Heart Valve Disease in Adults Over 65: Why a Simple Stethoscope Check Matters

🫀 The 65+ Pulse Check

You can’t protect what you don’t listen to.

When was the last time someone listened to your heart? ❤️‍🩹

For many people over 65, shortness of breath, constant fatigue, or feeling “just a little slower” gets brushed off as normal aging.

It’s not.

These can be early warning signs of heart valve disease, a condition that is often treatable if caught early.

At HeartBridge Collective (HBC), we believe no one should lose their independence or quality of life because something as basic as this was missed.

Here’s what most people don’t realize:

👉 There’s no consistent national standard that guarantees your heart will be listened to at every visit.

Some doctors do it routinely.

Some only if you report chest pain.

Some rarely.

And many patients don’t realize they can ask. You can and should.

The Quiet Truth

When basic heart exams are skipped, early murmurs can be missed and murmurs are often the first clue that something isn’t right.

When valve disease is diagnosed late, it can:

🩺 delay treatment

🩺 lead to more complications

🩺 increase hospital stays

🩺contribute to loss of independence

🩺raise healthcare costs

Delayed detection also disproportionately affects older adults, women, and underserved communities.

The Simple Step You Can Take Today

While national guidelines continue to evolve, patients still have a voice.

At your next appointment, say:

👉 “Can you please listen to my heart today?”

It takes less than a minute.

It’s non-invasive.

And it can be the first step toward catching valve disease earlier.

This isn’t about blaming doctors.

It’s about fixing a system that forgot something basic.

🩺 You can’t diagnose what you don’t listen for.

Because where someone lives should never determine the care they receive.

Every patient deserves access to modern heart valve treatments and the opportunity to return to the life they worked hard to build.

❤️‍🩹 Where we speak from the heart, for the heart.

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