Caring for the Hearts of Older Patients

Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of death around the world. This disease is more common in people who have diabetes or if the disease runs in the family.  Another high risk of heart diseases comes with the age. As people age, their heart becomes more susceptible to diseases or many might have already become a patient. Either way, old patients need care and prevention not just through medication, but with the help of a proper diet and a maintained lifestyle.

Here’s how we can take care of the old people around us and save them from heart problems:

Healthy Diet:

After reaching a certain age, the elders must not be given food that has a lot of sugar, has butter, ghee, shortening or any other ingredient which might affect their cholesterol level. Vegetables, fruits and fish must remain a major part of their diet with no grains in them.  All their food must be low fat.

Physical Activities:

Physical exercises must become a part of older people’s schedule. Even walking is very good for the health and heart. Elders must partake in aerobics, muscle strengthening exercises and balance improvement. All these physical activities will not only avoid the risks of heart diseases, but will also help them create better physical endurance and the ability to stay active. Many older people fall frequently because their muscles have started to weaken and they find it hard to balance their body.

Smoke and Alcohol:

Smoking is bad for health as it is but when old people do it, it becomes outright deadly. Smoking poses a danger to the lungs and might even cause a stroke.  Similarly, alcohol can make conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, liver problems and mood disorders worse. Thus, it is essential that elders stay away from both.

Medications:

Alternative medications have allowed people to choose their own medicines and more often than not, they make the wrong decision. Alternative medicines might be natural but that doesn’t mean they are effective when it comes to saving lives. Also, there is no official release or research data about these alternative medicines by the FDA. Many elders, on their drive to use natural means, end up losing their health, or worse, as alternative medicines are not always trustworthy.

Avoid Stress:

Stress, shock or any extreme trauma in older people can cause high blood pressure, heart attack or even death. If elders are sleeping properly, exercising daily, taking the proper diet and maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle, then the above-discussed conditions can be avoided. However, people who make the elders anxious, worried or stressed out might trigger a negative effect on the health.

Stay Ready:

If the elder person is a heart patient and somehow ends up suffering from a heart attack, then the caregiver must know how to give emergency treatment. If the elder person is staying with their family, then the family members must learn how to conduct emergency treatment in case of heart failure. Immediate action could help save lives.

The hearts of elderly people is very vulnerable to diseases. Thus, it is important that we take care of them.