Heart Disease and Elder Care

Heart disease is a serious issue that many elderly people face. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death. If your loved one has this disease, they must receive proper treatment for it. This can improve their quality of life and life expectancy. If you can’t take care of your loved one anymore, you need to find a home that can. This home should focus on treating your loved one’s heart disease problem. Here are some tips on caring for an elderly person with heart disease.

Keeping Your Loved One’s Stress Levels Low

Your loved one is at a greater risk for a heart attack if they have heart disease. The nursing home staff should make an effort to prevent your loved one from feeling stressed. A staff member should avoid raising their voice at your loved one or making them feel afraid. Keeping stress levels low is important to managing heart disease.

Follow Special Diet

Your loved one will have dietary restrictions if they have heart disease. The nursing home should cater to these restrictions. Your loved one should avoid red meat and foods high in sugar and fat. The nursing home should provide healthy meals that follow your loved one’s dietary restrictions.

Provide Exercise

Your loved one should have encouragement to exercise at the nursing home. They should be able to work with a personal trainer to stay healthy. Getting your loved one moving and having their heart rate elevated will promote a healthy lifestyle. The home should support these efforts and have the resources to provide proper exercise.

Prevent Smoking

Your loved one should not smoke if they have heart disease. The nursing home staff should keep a close eye on your loved one to make sure that they don’t smoke.

Provide Proper Medication

If your loved one has to take medication, the home should assist with this. The home should provide medication on a regular schedule and make sure that your loved one gets the assistance needed when taking it.

Follow a Doctor’s Orders

Your loved one’s primary physician will provide treatment options. The home should follow these orders and not stray from them unless they a doctor changes them.

If your loved one has heart disease, the nursing home should be aware of this issue. The home should also invest in taking care of your loved one. They should follow the tips outlined in this article to make sure that your loved one is getting proper treatment. If you have an issue with the way that the home treats your loved one, contact a lawyer as soon as possible.