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Essential Cardiac Care Giving Tips For Families Providing Elder Care

By Bill Freshwater
Homewatch CareGivers

Stress and age are the leading causes of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Although high blood pressure can strike a person in any age group, older adults above the age of 60 are at a higher risk for stroke and related serious disability due to high blood pressure.

Common conditions such as coronary heart disease and stroke have been linked to severe health risk factors like high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity and being overweight or obese. An increase in age increases risk alongside these other factors.

Here are three of these risk factors for seniors, and tips on how to eliminate them from your loved one:

1. Risk: Loss of senses often leads to over-consumption. Older adults lose sensory functions slowly, starting with the sense of smell and taste. Family caregivers need to watch for a change in diet or an increase in salt and sugar intake that may indicate loss of sensory function. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that over-consumption of salt leads to high blood pressure; over-consumption of sugar leads to weight gain and possible weight-related diabetes.

Eliminate the risk:

• Overhaul eating habits. Eliminate high salt and sugar pre-packaged foods, read labels for sodium levels, eat larger portions of natural foods and fruit for natural sugar intake and avoid convenience foods.

• Adopt 3 new dietary strategies. Substitute nonhydrogenated unsaturated fats for saturated and trans-fats; increase omega-3 fatty acids from fish, fish oil supplements or plants; consume a Mediterranean-style diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Seniors aged 70 to 90 who followed this type of diet with regular exercise have a 65 to 73 percent lower rate of mortality from coronary related diseases.

2. Risk: Sedentary lifestyle increases heart disease and depression. Being inactive, obese or both can increase a senior’s risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, depression and stroke.

Eliminate the risk:

• Walk 10 minutes daily. Federal Physical Activities Guidelines call for 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity each week. Seniors who are overweight or struggling physically because of heart disease, hypertension or other age-related diseases should start slowly by just walking inside the home. Eventually, go outside for five minutes, then ten minutes, and so on.

• Add one minute per week. Increased physical activity can be as easy as adding just one minute a week to physical activity routines. This will help seniors reach their 20 minutes of recommended daily activity.

3. Risk: Fear of dependence leads to stress. As people reach retirement age and beyond, they go through an intense emotional cycle of change as they face new pressures from finances, changing family roles, loss of a loved one and struggles to age in-home. This stress can often lead to anxiety and depression in seniors.

Eliminate the risk:

• Create solutions for independence and socialization. Plan a social calendar to make sure seniors engages with friends and their community.

• Find volunteer opportunities. From schools to churches to libraries, seniors are a valuable volunteer resource for those community resources facing budget and funding issues during tough economic times. It can also be a rewarding experience for your loved one.

• Get out of the house. Self-isolation leads to depression and withdrawal from the world can lead to unhealthy lifestyle habits like self-medication or alcohol dependency. Getting out is linked to overall wellbeing.

• Make a plan for in-home care in advance. Family caregivers and the seniors they care for need to prepare a clear plan for the future to ensure the senior’s desire for independence. Respect the senior’s rights and feelings and get advice and support from an in-home care provider.

For more information, contact Bill Freshwater at 246-8537 or billbr@homewatchcaregivers.com .