library. The devices can be borrowed for 2 weeks by any adult library member, so that you can make regular checks at home over this period.

The blood pressure monitor kits include an information leaflet that explains how to check your blood pressure at home and what to do with the results. Measuring blood pressure at home can be very useful to give a more accurate picture of what a person’s blood pressure is like. The monitors can also detect an irregular heartbeat, which is another risk for Cardiovascular Disease.

Please note – staff in libraries do not have medical training and are unable to show customers how to use the kits. Please use the information provided and the short 2 minute video below from the trusted authority of British Heart Foundation, which goes through how to use a blood pressure machine.

You can also view a video from Clinton Rogers with Dr Solomon Lebese below, which also talks about our local scheme and includes a brief demonstration.